Less than a year after the introduction of the all-new Nissan 370Z Coupe, a vehicle that reset the bar for affordable sports car design and performance, comes its dramatic new stable mate, the 2011 Nissan 370Z Roadster. The seductively styled Z Roadster offers everything the hardtop Z Coupe does - and more.
As in more classic open-air sports car driving excitement. More sun, moon and stars. And more refinement than any Z convertible that has ever come before - including a standard automatic latching power top and Nissan Intelligent Key. Also offered are an array of technology and convenience features, including available cooled seats, Nissan touch screen navigation system and Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System. The 2011 370Z Roadster is available now from Nissan's GCC retailers.
"The 370Z Roadster delivers an exhilarating connection to the air, wind and environment on top of the new Z Coupe's exceptional levels of performance. But perhaps unexpected for a car this sporty is its greatly enhanced refinement and quality - as seen in features such as its one-touch, auto-locking convertible top and beautifully crafted interior,"
said Yuta Yamazaki, Brand Manager at Nissan Middle East.
A Truly Authentic Roadster
The 370Z Roadster's most obvious departure from the 370Z Coupe is its convertible top. The soft-top roof was designed with an emphasis on three key areas: to provide a sleek silhouette matching the new Z's stunning styling with the top up or down, to offer easy single-action open-close operation, and to provide an enjoyable top-down experience with reduced wind turbulence and all-climate driver/passenger comfort.
With convertible top in the closed position, the design provides a sophisticated sloped-back appearance, the perfect balance between the soft top and the Z body design. The shortened windshield and aerodynamically rounded rear deck enhance the Z's kinetic and dynamic character lines. When in the down position, the convertible top is concealed beneath a full body-color hard tonneau cover, which extends forward to help create the Z Roadster's classic 'double cockpit' style interior.
The Black or Bordeaux (dark purple) cloth convertible top features a fabric inner liner, which provides a quality appearance and helps reduce noise intrusion into the cabin, along with an enlarged (versus the previous generation 350Z Roadster) glass rear window with an integrated electric rear window defroster. The top operation takes approximately 20 seconds start-to-finish and is controlled by either a center console-mounted switch or by a button located on the doors. The automatic latch system secures the top to - or releases it from - the windshield header without driver intervention. The shape and position of the glass wind deflector, located between the fixed headrest bars, has been optimized to reduce turbulence into the cabin.
Like the new 370Z Coupe, the Z Roadster's new exterior is more aggressive in appearance and lighter and tighter in structure than the previous generation 350Z model. The wheelbase is nearly 100mm shorter and overall length is reduced by 65mm. The new Z Roadster features an aluminium hood, door panels and trunk for reduced weight. At the same time, the body structure was extensively revised, improving rigidity and stability. The 370Z Roadster includes additional structural reinforcement (over the 370Z Coupe), including in the A-pillars and side sills.
The Z Roadster's exterior design incorporates the look and feel of the new Z Coupe, including its signature long nose/short cockpit proportions, vertical door handles and distinctive new headlight/taillight treatment, which features a fierce 'boomerang' shape. High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon headlights with auto on/off feature are standard.
The 370Z Roadster is offered in eight exterior colors in the GCC: Vibrant Red, Pearl White, Magnetic Black, Brilliant Silver, Blade Silver, Monterey Blue, Grey Metallic and Black Rose.
Inside the stunning exterior, true to its sports car heritage, the Z Roadster's interior is completely driver-centric, with its three-layer design grouping items by how a driver sees information, operates the controls and is held in place - so drivers feel completely connected and engaged whenever and wherever they drive, top up or down.
The Z Roadster features a choice of high back Bordeaux or Black perforated leather seats with 4-way, power adjustment for driver's & passenger's seat, manual lifter (driver's seat) and adjustable lumber support (driver's seat). The chosen seating color is also co-ordinated to the roof fabric material too. The seats are exclusive to the Z Roadster and have integrated heating and cooling functions - ideal for open air driving no matter what the outside temperature. Adjustable front seat Active Head Restraints are also standard.
The Z Roadster's 2-seat layout includes a deeply scooped instrument panel with a full-length center console separating the driver and passenger's seat. The instrument panel retains the traditional Z 3-pod cluster with oil temperature, voltmeter and clock, while the speedometer and tachometer now include an 'initial sweep' function, coming alive when the car is first started.
The sporty steering wheel is a new 'oval' 3-spoke design, which offers baseball-style stitching, improved thumb grips and palm rest areas for improved feel on long drives. The surface of the leather-wrapped wheel is 'shaved' to provide a more kidney-like shape to better fit in the hand. The manual transmission shifter is specially padded to improve the accuracy of diagonal shifts and to feel softer in the hand for forward and backward motions.
