Nissan 370Z Roadster

By Don Ellis

If the stock 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe isn't enough to bake your cookie, Nissan has pulled the sheet off the much-anticipated car's new brethren, the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. Gorgeous to the core, the dramatic Z Roadster offers everything the hardtop Z Coupe does - performance, style and, to a certain degree, value - but with the added exhilaration of an classic open-air sports car driving experience.

Already a potent sports car phenom, the Z Roadster version has an even sharper edge, with Nissan stiffening up the A-pillars and doorsills to keep the Z's chassis firm without the roof. The folding soft-top raises or lowers in 20 seconds flat and features an automatic-locking mechanism at the windshield.

Nissan 370 Z

With it's round hips and flared wheel-wells, the new Nissan the 370Z is already a sexy beast. And fast! The car can kill a quarter mile in 13.3 sec at 105.7 mph. Roadster or Coupe, the new Zs share the same 332-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 engine, paired with a 7-speed automatic or a SynchroRev Match 6-speed manual (the world’s first synchronized downshift rev matching manual transmission). With the refined four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel vented disc brakes, the Roadster promises an exciting driving experience.

The Roadster includes a standard automatic latching power top and Nissan Intelligent Key. The cutting-edge features also available include heated and cooling ventilated net seats, HomeLink Universal Transceiver, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, eight-speaker Bose audio system, XM Satellite Radio and aluminum-trimmed pedals.

The roadster version of the car has packed on some pounds over the base car, so expect the numbers to creep up a tad. (The Roadster gets 25 m.p.g. on the highway, a slight drop from the 26 m.p.g. coupe) Nissan says the base 370Z Roadster clocks in at 3,430 lb with a six-speed manual and 3,450 lb with the seven-speed auto box. Upgrade to the posh Touring model, and it'll ring in at 3,500 lb with the manual transmission and 3,490 lb with the auto.

The 2010 370Z Roadster is scheduled to go on sale September 2009.