Nissan Z Roadster: Big Fun Without Compromise

Compromise isn’t a word that gets much of a workout when discussing the 2011 Nissan Z Roadster.

It’s the business of an auto reviewer to quibble over the details of a car. In this I have failed miserably with the Z. Looking for a fault—any fault—with which to find issue and anchor this evaluation, I was not able to discover even one.

Sure, there could always be a larger herd of ponies under the hood; however, being able to sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour in something under six seconds is plenty fast for most of us.

You might argue that the Z could use more passenger and cargo room, but it is not the true nature of a sports car to transport a family or carry home a new 42-inch flat-screen television. Leave that to sedans and minivans.

‘Go Fast, Look Good, Handle Well’

What is expected of a sports car is for it to go fast, look good, and handle well. Check, check, and check.

Nissan left the rear-wheel-drive Z all but unchanged for 2011. It’s as good this year as it was last.

My latest Z driving experience was with the convertible, which Nissan calls the Z Roadster. There is also a hatchback version.

Nissan offers the convertible in two trims: Base and Touring.

Spending $38,650 for the Base Roadster gets you the same 332-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 bolted to a smooth-shifting 6-speed manual transmission found in the $42,650 Touring. If you prefer a little help in gear selection, for $1,300 you can have the 7-speed, driver-shiftable automatic tranny with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.

My test Z Roadster was a Touring with manual transmission.

Typically fuel economy isn’t high on the must-have list of most sports-car shoppers. In the case of the Z Roadster, the numbers, if not great, are at least decent. The Environmental Protection Agency rates the city and highway fuel performance at 18 mpg and 25 mpg respectively.

Even without the $2,830 optional Sport Package, the Z Roadster handles and stops brilliantly. The 4-wheel independent suspension features a double-wishbone setup in front and a multi-link arrangement in the rear.

Four-wheel disc brakes with antilock reel in the Z’s momentum. Stability control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution, and emergency braking assist are all included.

From behind the wheel, the Z Roadster feels well-planted and stable. It is predictable when cornering, which it does with gusto. Despite its athleticism, it delivers a rather pleasant ride. It won’t beat you up on your daily slog to the job.

Opting for the Sport Package beefs up the brakes, increases wheel size from the standard 18-inch alloys to 19-inch ones, and adds a limited-slip differential.

At rest, the Z Roadster looks raring to go. Its silky-smooth lines almost compel you to touch its surface to assure yourself the sheet metal is indeed solid rather than liquid. Surely the Nissan designers intended for onlookers to enjoy the Z nearly as much as its drivers. It is an eye-catcher.

Both trim levels come with a push-button, power-operated, fully lined top, requiring about 30 seconds to lower or raise. No doubt about it, the convertible looks better with its top lowered and secured under the hard tonneau cover.

‘Inside, the Z is all Business’

Inside, the Z is all business. From the layout of the controls and gauges, it is obvious the passenger is simply along for the ride.

Cabin materials are of good quality with all the pieces precisely assembled.

Taking center stage directly in the driver’s face is a large, round tachometer. Smaller and to its right is the speedometer. Bright red needles sweep across the white numerals on their black faces. A trio of gauges for incidental information, such as water temperature, sit atop the center dashboard, skewed toward the driver.

A meaty three-spoke, tilt steering wheel sporting a huge “Z” on its center hub has redundant controls for the audio system.

Firm sport bucket seats with generous side bolsters hold occupants upright in the twisties. Most people should feel quite comfortable with the amount of passenger space provided. Trunk room is a tidy 4.2 cubic feet.

Other standard features found on Base and Touring alike are automatic climate control, full power accessories, remote keyless entry/ignition, heated outboard mirrors, trip computer, and a 4-speaker audio system with CD player and auxiliary audio input.

Stepping up to the Touring trim adds leather seating, 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 4-way power-adjustable passenger seat, Bluetooth connectivity, and an 8-speaker Bose-infused audio system, in-dash 6-disc CD changer, and XM satellite radio with three months’ service.

Available on the Touring, but not on the Base version, is a $2,150 hard-drive-based touch-screen navigation system. It includes 9 GB of music storage, iPod integration, a seven-inch color LCD monitor, real-time traffic and weather, and voice recognition.

Blasting around a country road in the Z Roadster with the top dropped, the sun shining, and the music playing is as much fun as you can have behind a steering wheel. There are faster, more luxurious roadsters out there, but if you think fun is in the driving, this sporty soft-top will more than fulfill your expectations.

It is big fun without compromise.