Article from The New York Times:
Is it real? Yes, and no surprise there. With the coupe making its debut about a year ago, the roadster’s arrival was inevitable.
What they said: “The new 370Z Roadster lives in the same sweet spot of performance, style and value that the Z Coupe does,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager of Nissan division. “Open-air driving just begs for open roads and the new 370Z convertible is the perfect companion.”
What they said: “The new 370Z Roadster lives in the same sweet spot of performance, style and value that the Z Coupe does,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager of Nissan division. “Open-air driving just begs for open roads and the new 370Z convertible is the perfect companion.”
What they didn’t say: The Roadster seems to have put on a few pounds. Quite a lot of structural reinforcement was needed to achieve the necessary chassis stability and body rigidity. The hood, door panels and trunk lid are aluminum to help offset some of that bulk.
What makes it tick? The same 332-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 in the coupe, mated to a 7-speed automatic or a SynchroRev Match 6-speed manual. The Roadster gets 25 m.p.g. on the highway, a slight drop from the 26 m.p.g. coupe.
How much, how soon? No pricing yet, but convertibles usually carry a premium of about $6,000 above the coupes, which now start at $30,000. It’ll be at dealers in time for fall-color drives.
How’s it look? A topless Z? The premise sounds tantalizing. But a soft top is hard to execute without spoiling the coupe’s synergistic shape. This version does a better job than previous iterations of the Z convertible. To be safe, stylingwise, just leave the top down.
