Nissan 370Z Roadster

Nissan 370Z Roadster - joins the Z Coupe in showrooms in late summer

Two variants will be available, the Roadster and the Touring Roadster, the latter offering optional performance orientated extras.

Less than a year after the introduction of the all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe – a vehicle that reset the bar for affordable sports car design and performance – comes its dramatic new stablemate, the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. The seductively styled Z Roadster offers everything the hardtop Z Coupe does – and more. As in more classic open-air sports car driving excitement. More sun, moon and stars. And more refinement than any Z convertible that has ever come before – including a standard automatic latching power top and Nissan Intelligent Key. Also offered are an array of technology and convenience features, including the first-ever Z Roadster-available heating and cooling ventilated net seats, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, satellite radio and advanced Nissan Navigation System. The 2010 370Z Roadster is scheduled to go on sale at Nissan retailers nationwide in late summer.

“As expected, the 370Z Roadster delivers an exhilarating connection to the air, wind and environment on top of the new Z Coupe’s exceptional levels of performance,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA). “But perhaps unexpected for a car this sporty is its greatly enhanced refinement and quality – as seen in features such as its one-touch, auto-locking convertible top and beautifully crafted interior.”

A Truly Authentic Roadster
The 370Z Roadster’s most obvious departure from the 370Z Coupe is its convertible top. The soft-top roof was designed with an emphasis on three key areas: to provide a sleek silhouette matching the new Z’s stunning styling with the top up or down, to offer easy single-action open-close operation, and to provide an enjoyable top-down experience with reduced wind turbulence and all-climate driver/passenger comfort.

With the convertible top in the closed position, the design provides a sophisticated sloped-back appearance, the perfect balance between the soft top and the Z body design. The shortened windshield and aerodynamically rounded rear deck enhance the Z’s kinetic and dynamic character lines. When in the down position, the convertible top is concealed beneath a full body-colour hard tonneau cover, which extends forward to help create the Z Roadster’s classic “double cockpit” style interior.

The standard black cloth convertible top features a fabric inner liner, which provides a quality appearance and helps reduce noise intrusion into the cabin, along with an enlarged (versus the previous generation Z Roadster) glass rear window with an integrated electric rear window defroster. The top operation takes approximately 20 seconds start-to-finish and is controlled by either a centre console-mounted switch or by a button located on the doors. The automatic latch system secures the top to – or releases it from – the windscreen header without driver intervention. The shape and position of the glass wind deflector, located between the fixed headrest bars, has been optimised to reduce turbulence into the cabin.

Like the new 370Z Coupe, the Z Roadster’s new exterior is more aggressive in appearance and lighter and tighter in structure than the previous generation. The wheelbase is nearly 101.6 mm shorter (2550 mm versus 2649 mm) and overall length is reduced by 66.0 mm (4247 mm versus 4313 mm). The new Z Roadster features an aluminium hood, door panels and trunk for reduced weight At the same time, the body structure was extensively revised, improving rigidity and stability. The 370Z Roadster includes additional structural reinforcement (over the 370Z Coupe), in both the A-pillars and side sills.

The Z Roadster’s exterior design incorporates the look and feel of the new Z Coupe, including its signature long nose/short cockpit proportions, vertical door handles and distinctive new headlight/taillight treatment, which features a fierce “boomerang” shape. High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon headlights with auto on/off feature are standard.

The 370Z Roadster is offered in seven exterior colours: Solid Red, Magnetic Black, Brilliant Silver, Platinum Graphite, Pearl White, Monterey Blue and a special premium colour, Black Cherry.

Inside the stunning exterior, true to its sports car heritage, the Z Roadster’s interior is completely driver-centric, with its three-layer design grouping items by how a driver sees information, operates the controls and is held in place – so drivers feel completely connected and engaged whenever and wherever they drive, top up or down.

The Z Roadster’s 2-seat layout includes a deeply scooped instrument panel with a full-length centre console separating the driver and passenger’s seat. The instrument panel retains the traditional Z 3-pod cluster with oil temperature, voltmeter and clock, while the speedometer and tachometer now include an “initial sweep” function, coming alive when the car is first started.

The sporty steering wheel is a new “oval” 3-spoke design, which offers baseball-style stitching, improved thumb grips and palm rest areas for improved feel on long drives.

The surface of the leather-wrapped wheel is “shaved” to provide a more kidney-like shape to better fit in the hand. The manual transmission shifter is specially padded to improve the accuracy of diagonal shifts and to feel softer in the hand for forward and backward motions.

