2014 NISSAN 370Z Roadster Review

We’re not quite paying attention to the engine at the moment, as we’re out to test the brakes. The 14-inch four-piston units up front and 13.8-inch two-piston ones at the back are the largest ever fitted to a Fairlady Z. The stopping power is truly confidence-inspiring. In fact, the brakes make us the best tech bit of the car.

As we come off the brakes, we decide it’s time to stow the top under its solid tonneau cover. So far, the canvas roof has offered mediocre protection, so we have to see what happens without it. Stay within the speed limits (off the highway) and you’ll be able to use the Nissan 370Z as a Roadster. Don’t expect to take this asset very far though.

In fact, the aforementioned conclusion can be expanded for the entire car. The Nissan 370Z Roadster isn’t a precision instrument, neither as a sports car, nor as a long distance partner. We’ll name this as the worst part of the car.

Don’t worry though, Nissan’s 370Z knows how to offer you a good time, if you ask reasonable questions.

Speaking of reasonable, the positioning of the Nissan 370Z within its class depends on the continents that’s inquiring. In the US, things don’t look pretty good. The Roadster starts at $41,470, creating a gap of over $8,000 compared to the Coupe. This also means the Japanese model is $about $10,000 pricier than a V6 Camaro Convertible, for example. It’s even a bit more expensive than a Camaro SS Convertible (V8).

In Europe though, things are the other way around, with the Nissan 370Z Roadster being the least expensive car in its class. The convertible starts at EUR49,590, while adding the automatic boosts the price to EUR52,290.

This makes the Japanese model about EUR7,000 more affordable than the similarly-powered BMW Z4 sDrive35is, for example. The difference may not seem all that big considering the brands, but there’s one more detail - standard equipment. The Nissan beats is German competitors at this game.

At the other end of the segment, we find the Porsche Boxster. But the gap between the two is simply too large to compare. Pricing, performance, luxury, you name it, these cars are simply too different to be put in the same sentence.

We never had any doubts about the Japanese being fair people - with the Nissan 370Z Roadster, what you see is what you get.