The shorter, wider 370Z Roadster, however, works fabulously. First and foremost, the top not only fits but looks like it fits. One design point that Nissan stressed was the way in which the leading edge of the canvas roof snugs up against the top of the A-pillar, creating a cantilever effect. Going back to the 350Z Roadster, its cloth top meets the back of the A-pillar, which looks famously strange. Also good (and much improved) are the 370Z's rear fenders. They're curved, sexy haunches this time out instead of flat, dull metal panels. Nissan's decision to stick with a cloth top rather than go for a folding hardtop also keeps the proportions (and weight) in check. Think Jessica Biel as opposed to Kim Kardashian.
Inside, the Roadster is much like the Coupe only with a bit more refinement. For instance, if you opt for the ventilated leather seats, they're heated and cooled. The air-conditioning system for the seats is separate from the normal A/C, which makes sense in a convertible, right? Because you're going to run into situations where you only want one of your sides cool. The only issue we found is that the seat ventilation system is quite noisy, even with the top down and the wind rushing by. It took us a while to figure out what that extra gushing sound was, but it was the seats. Unfortunately, the orange accented dials are even harder to read in direct sunlight than in the Coupe. And after a third look, we hate the fuel/temp/info gauge even more. If you're wondering, the top takes about 15 seconds to do its folding thing.
When you remove a car's roof, you create compromises. It's rare that compromised cars win over our hearts, let alone minds, because the things enthusiasts love typically get left on the cutting room floor. With a convertible you gain weight and lose stiffness. The less rigid part makes sense, as the C-pillar acts as a brace right smack in the middle of the vehicle. But why do you gain weight? First, remember that car roofs are very light. In fact, adding a sunroof (glass and a motor) tacks on fifty pounds to most cars. Second, unless you want enough cowl shake to jog a can of paint, that missing stiffness has to be added back into the vehicle, usually in the form of large metal plates welded to the uni-body. Finally, you have the weight of the folding top's mechanism – in this case Nissan went with a smoother hydraulic system as opposed to a lighter but jerkier electric one. Add it all up and going topless is usually a dynamic let down.
Besides aesthetics, another positive attribute of designing the car as a Roadster from the start is that the 370Z is already plenty stiff. So much so that the new Roadster weighs 150 pounds less than the 350Z Roadster, even though the 370Z Coupe is fifty pounds heavier than the 350Z. And the Roadster only weighs a respectable 200 pounds more than the Coupe. For comparison's sake, that's about the same difference between an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and V8 Vantage Roadster. At the end of the day, there's no shame in selling a 3,430 pound convertible, especially one packing 332 horsepower and equipped with a slick-as-snick six-speed manual.
Which leads us to how the 370Z Roadster goes down the road. Typically, we aren't thrilled with convertibles as driving devices. Don't get us wrong, we love the idea of open top motoring, but often times removing a vehicle's roof is akin to cropping out part of its soul. For instance, whatever is special and wonderful about the new Shelby GT500 is thrown out the window (no pun, no pun) once the top gets neutered off. The scalped cars get slower, sloppier and softer. Not what we want in a sports car. Obviously, certain vehicles defy this gripe of ours, like the Mazda Miata, Porsche Boxster and, now, the Nissan 370Z Roadster.
That's right – Nissan's newest is a runner. You can forget about those rogue 200 pounds – top up or down, they don't make a bit of difference. Nissan brought along some regular 370Z Coupes for us to drive side-by-side and you honestly don't notice an acceleration hit when going from coupe to convertible. In fact, the Roadsters ran with the Coupes just fine. However, you do notice how much more thrilling everything is when the top is dropped. The car suddenly feels more charged, more electric, more alive. One knock on the fixed-head 370Z is that the cabin is a little stuffy. Not bad, per se, but you never really get the sense that you're driving a sports car, even if you're outrunning a Cayman (Nissan relentlessly benchmarked the Cayman when developing the 370Z). The Roadster changes all that, and then some.
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