IT MAY not have been the weather for it, but that didn’t stop us enjoying Nissan’s 370Z Roadster when it arrived at our offices, even if the roof stayed firmly in the up position for most of the week. Designed from the outset as a convertible, this roadster is powered by a 3.7-litre V6 mill churning out 245kW and 363Nm enabling it to accelerate to 100km/h in just 5.8 seconds before heading on to a limited top speed of 250km/h.
Certainly no slouch in a straight line, the 370Z Roadster also handles the twisties with aplomb. None of the usual scuttle shake and chassis flex one used to expect from a convertible was evident while the paddle shifters for the 7-speed automatic transmission provided fairly quick and crisp gear changes. Personally, I’m still a fan of Nissan’s SynchroRev manual gearbox but the automatic certainly makes sense in rush hour.
Nissan have also added a very user-friendly 40GB infotainment and navigation system, which makes quick work of finding any destination. Features also include DVD playback, USB and auxiliary inputs for audio and video, 9.3GB storage for music recorded from CD and Bluetooth® audio streaming. It will however set you back a further R21 000.
Lowering and raising the fully automatic soft-top can be completed in 20 seconds with one push of a button. No fiddly latches to open or close.
However, retailing at R582 000, the 370Z Roadster is certainly no thrifty purchase and I can’t help but think that one can have just as much fun in a Mazda MX5 for a fraction of the price.
