Vehicle: 2007 Nissan 350Z Roadster A5 with Grand Touring Roadster Package
Price as tested: CDN$57848

Performance: The highlight of this facelifted Z roadster has to deal with its powerplant. Nissan’s VQ35DE has always been considered as the world’s best V6 engine. This year, Nissan is able to make the best V6 an even better engine. With the new designation VQ35HR. HR stands for High Response. This means Nissan engineers have improved the exhaust, intake manifold and reprogrammed the ECU for better high revving character. Nissan’s CVVTCS variable valve timing certainly helps in this regard. In the past, VQ35DE tends to be a little breathless when revving it pass 6000 rpm. With the new HR, this engine basically runs as strongly up north as in the bottom end. Its 268 lb/ft of torque makes Z feels even more edgier down low, even with our tester’s 5-speed auto transmission. On the other hand, 306 horses certainly make it a leisure cruiser on the highway with the roof opens in sunny day. If Nissan is able to make the manumatic works smoother, it would be an even better use of the powerplant. In a nutshell, this gearbox is good enough for a convertible. But if you are going for a 350Z coupe, its sweet 6-speed manual is a must.

Handling: The current Z has been renowed for its balanced handling thanks to its stiff chassis and 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. It doesn’t disappoint us a single bit even if it loses its roof. The chassis is very well balanced and sporty. Turn-in is sharp and precise, without any hesitation when doing left-and-right transitions. Steering follows this lead as there are plenty of feedback. Its level of precision and responsiveness rank alongside the best sports cars from Germany. Our tester comes with Grand Touring Package, which means it also comes with Vehicle Stability Control or VSC. The beauty of this system is its level of uninstrusiveness. It won’t step in too early as with some of its rivals. That makes Z’s FR character even more obvious as there are much oversteer fun when pushed. However, as with many current sports cars. There is safe understeer as the initial 1/10 to 3/10 before oversteer starts to appear. Its ride quality is compliant as it absorbs roughs and bumps decently. Unfortunately, there is one huge disappointment. The level of cowl shakes on uneven pavement is very obvious, even more so on railroad tracks. Given this platform is stiff enough, we think Nissan has cut corners when developing the convertible. This alone would take away some fun when pushing 350Z enthuisastically, as cowl shakes usually sacifice some performance.

Brakes: Its braking performance rates as one of the best I have ever tested. The brake pedal provides excellent feedback and modulation. The stopping distance is short while brakes don’t show any fades after couple of hard stops.

Interior: Slip behind the wheel and you won’t be surprise that Z is built up to costs. There are plenty of cheap and shiny plastic on the dashboard and door panels. Leather quality certainly not of the highest quality, as it feels more plastic than those leatherette. You won’t be able to find a glovebox but there are enough cubbyholes for your belongings. Some of the cubbyholes, however, have poor design that make an operation difficult. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog, so does the effective climate control and stereo. Unfortunately, we are able to shake the whole dashboard from left to right on our tester with 300km on the clock. That’s extremely poorly made consider Nissan is charging 57 grand for this roadster. We are also expecting full instead of semi climate control at this price range. Criticisms aside, its a comfortable interior to spend time with. Just don’t mess up with those cheesy plastic and nail those thin leather seats.

There are enough cargo space for 2 persons on a weekend trip to the beach with both top up and down.

Conclusion: Quality aside, 350Z has always come to mind as one of the best buys in both sports coupe and roadster segments. That’s because its peers don’t provide the same kind of performance for similar price.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 NISSAN 350Z ROADSTER
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 2/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 1/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2.5/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 3.5/5