Standard interior comfort and convenience features include Nissan Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, power windows with one-touch auto up/down feature, power door locks with auto-lock feature and a center console box with a non-intrusive cover design.
Other features include automatic climate control, two 12-volt power outlets, three cup holders (two in door panels, one in center console) and a 6CD Bose audio system with eight speakers (includes dual subwoofer) and MP3/WMA playback, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System and aluminium-trimmed pedals.
The optional Nissan Navigation system includes a touch-screen interface including four times higher screen resolution (than previous systems), wireless music player audio streaming capability (via Bluetooth) and an in-dash DVD player.
Open Air, Open Roads - An Unbeatable Combination
Roadster or Coupe, the new Zs share one of the most advanced drivetrains available for affordable sports cars today. The Z Roadster's long list of cutting edge performance-focused technologies includes a standard 328-horsepower 3.7-liter DOHC V6 engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control (VVEL), choice of 7-speed automatic transmission or close-ratio 6-speed manual with available 'SynchroRev Match' (the world's first synchronized downshift rev matching manual transmission), refined 4-wheel independent suspension and 4-wheel vented disc brakes.
"The new 370Z Roadster lives in the same sweet spot of performance, style and value that the Z Coupe does," said Yamazaki. "Open air driving just begs for open roads and the new 370Z Convertible is the perfect companion."
Along with its larger displacement, the 3.7-liter engine gives better power delivery all the way to the 7,000 rpm redline, and with improved low-end power and more high-end torque (it develops a maximum of 37.0kg-m of torque @ 5,200 rpm), it creates an entirely new driving experience. Key to the enhanced performance is the VVEL system, which is able to optimize intake valve open/close movements, allowing the needed air to be sent promptly to the combustion chamber at the precisely optimized time.
Since the VVEL system can adjust to open the valves slightly, it improves fuel efficiency by reducing camshaft friction and fuel waste. It also provides cleaner emissions by allowing for quicker warm-up of the catalyst and by stabilizing combustion when the engine is cool.
The 2011 Z Roadster is offered with a choice of two new advanced transmissions - a close-ratio 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic. The 6-speed manual is available with SynchroRev Match, which allows drivers of any skill level to experience professional-like gear shift performance. The SynchroRev Match function automatically controls and adjusts engine speed when shifting to the exact speed of the next gear position, essentially 'blipping' the throttle to smooth out any up/down shifts. This not only allows the driver to focus more on braking and steering, it improves vehicle balance and smoothness by reducing the typical 'shock' when the clutch is engaged. The system can be deactivated with a button next to the shifter for drivers who prefer less vehicle intervention.
The most popular transmission option in the GCC will be the 7-speed automatic which includes Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) and Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) and is designed to offer quick, manual-like shifting when operated in manual mode.
Drivers can use the standard paddle shifters or the shift lever. The 7-speed's wide gear ratios offer improved fuel efficiency, while the Adaptive Shift Control is designed to adjust to the driver's driving style.
The Z Roadster also utilizes the Z Coupe's advanced 4-wheel independent suspension. The double-wishbone front suspension (which replaces the lower multi-link setup in the 350Z) uses lighter forged aluminium arms and a lightweight rigid aluminium-alloy cradle, along with a lighter stabilizer bar with a 35% improved lever ratio. The 4-link rear suspension is also stiffer and lighter, with the rear cradle entirely integrated into a single part. 'High response' shock absorbers are utilized on each corner for improved ride comfort.
The 370Z Roadster wheel and tire package features 19-inch RAYS forged lightweight aluminium-alloy wheels with 245/40R19 front and 275/35R19 rear tires.
The Z's already advanced braking system has been upgraded to include improved overall brake feel, better fade resistance and improved NVH. With adoption of the new variable ratio brake pedal, pedal stroke feel is more direct. The standard 4-wheel vented disc brake system includes Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). The Z's Nissan Sport Brakes includes large diameter 355mm front and 350mm rear rotors with 4-piston front and 2-piston rear aluminium calipers.
Steering is provided by a vehicle-speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion design. Unwanted steering kickback and vibrations are reduced with the addition of a solenoid valve that acts like a damper when there is a harsh impact load. A Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system is standard.
The Nissan 370Z Roadster's list of standard safety features includes the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors; front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags; door-mounted curtain air bags; and seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters.
Other standard equipment includes Active Head Restraints, Zone Body Construction with front and rear crumple zones, Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System, Vehicle Security System and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
Nissan introduced the 370Z Coupe into the GCC markets in September 2009.
source: ameinfo
