Z

Vehicle: 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster A7
Price as tested: CDN$56498

Performance: When it comes to performance, you would never be disappointed with any Z. The same goes for its roadster version. VQ37VHR has always been known as the world’s best V6 engine, in Z’s guise, its no different than its coupe silbing. With 24-valve V6 DOHC and Nissan’s variable valve timing technologies called CVVTCS plus variable valve lift on intake valves, it makes this 3.7 liter a very flexible and fun engine. It all began with a peppy low-end torque with 270 lb/ft of torque, which is very healthy amount of torque arrives at 5200rpm. On the other hand, 332 ponies provide plenty of mid and upper ranges. All it delivers without losing all the breath when pushed it on top of the picture. Our tester comes with a 7-speed manumatic gearbox. This manumatic is as good as any manumatic as we have driven, as it matches this VQ37 perfectly thanks to excellent use of gear ratios. It also comes with paddle shifters for driver to down and upshifts. Unfortunately, Z’s paddle shifters don’t mount on the steering wheel. Nissan decided to mount on the column instead of the steering is a stupid move. When you turn the steering wheel, the paddle shifters should move altogether when driver urge to upshift after exiting a corner.

Handling: Z has always been known for balanced dynamic experience, its roadster version doesn’t disappoint. It all begins with a stiff and solid chassis, then mated with a superb-calibrated suspension and a sharp steering. This Z roadster has to be one of the best handling convertibles I have ever driven. The steering is not only sharp, its precise and provide exceptional driver feedback. Even though its sharp and precise, it won’t have all the twitches one expects from a full-out sports car. The same goes for Z’s civilized ride quality, which is comfortable on all the rough roads. The sports suspension absorbs all the patholes and expansion joints with ease. What it returns is a sports car that attacks corners with fun. I meant plenty of fun through the twisties without losing all the civilization. There is minimal body rolls while under and oversteer are minimal. The best of all, Z’s Vehicle Dynamic Control is an uninstrusive type which means it won’t step in unnecessarily. To wrap up Z’s overall dynamic package is the lack of cowl shakes so commonly known in convertible. All feel very solid and well-planted even on railroad tracks.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, Z roadster stops as good as it drives. The stopping distance is short and while pedal feels linear. The pedal feels sharp and solid, on the other hand, ABS only steps in necessarily when needed.

Interior: Slip inside the Z roadster, it finally receives all the interior materials and fit-and-finish that it deserves in day 1. Not too long ago, 350Z was infamous for its cheap interior with poor workmanship. The new 370Z comes with nice classy plastic materials with tasteful aluminum trim pieces on the center console. The orange leather sports seats hug both driver and passenger comfortably while attacking corners. It is also a tasteful mix to the rather somber black dashboard.

The trunk space is enough for 2 persons on a weekend trip. No more. No less. However, the antenna on top of the trunk just detract the whole Z’s styling. What a pity.

Conclusion: The new 370Z roadster is not only attractive when it comes to its dynamic abilities, its most attracting factor has to be its price point. There aren’t many roadsters offering the same kind of performance and dynamic capabilities for those priced above, let alone at less than 57 grand. Now that’s what we called bang-for-the-buck.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Vehicle: 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring Coupe M6 with Sport Pkg and Navigation Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$48133

Handling: Right on the heels of Nissan’s recently launched GT-R, Nissan starts another strike into a more affordable sports car. With the new Z, it shares the same platform as the well-received Infiniti G37, which has always been a good thing to begin with. As this platform is famous for its level of rigidty and stiffness, which is a perfect base for a great sports car. Z continues its tradition of being an entertaining trait thanks to rear-wheel-drive’s perfect 50/50 weight distribution and an excellent suspension calibrations. The result is a sports car that feels every inch a “Nissan Z”. Z’s nimble dynamics and docile character have left nothing but intact in their latest redesign. The result is a sports car that handles like a dream. The steering is sharp and precise with a balanced feel. On the other hand, Z doesn’t feel as uncivilized as its more expensive GT-R silibings when it comes to ride quality. Z rides comfortably thanks to its compliant suspension which absorbs bumps and roughness with ease. Its Teutonic firm but far from being harsh. It is actually a sports car that one can live with it on a daily basis. On the other hand, body rolls are minimal. Oversteer and understeer are easy to control. Not to mention Z’s Vehicle Dynamic Control has done a wonderful job of being uninstrusive, without giving up when driver starts to rear its ugly heads. A very nice package indeed.

