Like any normal journalist, I’m cynical about most things, especially if there’s a great deal of hype as to how fabulous something might be. So, after being disappointed by a somewhat average end to the Star Wars epic, I wasn’t in a terribly good mood when I received the new Nissan 350Z roadster, especially because everyone was extolling its virtues ad nauseam.
It’s the bestselling sports car in this country, it outperforms most two-seater competitors, including the Mercedes-Benz 350 SLK and Chrysler’s Crossfire roadster, it won Cabriolet of the Year at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, it sticks to the road like glue, … Does it do the dishes after dinner too?
When it arrived, I looked at the smug, sexy beast sitting in my driveway and had to steel my resolve and remind myself that I shouldn’t be easily impressed. But there it sat, daring me to get in and try to find something wrong with it.
I slipped comfortably into the ventilated leather sports seats, familiarised myself with the features and started it up.
It growled softly, but menacingly. Mishky, my Boerbull/Ridgeback, didn’t like the roadster’s growl and I had to remind myself again that I shouldn’t be easily impressed by the sound effects, either.
I edged slowly out the gate and on to the road and that was the last time I had the opportunity to check in with my cynical inner voice before the 350Z chucked it out the window and drove over it to make sure it wasn’t going to come back to ask any stupid questions about the dinner dishes.
The scariest aspect about the 350Z is the ease with which you’re capable of making it do truly obscene things. It should have been more difficult to put that BMW 330 in its place, but it wasn’t; it should have been more difficult to get that extra burst of power to avoid that taxi crashing into you, but it wasn’t; and it should have been more difficult to get that growl to translate into pure adrenalin and, again, it wasn’t.
The 203kW of power and 326Nm of torque is hardly a good enough reason as to why you were travelling at 200kph when a traffic cop pulls you off the road, so be careful when you put your right foot down because what feels as harmless as 120kph is actually closer to 180kph, and that’s something you should only be doing on a raceway, not a highway.
I’m emphasising the speed issue because I had to constantly remind myself to stick to the speed limit since it’s no easy task restricting the 350Z, which seems to offer a silent challenge to every car on the road.
Nissan offers just about everything you would need as a standard feature on this car. Brembo, ventilated brake discs (front and rear), 18-inch alloys (225s at the front and 245s at the back), vehicle dynamic control (VDC), four airbags, a six-CD premium Bose audio system, anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), Xenon headlamps, cruise control and heated seats.
The engine is a 3,5l V6 which is mid-mounted. It has a six-speed manual transmission with a carbon fibre reinforced plastic drive shaft, a viscous, limited slip differential, independent, multi-linked suspension, ripple control shock absorbers and the maximum speed is governed at 250kph.
All the above features translate into the ability to put it on a stretch of road, point it in the desired direction and let rip. And you’ll be doing so in the knowledge that there’s very little you can do to unsettle the way you feel the suspension working to keep you as comfortable as possible over bumps and through the most demanding twisties.
Sometimes, Japanese cars have a rather plastic feel inside with some features, such as the indicators, not being as sturdy as they could be. However, the 350Z roadster has an extremely refined feel to it and the interior is as impressive as the mechanics.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn’s leadership has undoubtedly had an impact on the dramatic improvement of the brand and the astounding success of the 350Z is, in all likelihood, a result of his vision in turning the company into a motoring giant.
Ghosn took charge and converted the faltering Nissan into a money-maker in just four years. I hope the quality of the 350Z is an indication of what to expect from Nissan in the future.
Ultimately, the 350Z roadster (which costs R425 000) lives up to the hype and delivers an impressive performance as a serious sports car.