Nissan’s Suave New 370Z Roadster

Nissan’s 370Z sports car now has a soft-top sibling. The 370Z Roadster, designed from the outset as a convertible, is ready to join the awesome GT-R and thrilling 370Z Coupé to complete Nissan’s sports car offering.

Lower, leaner, lighter and faster than its predecessor, the new Roadster celebrates 40 years of the Z.
“When work started on the 370Z some four years ago we decided from the outset that there would be a drop-top version as well as the coupé, so both were designed and engineered side by side. As a result we have been able to ensure the Roadster is notably stiffer than its predecessor to guarantee there has been no compromise in the area that matters most in a sports car: dynamic performance.” says Pierre Loing, Nissan’s European Vice President for Product Planning.

Like the Coupé, the Roadster is powered by the latest version of Nissan’s 3,7-litre V6 engine, now developing 245 kW. The new Nissan 370Z Roadster is available with two transmissions: a seven-speed automatic and the six-speed manual with Synchro Rev Control – the only manual transmission in the world with automatic downshift rev matching for perfect racing gear changes.

Every Roadster comes equipped with sporty 19-inch alloy wheels, engine stop/start button, electrically adjustable leather seats, Bluetooth connectivity, remote phone and audio controls mounted on the steering wheel, wind deflector and Bi-xenon lights. The 370Z Roadster also comes standard with a premium digital 6 CD/MP3 audio system, with 8 Bose speakers, 2 sub woofers and IPOD compatibility.

Also now available as an option on both the Coupé and Roadster is Nissan’s infotainment and 40GB Satellite Navigation system with high quality WVGA touch screen. Features include DVD playback, USB and auxiliary inputs for audio and video, 9.3GB storage for music recorded from CD and Bluetooth® audio streaming.

What about the roof? Well it takes just 20 seconds for the soft-top to fold away and the process is fully automatic, meaning it’s done at the touch of a button. It can also be operated at speeds up to 5 km/h – handy for when you’re crawling along in traffic and don’t need to come to a complete stop to raise or lower the roof.

Under the skin, the 370Z is has been significantly improved over its 350Z predecessor. Overall weight has been reduced by a substantial 62 kg over the 350Z Roadster, despite the new car having greater standard equipment. The weight saving can be partly explained by the use of aluminium for the doors and bonnet, as well as the fact that the 370Z was conceived from day one to be a convertible, meaning the car’s architecture needed less reinforcement.

Torsional stiffness at the front of the Roadster has increased by 40 percent and at the rear by 45 percent. Vertical bending stiffness at the rear has been improved by a massive 60 per cent – all helping to deliver improved driving dynamics.

Hydraulic speed sensitive rack and pinion steering has also been revised to provide more communicative feedback and better response around the dead ahead position. The system delivers greater agility around town and enhanced stability at motorway speeds.

A full complement of electronic safety aids includes the latest generation ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

For the first time in South Africa the Z Roadster is available as an automatic and Nissan has developed a sporting transmission to match the character of the car. While it can be driven as a conventional automatic, enthusiastic owners are more likely to regard it as a clutchless manual, using either the centre shift lever or steering wheel paddles to change gear. Top speed for the Roadster equipped with either manual or automatic gearbox is 250km/h (governed), while acceleration to 100km/h is achieved in 5.5 seconds in the manual-equipped car and 5.8 in the automatic.

Prices include a 3 year/90,000km Service Plan and 3 year/100,000km Warranty. *Denotes special order models.

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