Road Test: 2009 Nissan 350Z Roadster Touring; Clearing any confustion

November 11, 10:44 AMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

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• Head-turning good looks and an aerodynamic design that can be ignored only by the perenially jaded or congenitally.
• Nissan’s acclaimed VQ35HR 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 306 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm.
• Six-speed manual transmission with five close ratios and a tall “cruising” sixth gear or sport-tuned five-speed automatic.
• Nissan’s Front Mid-ship (FM) chassis that places the engine behind the front axle line for balanced handing.
• Light-weight aluminum suspension components from a company that has been building (and racing) “Z” sports cars since the original Datsun 240Z in 1971.
• 18-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, 225/45WR18 (front) and 245/45WR18 (rear) Bridgestone® Potenza RE050A high-performance tires.
• And a bunch more.

The tonneau comes up to the back of the cockpit with fairings behind the headrests like a Thirties-era aerobatic airplane. Functional in any way? Probably not, although it’s spanned by a tempered glass windblocker, and it does slightly break up the look of a broad rear deck. The rear deck is really is broad, by the way, the result of clipping the coupe’s fastback roofline.

With the top down, the Nissan 350Z Roadster looks relatively conventional, if more menacing than the typical topless sports car. The driver sits low in the cockpit, however, and as a result, the fabric top isn’t very tall. It’s not very long, either, because it really doesn’t have to be. The look it gives, however, is that of a snap-brimmed hat set on the car, or perhaps the top was borrowed from a Gatsby-era Duesenberg sportster. Either way it’s unique and unmistakable for any other convertible.

The Nissan 350Z has things just as they should be in a roadster, including an instrument panel with the tachometer large and centered, with a smaller speedometer to the right and lesser gauges to the left. Reminiscent of the original Z, the 350Z has three gauges centered atop the dash, individual pods each in its own scallop. On cars without a screen for the optional navigation system—ours didn't have one—the space is used for a storage bin that will certainly become useful though we can’t imagine what might be kept in there. Those who have something to fit will know where to put it, of course.

Then there are the sounds of the engine. That’s something we signed up for. The VQ35HR 3.5-liter V-6 is a multitalented beast and in the 350Z it gets to go feral. Revved, it howls, and revving is definitely recommended. Low rpm torque is good enough to make one believe that’s where the engine works. But the engine’s redline is 7500 rpm, even well above the power peak, and to get the most from this engine, wind the needle around the tach. Revs are the order of the day. It sounds even better up there, and it just keeps going and going…

With rain or cold our fate in weather, the top was very rarely down. And while we appreciate that a roadster should have its top lowered as much as possible, we expect that more miles will be put on 350Z Roadsters with the top raised. It’s not a good thing, perhaps, but we’ll use it to rationalize keeping the top mostly up during our test.

 Illustrations, top to bottom: 2009 Nissan 350Z Touringin Nagano Red; Nissan 350Z 3.5-liter V-6 engine with strut bar; Nissan 350Z interior; trunk badge; 2009 Nissan 350Z Touring profile; 2009 Nissan 350Z Touring. All photos by John Matras.