Brutal, not gentle
The Japanese are polite, reserved and withdrawn. And the cars they make are often expressive of the same characteristics… to the point of being diffident. But this does not apply to the Nissan Z which was always seen as Japan’s rowdy, not only at first on account of the car’s look but also what then came to lurk under its bonnet. The gust of fresh wind in the Nissan program takes the form of a 3.7 litre V6 engine with infinitely variable valve controls and 328 horsepower. The RPMs can go up to nine thousand without any notable difficulty, the V6 roaring happily until the warning light starts to blink madly. The 370 Z is not a car to be driven slowly for it is a bit on the rough side. The slightly cantankerous six-speed transmission calls for judicious use and smooth getaways call for sensitivity. But when the auto is given its head the ‘Z’ is in its element. The V6 takes a deep breath and pushes out 363 Nm of torque, giving the Roadster its superlative momentum. This is necessary, of course, to a get a car weighing 1.9 tons moving properly. It also means that the stated fuel consumption of 11.2 litres per hundred kilometres driven is soon an illusory target, with two or three litres more demanded in practice.
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- There is an adrenalin rush to be experienced when the button on the shift-gate is depressed and the ‘Synchro Rev Control’ activated. This deploys an automatic double-declutching function with the electronics responding to the RPMs when the gear-change occurs to give a smoother and faster shift.
Japanese diva
The 370 Z demands of its driver a certain empathy, for the impression arises that the initial ‘Z’ could allude to a temperamental diva on par with ZsaZsa Gabor. A showy samba is danced by the car’s rear end if a corner on a wet surface is taken too fast, and then the ESP kicks in with a vengeance. Otherwise the sports car made in Japan has good poise on the road with a low centre of gravity and an ideal distribution of weight.
There is an adrenalin rush to be experienced when the button on the shift-gate is depressed and the ‘Synchro Rev Control’ activated. This deploys an automatic double-declutching function with the electronics responding to the RPMs when the gear-change occurs to give a smoother and faster shift. The break in power delivery is thus very brief without the need for the driver to do a heel-and-toe dance on the medals in motor sport mimicry.
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- One serious deficit becomes immediately obvious when a summer is spoiled by regular rains and storms… as this summer in unfortunately is. The electrically operated top can only be opened and closed when the auto is standing still, and the driver’s finger must permanently hold the button depressed while the operation is in progress.
Deficits nevertheless
If the driving enjoyment in the Japanese roadster is appreciable the same cannot be said when it comes to the car’s suitability for everyday driving. One serious deficit becomes immediately obvious when a summer is spoiled by regular rains and storms… as this summer in Germany unfortunately is. The electrically operated top can only be opened and closed when the auto is standing still, and the driver’s finger must permanently hold the button depressed while the operation is in progress. Even the briefest of showers means another stop at the roadside. Not with this car can one cruise past the sidewalk café while casually deploying or retracting the top. It does help, though, that the entire process is now fully automatic and no manual locking is called for.
The space inside the ‘Z’ can not be called generous. There are a couple of drinks holders available and behind the well configured sports seats there is room to toss aside a jacket or briefcase. But couples planning weekend trips need to be careful about what they pack in their suitcases since the load capacity is only 140 litres. In the cockpit itself there are further deficits to be noted. In order to operate the navigation system mounted on the central console the driver must reach far to his right and in this uncomfortable position press the buttons to work his way through the menus. The remaining fuel in the tank is indicated by spots the size of a thumb-tack on a display which is almost impossible to read when sunlight falls unfavourably. The workmanship in the cockpit is on the whole good, but the driver is confronted with an abundance of hard plastic.
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- For 41,390 Euros there is no other automobile offering so much open-air driving pleasure with 300 horsepower to call upon.
Competition at the right price
But Nissan scores points in two other areas, price and equipment level. For 41,390 Euros there is no other automobile offering so much open-air driving pleasure with 300 horsepower to call upon. The Audi TT RS (340 horsepower) comes with all-wheel-drive but requires its owner to invest 56 thousand Euros. The BMW Z4 sDrive 35i (306 horsepower) costs 48 thousand Euros, the Porsche Boxster S (310 horsepower) 55,978 Euros. Then there is the Mercedes SLK 350 (306 horsepower) for 52,301 Euros. In spite of its relatively low price the 370 Z comes with plenty of equipment as standard. Among other features are an audio system, bi-Xenon headlights, parking assistant, air conditioning and electrically adjustable seats. For 3,100 Euros more (‘Pack’ package) there is seat heating and ventilation, partial leather upholstery, ‘Synchro Rev Control’ and cruise control. Add on 2,400 Euros for hard-disc navigation system and there is nothing much more to be desired… and the price still stays below the 50 thousand Euros mark.
