Z performance opens up

SAN JOSE, CA—The letter Z has been associated with Nissan for a long time, dating back to when the company’s vehicles wore the Datsun badge in Canada.

Each succeeding Z has shown more zing, more sophistication and more appeal, but there have only been two roadsters, the 300 ZX which ran from 1993 to 1996 and the 350Z which arrived in 2004 and ends its run in 2009 with the introduction of a new roadster - the 370Z - poised to hit showrooms in October.

Replacing the 350 is a tough task, but the new, shorter, wider, lower Z zips, zigs, zags and zooms with even more zeal than its predecessor.

The new Z roadster is slightly lower, at 52.2 inches, and it’s shorter in overall length (2.6 in.) and wheelbase (3.9 in.). Width is up by 1.3 inches while rear track is 2.2 in. wider (the front track a half-inch wider).

The new dimensions give the car a more compact, sleeker look and shave about 130 lb. of weight. Going to a cloth top rather than a retractable hard top helps keep the pounds down. The top is stowed or raised in around 20 seconds.

Standard seats are heated and cooled. The latter comes in handy as temperatures on our test drive climb into the mid-90F range. The seats are comfortable and well bolstered but I hate the dial-a-position cushion adjustments.

The instrument panel cluster moves up or down along with the tilt steering column, unfortunately there’s no telescopic feature.

Pushing this lighter, more compact Z is a new 3.7-litre V6 that puts 332 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque at the driver’s disposal.

Shifting can be handled by either a smooth six-speed manual transmission that automatically blips the throttle (in Sport Package models) to smooth out shifting (the blip can be turned off) or a seven speed automatic with manual mode and paddle shifters.

The automatic blip is handy when downshifting at high revs, but it sounds a bit funny in slow traffic when you drop from third to second or second to first. My co-driver says he actually feels a bit embarrassed with it, thinking it kind of hot-roddish and unnecessary.

The sport shift automatic works beautifully except that the paddle shifters are steering column-mounted and, since the right paddle shifts up and the left one shifts down, you can get yourself kind of crossed up if you keep your hands at 9 and 3 o’clock in tight turns.

Pushing this zippy Z along the freeways and the narrow, twisty mountain roads around San Jose, reveals a new-found Z Roadster characteristic - rigidity. This car is about as unbending as you can find in a topless ride – no hood flex, no tail-wagging. It goes where you aim it, when you aim it, without any fuss or bother.

Vehicle Dynamic Control is always ready to steady things up if you manage to get too far out of shape, but it doesn’t jump in without considerable provocation.

This car is simply a blast to drive and delivers a lot of bang for the buck.

Models start at $46,998 with manual shifting ($48,498 with AT) a sport package can be added with either transmission and a navigation package added to that, bringing a maxed-out price of $54,998.

Even the top-end vehicles are a good value in that you can actually use them every day. The ride is well modulated, there’s no harshness when roads get a bit rough and the trunk will actually carry stuff … top up or top down.

Bonus!