Model Update

Back in the 1960s they did it with the 240Z, and now today the impressive Nissan 370Z raises the performance bar, yet again. A new Nissan 370Z is all about performance and all about driving pleasure. Glance over the exterior, and the Nissan 370Z even looks quick. Flip the bonnet and a sweet 3.7-litre V6 sits snugly in the engine bay. Fire up the Z car, and the full 245 kW becomes a performance weapon, alive and full of potential energy. Power runs smoothly and forcefully right up to the limited top speed of 250 km/h. Acceleration is very quick, while the car’s handling is as good as it gets. Chassis dynamism is superb, and few cars match the 370Z’s poise and control at the limit.

A sexy 370Z Coupe and racy 370Z Roadster are offered, and they come with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic. Traction to the rear wheels is via a specially designed slip differential to ensure full control and full traction under full throttle.

Leather seats fit snugly around the body, while the rest of the interior offers premium luxury. The Nissan 370Z Roadster is a lot of fun with its retractable roof, which at the push of a button the roof folds away in a short twenty seconds. Satellite navigation, Bluetooth communication, a BOSE audio system, electric heated seats, a video input jack, climate control air-conditioning, steering wheel controls, VDC, TCS, ABS, BA, EBD, seat belt pre-tensioners, load limiters and active head restraints are available to all Nissan 370Z models.

It’s great to see Nissan leading the way in affordable performance. This is one sharp speedster.

What holds a car to the road? Is it the driver’s skill level? In part, as these days most vehicles have the electronic stability control gadgetry that kicks in at the limit. The limit is something that very few drivers will ever want to experience in reality. Is it the tyres? A fair amount of grip is gained from the tyres’ contact with the road – the bigger the tyre, the bigger the paw print. Hidden from view is a crucial component that many people overlook. In order to keep the car balanced and the tyres firmly pushing against the road, a good taut suspension performs an incredible level of work, and is the key link between the road and the driver. Steering needs to be sharp and the entire chassis components need to work in unison for premium ride and handling characteristics seemingly demanded by today’s driving enthusiast. At Nissan, road holding is taken very seriously. Attach Z or GTR to the name, and you know the car is going to go hold the road at insane speeds.

It is no fluke that Nissan have created cars that equal and, at times, better Porsche and BMW rivals. There is the out and out Nissan GTR supercar that has set the benchmark at Germany’s Nürburgring. Glance through the Nissan line-up, and one of the cars that really catches your eyes is the phenomenally good looking Nissan 370Z Roadster. Built for balance and superior roadholding, the Nissan 370Z Roadster is a sensationally exciting car to drive.

Nissan have enlarged the engine for the 370Z Roadster, and so this year sees a powerful 3.7-litre V6 engine that pumps out close to 250 kW of power and over 360 Nm of torque. Variable valve timing, variable valve lift and a redline of 7500 rpm creates enough talk to speculate that the new Z car will carry on the sports car legend that Z cars of yesteryear still posses. To put the car’s credentials into a more tangible package for all you power buffs out there. The Nissan 370Z has more power than the 2010 V8-powered Mustang GT. A 0-100 km/h dash of just over 5.0 seconds isn’t half bad either!

I talked earlier about the importance of excellent chassis design that produces superior road holding. Nissan have carefully filtered through the makeup of their sport car chassis design resulting in a wheelbase that has shrunk in length, and a rear track that has been widened. A remarkable 43kg has been trimmed off the 370Z Coupe car’s weight, and the Nissan 370Z Roadster on-road dynamics are best described as being athletic and nimble – to say the least.

The car also looks lighter and meaner too. Body torsion and bending rigidity have been increased, while the old structural cross-member that used to eat up valuable cargo space has been relocated out of the way. All of this plus revised suspension tuning results in a car that feels superior in all tests on the road. Quick cornering (entry and exit) times are the norm for a car of this calibre.

On the inside, the Nissan 370Z Roadster benefits from a very high quality interior that boasts easy-to-read gauges (yes, they still move with the tilt action of the steering wheel), leather seating, Bluetooth and a hard-drive-based navigation system with music storage capability. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, keyless ignition and entry, automatic climate control, an eight-way manual driver seat and a four-speaker stereo with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls. Standard safety equipment on the Nissan 370Z Roadster includes side torso and front airbags, traction control, stability control and active head restraints. Of course, there are loads of other features, too.

Delivering on accounts, the Nissan 370Z Roaster has open top touring with abundant power, great brakes, first-class handling, a supple ride, a nice interior and ample features.

Let’s think cabriolet for a bit: Top down. Sun streaming down. Wind tussled hair. Impressed on-lookers. And an Australian weekend away. That’s me I can hear you say. Join the club, then!

The current model series includes the:

• 370Z Roadster six-speed manual
• 370Z Roadster seven-speed automatic

For any more information on the Nissan 370Z Roadster, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!) we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Nissan dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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