Nissan Z Roadster dominates

Grab the shades and sunscreen, drop the top and punch the go button: The new 370Z Roadster is ready to roll.

For the past 40 years, Nissan's hard- and soft-top Z-cars have provided plenty of smiles and good times for their owners. With this summer's arrival of the new 370Z convertible, the automaker is promising more of the same, with added comfort and performance in a lighter and sleeker package.

The Roadster is more than just a companion for the highly touted 370Z Coupe. In case you weren't aware, the ranks of open-top sports cars in the sub-$40,000 range are being decimated. The Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky are both off the table for 2010, victims of General Motors Corp.'s brand-reduction program, and Honda's high-revving S2000 that has been around since the 2000 model year has also been canceled. That leaves the Mazda MX-5 Miata as the sole occupant in the entry roadster division, while every other open-top competitor is priced near or above the $40,000 threshold.

Obviously the 370Z Roadster and those of its kind are a rare breed, but in Nissan's case it's not for lack of trying. For 2010 the car has undergone the same kind of transformation as the Coupe. Overall length has been shrunk by more than 2.5 inches, while the distance between the front and rear wheels has been reduced by 4 inches. All of this pruning plus an increased use of lightweight aluminum body panels and suspension components means a reduction of close to 200 pounds when compared to the 350Z.

There were, however, some necessary adjustments made to the Roadster, including shortening the windshield and adding extra reinforcement to the body structure. The latter is a virtual necessity when removing the roof structure of a coupe to create a convertible. This reduces the soft top's tendency to twist and shake over bumps and around corners. A set of unique high-back bucket seats separated by an attached glass wind blocker to reduce cabin turbulence is also exclusive to the Roadster.

The shorter rear deck as well as a widened and lowered body abandons the old Z's boulevard cruiser look, replacing it with a more athletic appearance that from the rear resembles the first-generation BMW Z4, or even the current version of the four-seat Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder.

Lowering and lifting the power-operated cloth convertible top takes about 20 seconds, with no manual latching/unlatching required. The rear-window glass is now larger than that of the previous Z and the entire top stows unobserved beneath a metal tonneau cover.

Getting the Roadster under way is the same powertrain that's employed by the Coupe: a 3.7-liter V-6 that punches out 332 horsepower (a gain of 26 from the 350Z) and 270 pound-feet of torque. You get to choose between a six-speed manual transmission or an optional seven-speed automatic. The latter receives a downshift-rev-matching system that blips the throttle to improve vehicle stability while decelerating.

The base model is loaded up with the usual power comfort and convenience features while the Touring adds, among other goodies, heated and cooled power-adjustable leather-covered seats, aluminum-trimmed pedals, autodimming rear-view mirror, Bluetooth (used for hands-free phone connection, for example) and a premium Bose audio package.

The Touring is also the only way to add options such as a navigation system with 7-inch monitor, 19-inch wheels and larger brakes.

Sharpening up the styling and dialing in some extra grunt looks good on the 370Z Coupe and should work equally well on the Roadster. If sports cars are primarily about impulse and action, then Nissan's latest open-air effort will keep you rapidly moving in whatever direction strikes your fancy.