One thing I can say about the Nissan 370Z without fear of contradiction is that it is a car for short people. I am very far from being short myself, and onlookers chuckled as I folded myself in half before attempting to climb aboard.Apart from the lack of comfort, this didn't help the driving experience very much - the 370Z is probably much less clumsy and clunky than I think it is, since my hands and feet are too close to the steering wheel, gearknob and pedals for me to able to operate any of them as smoothly as I would like.The funny thing is, though, I don't really mind very much about any of this, and none of it alters the fact that I would quite like a 370Z of my own.The Roadster reviewed here is, of course, neither more nor less than the convertible version of the 370Z Coupé, a car which aroused in me emotions that its predecessor, the 350Z, could not hope to match. It has an anger about it which the 350 very definitely didn't, and when I'm in the right mood I quite like that.By comparison, the Roadster is a much more gentle device, even though it uses exactly the same 324bhp 3.7-litre V6 engine. There are two reasons for this, and they both relate to the soft top. First - and you'll have heard this many times before - chopping the roof of a previously roofed car plays merry hell with its structural rigidity, which in turn removes a lot the sharpness from its handling. In the case of the Nissan it also means you're less inclined to explore the handling limits, since even moderately brisk motoring sets the body shaking (though not to a particularly offensive extent).I'm perhaps on less sure ground with the second reason, but here goes anyway. Under hard acceleration the Coupé sounds absolutely wonderful. It makes an unearthly howl unlike anything I've ever heard before, and it's not immediately apparent that a V6 engine is causing it.The Roadster sounds great, but it's not as thrilling, and it's quite distinctively V6-y. I can only assume that the Roadster allows some of the noise out through the fabric roof, whereas in the Coupé it reverberates through the interior. Even if that isn't the reason, I stoutly maintain that the Coupé sounds better.Whatever the body style, the 370Z is available with a system which blips the throttle on downchanges if you ask it to by pressing a button the centre console. (Actually, it's more than just a blip - the engine revs up to the speed appropriate for the next gear and stays there, and even drops the correct number of revs if you slow down before re-engaging the clutch.)As a driving enthusiast I would rather do this myself, but I know I couldn't possibly do it any more accurately, and I must say it's a very useful aid to making the driving process smoother even - or perhaps especially - if you're just tootling along gently.In practical terms the 370Z Roadster is a bit of a disaster. I've already referred to the cramped conditions in the cabin, and because of the need to store the roof the luggage volume is just 140 litres (the Coupé's 235 litres make it seem like a van in comparison). Visibility is dire in each case, though at least you can improve it in the Roadster by taking the roof down.The test car was a GT Pack model, which meant it had various extras such as satellite navigation and leather upholstery which added more than £3000 to the price. If you want a car like this, however, you probably want extras like those too, so it comes as no surprise that most 370Z customers go down the GT Pack route. Engine 3696 cc, 6 cylinders Power 328 bhp @7000 rpm Torque 268 ib/ft @5200 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 25.2 mpg / 262 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 5.5sec Top speed 155 mph Price From £36096.00 approx Release date 01/02/2010
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