The short-throw shifter feels good, and it's effective. The six-speed gearbox shifts quickly and deliberately. It feels perfectly synchronized, making shifting easy and enjoyable. Clutch pedal effort has enough heft to remind the driver that this is a serious sports car. With the Roadster's top down, the exhaust tone is music to the driver's ears, rising and falling melodiously and crisply as the gears are worked through the turns on a twisty road. What isn't music to the ears in the Roadster is the ever-present road noise, even with the top up; we're not as sure about wind noise because, if there were any, it was masked by the hiss of tires on pavement and the hustle and bustle of nearby cars. Conversations in almost normal tones with the top up had to be ratcheted up several notches with the top down.
The automatic transmission works great, really smooth and responsive, and it didn't leave us feeling like we were missing out by not having the manual. With manual mode selected, the automatic holds lower gears right up to the rev limiter, upshifting only when the driver desires. Downshifts are electronically managed to ensure an overly rambunctious pilot doesn't over-rev the sweet V6. The delicious exhaust tone is wasted on Roadsters fitted with the automatic, though, when it wanders almost aimlessly up and down the scale as the engine slips seamlessly from gear to gear.
Handling feels taut and well controlled in both hatchback and Roadster, and the latter experiences very little of the dreaded cowl shake common in lesser conversion convertibles. These cars really stick through fast sweepers, allowing the driver to keep the throttle down. The steering is sharp and accurate, and the Z changes directions brilliantly in transient maneuvers, without excessive understeer turning in or sloppy oversteer coming out. Cornering is flat, without much body lean. The tires generate lots of grip, even when driving in a rebellious manner. It's hard to imagine using up all that grip, save for a competitive event or an emergency maneuver. This car doesn't beat you up, but the ride gets jouncy on bumpy roads most noticeably when cruising slowly, whether fitted with 18-inch or 19-inch wheels, although more so with the latter. But we expect a firm ride with a sports car like this.
Buffeting at highway speeds with the top down was much less than expected, thanks to the tempered glass deflector mounted between the rollbars behind the seats and to racy body panels tapering back from each of the seat positions. Anti-flap seatbelt retainers further reduce the perceived buffeting effect. Rear side vision loses little to the convertible top, as the Coupe's quarter panel already blocks a sizable area of blind spot. The uplevel Bose stereo in the Roadster comes with AudioPilot, which re-mixes the sounds from the speakers specifically to counter ambient noises unique to top-down motoring. Not being technophiles with the proper equipment, we can't testify as to Audiopilot's effectiveness, but we can say anecdotally that the stereo sounded great top up or down, and we didn't feel compelled to adjust the volume as much as we might have in other convertibles.
The brakes are easy to modulate, fun to use, and do a good job of stopping the car. Electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist come standard on all 350Zs. Just like it sounds, electronic brake-force distribution improves stopping performance by dynamically balancing front and rear braking forces. Brake Assist is a mechanical system that applies full braking if it senses an emergency-braking situation and the driver may not be pressing hard enough and long enough on the brake pedal to keep the ABS engaged. Push the car too hard into a corner or find yourself on a slippery surface and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and traction control come to the rescue by reducing power or applying brakes at individual wheels. All of this stuff helps the driver maintain control of the car at the limit of the tires. Just as important, careful refinement over the years of the VDC's threshold has left plenty of room for all but the most expert of drivers to play at the edges of the Z's performance envelope without VDC stepping in uninvited.
If your weekends involve lapping on racetracks, then you should select the Track model for its Brembo brakes. The weight of the Z challenges the stock brakes when they are used over and over, lap after lap. Also, the Z understeers when driven to the limit, meaning you need to get it slowed down a little more for the corners, then use the torque to power out. The big Brembos probably won't significantly reduce stopping distances, but with four front and two rear caliper pistons and bigger discs, they should resist fade better than the standard brakes, an advantage when turning laps on a racing circuit. The Track model may be a bit much for every day use, however. Thus, for enthusiasts using their Z for daily driving, Nissanhas thoughtfully fitted the Grand Touring models of both Coupe and Roadster with the Brembo brake package. Next Page