Nissan 370Z Roadster

The new convertible Z is a beautiful car, guaranteed panty dropper. There’s a real sense of purpose to the design and, unlike its predecessor, the 370Z Roadster doesn’t look like a cobbled-together mess. Nissan invited Blaque to launch of what I truly believe is a majestic drop top. Maropeng Hotel situated on the outskirts of Gauteng towards Magalisberg was the meeting place before embarking on a 250 km experience. I have always been a big fan of German brands and I have always said it will take some expert selling abilities to convince me otherwise.

After taking it through its paces, I can safely say I wouldn’t mind having one of those in my garage. Much of what you see comes as standard with very few add on, saving you money

PERFORMANCE

A measure of this car’s ride and power, relative to its price
Blaque score: 95

From the get-go, the new 370Z was designed to be stiffer, lighter and more powerful than the old 350Z, and these positive traits extend to the convertible. The 370Z Roadster is lighter than the old 350Z convertible, and slightly heavier than the new 370Z coupe. With the new roadster boasting a larger and more powerful 3.7-liter V6, 245kW of power and 363Nm of torque.

Both a six-speed manual (with optional SyncroRev) and a seven-speed automatic are available, but since we only had a couple of hours to get acquainted with the car, we opted to stick with the stick. It takes a bit of effort to muscle the shifter into gear, but thanks to the wide power band, excessive shifting is not necessary. We found third gear to be the gear of choice for tighter, more technical roads, while fourth gear kept things lively on the quicker bits of curvy roads.

The Nissan 370Z Roadster delivers the handling one would expect from a true sports car. The steering is a bit heavy, but insanely responsive, and it should come as no surprise to hear that the 370Z Roadster seems to live for being flogged through corners. It should also come as no surprise that the 370Z Roadster delivers a pretty stiff ride too.

DESIGN

A measure of this car’s aesthetic appeal, relative to its price
Blaque score: 85

Nissan’s 370Z Roadster possesses a stunning, sleek and taut design. Nissan took great pains to ensure that the car retained its sleek look regardless of whether the roof was up or down.

The new fully automatic top made from cloth for it’s weight saving benefits is the next upgrade; it eliminates the manual release of the previous model and operates (a bit clangorously) in about 20 seconds. The rear glass area is larger, creating a better outward view. The only issue we’ve ever really had with any modern Z was the cramped and claustrophobic feeling we got inside the car. This feeling, as you can rightly guess, completely vanishes when the Z’s top is down, letting us better enjoy the car.

Price: R543 000.00