Standard interior comfort and convenience features include Nissan Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, power windows with one-touch auto up/down feature, power door locks with auto-lock feature and a centre console box with a nonintrusive cover design.

Other features include automatic climate control, two 12-volt power outlets, three cupholders (two in door panels, one in centre console) and an AM/FM/CD/AUX 4-speaker audio system with illuminated steering wheel-mounted controls.

The Touring model adds a 6CD Bose audio system with eight speakers (includes dual subwoofer) and MP3/WMA playback, XM Satellite Radio (XM subscription required, sold separately), Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, HomeLink Universal Transceiver and aluminium-trimmed pedals. This is the first time Bluetooth and satellite radio have been available on a Z convertible.

The 370Z Roadster interior is available in Black cloth or for 370Z Touring Roadster models, a choice of Grey, Black or Wine leather-appointed net seating.

Open Air, Open Roads – An Unbeatable Combination
Roadster or Coupe, the new Zs share one of the most advanced drivetrains available for affordable sports cars today. The Z Roadster’s long list of cutting edge performance-focused technologies includes a standard 332-horsepower 3.7-litre DOHC V6 engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control (VVEL), choice of 7-speed automatic transmission or close-ratio 6-speed manual available with “SynchroRev Match” (the world’s first synchronised downshift rev matching manual transmission), refined 4-wheel independent suspension and 4-wheel vented disc brakes (available with Nissan Sport Brakes).

“The new 370Z Roadster lives in the same sweet spot of performance, style and value that the Z Coupe does,” said Castignetti. “Open air driving just begs for open roads and the new 370Z Convertible is the perfect companion.”

Compared to the previous generation 350Z Roadster, the new Z convertible picks up 26 horsepower and 2 lb-ft of torque (332 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm and 270 lb-ft of torque @ 5,200 rpm, compared with the previous 3.5-litre V6’s 306 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm).

The 2010 Z Roadster is offered with a choice of two new advanced transmissions – a close-ratio 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic. The 6-speed manual is available with SynchroRev Match (included in the optional Sport Package), which allows drivers of any skill level to experience professional-like gear shift performance. The SynchroRev Match function automatically controls and adjusts engine speed when shifting to the exact speed of the next gear position, essentially “blipping” the throttle to smooth out any up/down shifts. This not only allows the driver to focus more on braking and steering, it improves vehicle balance and smoothness by reducing the typical “shock” when the clutch is engaged. The system can be deactivated with a button next to the shifter for drivers who prefer less vehicle intervention.

The available 7-speed automatic includes Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) and Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) and is designed to offer quick, manual-like shifting when operated in manual mode.

Drivers can use the standard paddle shifters or the shift lever. The 7-speed’s wide gear ratios offer improved fuel efficiency, while the Adaptive Shift Control is designed to adjust to the driver’s driving style.

The Z’s standard 4-wheel vented disc brake system includes Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). The optional Sport Package includes Nissan Sport Brakes with large diameter 14.0- inch front and 13.8-inch rear discs (versus 12.6-inch front/rear standard discs) with 4-piston front and 2-piston rear aluminium callipers.

Steering is provided by a vehicle-speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion design. Unwanted steering kickback and vibrations are reduced with the addition of a solenoid valve that acts like a damper when there is a harsh impact load. A Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system is standard.

The Nissan 370Z Roadster’s list of standard safety features includes the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors; front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags; door-mounted curtain air bags; and seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters.

Other standard equipment includes Active Head Restraints, Zone Body Construction with front and rear crumple zones, Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System, Vehicle Security System and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

Two Well-Equipped Models
The new Z Roaster is offered in two well-equipped models – 370Z Roadster and the 370Z Touring Roadster. The Touring model includes the heated and cooling leather appointed power net seats, HomeLink Universal Transceiver, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, 8-speaker Bose audio system, XM Satellite Radio (XM subscription, sold separately) and aluminium-trimmed pedals.

Only two option packages are offered (Touring model only): the Sport Package, with 19-inch RAYS forged wheels and Bridgestone Potenza tyres, Nissan Sport Brakes, SynchroRev Match (6-speed manual transmission only) and Viscous Limited Slip Differential; and the Navigation Package, with Hard Drive-based Nissan Navigation System, 9.3GB Music Box Hard Drive and USB connectivity.

Nissan are yet to announce prices for the Z Roadster range.