Nissan 350Z Interior Review
about. But as the only lockable storage inside the car, this bin becomes a critical feature in the Roadster, and it falls short of expectations. Unlike with the Coupe, the passenger seatback in the Roadster has no mechanical release for tipping it forward. Instead, you press a rocker switch ungainly situated on the back side of the seatback; conveniently, it's an automatic, press-and-release process for tilting the seatback forward, but re-reclining the seatback requires holding the button during the entire process, often leaving you with a somewhat cramped arm. Also, in the admittedly unlikely event the car's battery dies or becomes disconnected, you're stuck with whatever you locked up securely out of your reach, too. A smaller bin is mounted higher and somewhat more awkwardly toward the center that could hold a map, checkbook, PDA or cell phone. Identical bins on the driver's side in the Coupe are accessed when standing outside the car by flipping the driver's seatback forward; in the Roadster, the larger of these gives way to the subwoofer that comes with the uplevel stereo in the Touring and Grand Touring models.
Cargo in the Coupe rides in an hourglass-shaped well, squeezed in the middle by the shock towers and the big strut-tower brace that ties them together. (That cross brace is functional: large openings, like hatchbacks, allow body flex and the Z's chassis engineers wanted to ensure a rigid monocoque.) The Z offers more cargo capacity than a Mazda MX-5, but less than a Porsche 911 or Boxster. We're comparing small boxes here. An avid golfer at Nissan says two golf bags will fit in the cargo compartment, if you pull the big woods out of the bag and load them separately. The Roadster's trunk at 4.1 cubic feet is the smallest of the lot. Nissan alleges accommodations for a golf bag, however, posting a diagram on the underside of the trunk lid depicting which end of the bag to insert first.
The Roadster's power top operates similarly to that of the Boxster's. Prepping for windblown hair is a simple matter of pressing the foot brake and working a flat, rocker-type switch in the lower dash to the right of the steering column. Manual manipulation of a handle mounted in the center of the top's front bow is required to latch or unlatch it. The top retracts into a recess occupying the upper part of the trunk and is covered by a cleanly sculpted body panel that opens and closes as needed, avoiding the hassle of dealing with one of those detachable covers that many people throw into some dark corner of the garage. The top is unlined, with all the bows and links and pivots exposed.
Nissan 350Z Road Test
Turning the key and hearing the engine roar to life is the first indication that the Nissan 350Z is no poser. Turning onto a winding road proves this beyond a shadow of doubt. Sharp steering, terrific handling, and excellent grip make it a real driver's car. This car is very fast with brilliant acceleration. The Roadster's additional weight, a result of the platform strengthening to increase rigidity, no doubt adds a tick or two to the 0-60 measurement but isn't noticed in everyday driving.
Mounted longitudinally and driving the rear wheels is Nissan's excellent VQ V6 engine. It's smooth and has a distinctive sound, the sound of a big sports car engine. It generates lots of torque at low rpm, pulling smoothly from about 2000 rpm. Maximum torque of 260 pound-feet comes at 4800 rpm, tapering off as 300 horsepower is reached at 6400 rpm; equivalent figures with the automatic transmission are 274 pound-feet at 4800 rpm and 287 hp at 6200 rpm. The engine is still pulling smoothly as the rev limiter steps in at 7000 rpm with the manual and 6600 rpm with the automatic, but this engine is more about low-rpm torque than high-revving horsepower. Nissan's Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System helps the V6 produce a nice, linear band of torque. Drive-by-wire technology reduces mechanical weight and complexity.
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, Nissan has thoughtfully fitted the Grand Touring models of both Coupe and Roadster with the Brembo brake package.
Nissan 350Z Lineup
Eight variants of the 2006 Nissan 350Z are available: five Coupes and three Roadsters. All come equipped with one of two versions of the same 3.5-liter V6 engine, and all but two come with a choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic.
For 2006, all six-speed manual transmission models get the 300-horsepower engine. Automatics come with the 287-hp version. (This changes for 2007, when Nissan will certify the automatics with the more powerful engine.) Minimum wheel size increases an inch, to 18 inches; all non-Brembo brake-equipped models get larger rotors; bi-Xenon HID headlights and LED taillights are standard; steering power assist is now vehicle-speed related instead of engine-speed; and the optional Bose stereo adds MP3 capability. Three new paint colors are offered: Interlagos Fire, with a special, hue-shifting pigment that changes from dark brown to dark-bluish purple, depending on the viewing angle ($500), Silver Alloy and Magnetic Black.
The base 2006 Nissan 350Z ($27,650) comes standard with automatic temperature control, 160-watt AM/FM/CD with six speakers, power windows (with auto-up/auto-down on both sides), power door locks, power mirrors, remote keyless entry, vehicle security system, heated outside mirrors, cloth seats with eight-way manual driver and four-way manual passenger adjustments and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter boot. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission.
The Enthusiast model ($29,350) adds HomeLink universal transceiver, cruise control, traction control, viscous limited-slip rear differential, rubber-nibbed aluminum pedals, illuminated steering wheel audio controls and switchable electro-chromic rearview mirror. The Enthusiast model is also available with the five-speed automatic transmission ($30,350). The Roadster Enthusiast is available with the six-speed manual ($35,050) or five-speed automatic ($37,050) and comes with a four-way power/four-way manually adjustable driver seat.
The Touring model is available with the manual ($32,450) or automatic transmission ($32,950). The Touring comes with leather-appointed seats with a four-way power driver's seat, a two-way power passenger's seat, and seat heaters, and a 240-watt Bose CD6 with MP3 capability and six speakers plus subwoofer. The manual transmission Touring gets Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Nissan's electronic stability control system. The Roadster Touring models come with six-speed manual ($37,650) or five-speed automatic ($38,650) and offer as a no-cost option a blue top in place of the standard black.
The Track model ($34,550) gets vented Brembo brakes, 19-inch lightweight aluminum wheels and front and rear spoilers. It comes with the cloth, but is equipped with VDC, the viscous differential, HomeLink, the aluminum pedals and the electro-chromic mirror.
The new 2006 Grand Touring model comes with the Track model's wheels and body aero parts and VDC. The coupe is available with the six-speed manual ($35,850) or five-speed automatic ($36,850); likewise, the Roadster is available with the manual ($40,000) or automatic ($41,000).
A DVD-based navigation system with upgraded graphics and functional improvements for 2006 is available on the Touring and Grand Touring models ($1800). A choice of Sirius or XM Satellite Radio is offered on the Touring and Grand Touring Coupes ($350).
Safety gear on all models includes dual-stage front airbags, with seat-mounted side airbags on the Roadster Touring and Grand Touring. Antilock brakes with Electronic Brake-force distribution and brake assist and traction control are standard. So is a tire pressure monitoring system. A side air bag and curtain air bag package is optional ($620) on the base Coupe and a very good idea, as is the supplemental side air bag option ($250) on the Roadster Enthusiast.