Performance: As with its designation suggests, the new Z has upgraded from a 3.5 to 3.7 liter based on the same VQ family. This VQ37VHR is nothing short of amazing when it comes to deliver silky smooth power with refinement and quality to boot. Its latest upgrade of “High Response” has addressed previous VQ’s biggest shortfall, and that’s the lack of top end performance. That’s thanks to Nissan’s advanced variable valve timing system called CVTC. With 332 ponies and 270 lb/ft of torque at driver’s disposal, Z has brisk response on every rpm. While on low rev, its impressively quick as its 270 lb/ft of torque delivers mostly at 5200rpm. Its the mid-range that is most impressive. Mated to this motor is 6-speed manual gearbox. The throws are short and gates well-defined, on the other hand, the clutch has a perfect bite point. Nissan’s innovative SynchroRevMatch feature has done a good job on matching the right rpm at the perfect gear, which is a godsent when playing heel-and-toeing on the track.

Brakes: Although its sad Nissan has dropped the Brembo brake kit in flavor of OEM ones. Z’s braking performance remains impressive. With its large 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, Z is able to complete lots of hard braking without any fades. The stopping distance is short while pedal feel solid. The modulation point is easily found. ABS’s intervention also steps in at the right time.

Interior: After years of cheap interior that is filled of hard and nasty plastic pieces, Nissan has gone for a much efforts with latest Z redesign. The result is the interior material quality and workmanship that are finally on par with its competitions and its price tag. There are enough soft-touch plastic on the dashboard with thicker leather for its awesome side and thigh support. The only drawback is the information gauge on the left side of the instrumentation tends to wash out during sunlight.

Conclusion: The new Z will continue Nissan’s tradition of building an affordable sports car that is as capable on track and as civilized on daily driving. With the current Touring that is already walked the outgoing 350Z’s Track Package, just imagine how sweet will the upcoming Track Edition.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2009 Nissan 370Z
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5

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

Vehicle: 2003 Nissan 350Z Touring Edition with 5-speed manumatic (that is the only demo I can get hold of in this area).

Performance: Based on Nissan’s wonderful VQ engine series. This VQ35DE that bumps out 287hp and 274 lb/ft of torque has amazing responses even if it doesn’t have “proper” stick shift. The throttle response is very quick without being too abrupt. As with any VQ engines, there are tons of torque while it never ran out of breath at higher rpm. The refinement is second-to-none for a normally aspirated V6 engine. On the other hand, the manumatic responses accordingly. Both the upshifts and downshifts are quick and decisive. The whole action is done is a smooth and linear fashion that remind me of the last G35 I drove. Nissan also tuned some sweet exhaust sound that feels “Z”, that’s something you don’t have in other VQ Nissan cars. The engine music is uniquely Z.

Handling: Z’s handling is simply amazing. The stiff chassis with excellent tuning of suspension has given Z flat handling through corners. The body rolls are hard to detect while the VDC or Vehicle Dynamic Control has kept to a lease instrusive until absolutely necessary. It allows for some oversteer fun as a FR sports car. Steering feedback is communicative in which you can feel everything happened on the road surface. Even though the steering is sensitive when pushed through corners, it won’t feel unsettle unlike some of its competitions. The steering just feels surgical and very precise. In other words, telephatic. Unlike many sports cars, Z’s ride has a nice balance between handling. Don’t forget we are talking about the Touring Edition, I can’t imagine how the Track Edition handles.

Brakes: Just like its handling and powerplant, the brake pedal feel is excellent. The stops are short. Pedal is easily modulated. The anti-dive works exceptionally well even when I tried to stop at a pretty high speed.

Interior: All the instrumentation gauges are well laid-out. The stereo and climate control are placed where they should be. The whole interior design is very well designed as a sports car nature. The bucket seats are comfortable with excellent support. Driving position is easily adjusted through its multiple adjusting functions and tilt/telescope steering wheel. However, there is a major drawback. Some of Z’s interior material feels cheap in which it suffered the same “corner cutting” as its Nissan silibings. Namely Altima for its similar glovebox material cheapness. Another area is some hard and shiny plastic on the center console area.

In terms of cargo space, its adequate for 2 people on a weekend trip considered its sports car nature. Although the liftover is high but then again, who would expect a Z to haul like a Pathfinder?

Conclusion: Judging by Z’s wonderful combination of powerplant, handling dynamics and style. Its really hard to find a sports car that performs better at its price. I don’t know about you but I already know which car is my personal COTY in 2003.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2003 NISSAN 350Z TOURING EDITION
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.25/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 5/5