2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster: First Look

Jay Williams - 25/February/2010

Australia - The highly anticipated  2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster is now available in Australia. The new soft top  is available in one high-spec model and shares the same 245kW 3.7-litre V6 engine as the hard top.

The 370Z Roadster 's styling is much the same as the Coupé. Long, flowing curves, bulging front and rear wheel arches, all add to the aggressive stance of the 370Z Roadster and Coupé alike.

With the touch of a button, the new Roadster's cloth top can store itself away in less than 20 seconds, allowing the driver to experience open air driving in as little time possible. For those of you who like to show off, there is also a button located on the door handles that allows the roof to be lowered from the outside of the vehicle.

The car also features a tempered glass wind deflector to minimise cabin noise and turbulence for occupant comfort.

The new 370Z Roadster features push button start, heated electronic sports leather seats with non-slip cloth inserts, DVD Satelite Navigation with 3D mapping and a 7-inch integrated colour display, climate control and sports steering wheel which house audio / cruise control buttons and paddle shift controls and trip computer.

Powering the Roadster is an Alluminium-alloy 3.7-litre VQ37VHR V6 engine which is good for 245kW of power and 363Nm of torque. The engine comes with a choice of two transmissions, either a 6-speed close-ratio manual or the 7-speed automatic with Manual Mode (M-Mode).

Both manual and automatic transmissions feature SynchroRev Match. This feature smooths out gear changes by blipping the accelerator automatically before a down change. This helps to reduce compression lock up.
Fuel economy for the 370Z Roadster is 10.9L/100km on highway for the seven-speed automatic and 11.2L/100km for the six-speed manual transmission. Effectively, the Roadster is less fuel efficient than the Coupé.

Although the Roadster is missing a roof, Nissan says the loss of the hardtop roof has barely affected the 370Z Roadster's dynamics. To help counteract the absence of a roof Nissan has added additional structural reinforcement features in the A-pillars and side sills, along with the reinforced doors and boot openings. The rear chassis cross-member has also been reinforced.

Safety features are the same as the Coupé and include Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and Traction Control (TC).

Other standard safety features include front driver and passenger air bags, front seat-mounted side impact air bags, new door-mounted curtain air bags, seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and a pop-up bonnet for pedestrian protection.

Designed side-by-side with the Coupé, Nissan says the loss of the hardtop roof has barely affected 370Z Roadster's dynamics. Additional structural reinforcement features in the A-pillars and side sills, along with the reinforced doors and boot openings. The rear chassis cross-member has also been reinforced.

As with the Coupé, safety features include Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

Weight distribution is identical across the two models - 53/47 front to rear. The new 370Z Roadster is 25kg lighter than the 350Z Roadster it replaces and only 55kg heavier than the 370Z Coupé automatic (manual 60kg heavier).
The 19-inch Rays aluminium-alloy wheels are fitted as standard and come with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 245/40/R19 tyres.

370Z Roadster Pricing
370Z Roadster Manual - $74,990rrp*
370Z Roadster Manual Bordeaux Roof - $75,485rrp*
370Z Roadster Automatic - $77,990rrp*
370Z Roadster Automatic Bordeaux Roof - $78,485rrp*

The 2010 370Z Roadster is now available in showrooms.

Related Links:
- AVUS Performance - Nissan GT-R (2009)
- NISMO Nissan 370Z: Debuts in Japan (2009)
- Nissan GT-R (2009)
- Nissan 350Z (2007 Road Test)
- Nissan 350Z (2005 Road Test)
- Nissan 350Z (2003 Road Test)
- Nissan 350Z Nismo Type 380RS (2008)