To celebrate the new rag top Nissan have launched a new colour - bordeaux with an exclusive matching bordeaux fabric roof. But the stunning yellow paint option had been dumped from the 370Z options list due to poor uptake by 350Z buyers.

The 370Z roadster has an identical mechanical package to the 370Z coupe launched in May last year. But the roadster gets new 19 inch wheels which will come as a no-cost addition to the coupe, which has 18 inch wheels, from April this year. The roadster also gets a one-touch fast-folding lined roof for the first time. The 350Z's roof had to be manually locked in. The new roof includes a larger glass window. The deployment time for the roof is around 20 seconds.

As the most powerful Z roadster ever, the 370Z returns the Japanese car to where it all started with the 240Z a high performance sports car which had a top speed of more than 190 km/h. The 240Z was only released as a coupe. Visually the roadster looks the part of a high-performance machine. At 5.5 seconds to 100 km/h for the six speed manual and 5.8 seconds for the 7-speed automatic, the car also walks the walk. The rag top roof line has a cantilever appearance which enhances the car's already tough road stance. The bigger wheels complement the car's aggressive road presence even further. Both the coupe and roadster have a 100mm shorter wheelbase than the 350Z cars which gives the car a flatter, wider stance.

The overall length is also shorter by 65mm at 4,250mm To reduce weight the 370Z has aluminium bonnet, doors and boot lid which has trimmed weight by around 32 kg from the 350Z. However, Nissan have added extra structural integrity to the 370Z roadster with reinforcement over and above the 370Z coupe in the A-pillars, side sills as well as reinforced door and boot openings. At the heart of the roadster is Nissan's 245 kW, 3.7 litre V6 engine. Nissan have simplified the 370Z line up into a single, highly-specified model. The main choices are transmission type and colour. The manufacturer's list price is $74,990 for the six speed manual and $77,990 for the seven speed auto.

At the launch in New Zealand we were able to drive both variants in a day and a half of road tests on highways ideally suited to top-down motoring. Our first driving impressions are that Nissan have got this soft-top right first go. The body stiffening has resulted in negligible scuttle shake _ the scourge of convertibles - even over the roughest of made roads the South Island could offer. The V6 engine, with 363 Nm of torque on tap at 5200 rpm is a free-revving, but quiet achieving power plant that gets better with every Nissan upgrade. In the auto we liked the SynchroRev match that emits a sound like a manual changer as you use the paddle gears to downshift. Fuel economy is improved over the 350Z with 10.9 litres/100 km on the highway from the automatic and 11.2 litres/100 km from the manual.

There is some tyre noise inside the cabin, as you'd expect in a convertible, but wind noise and interference with passengers is low with the roof down, even at speeds in excess of 100 km/h. The wind deflector that sits just behind the head-rests does it's job well. The shorter wheelbase suits the car not only esthetically, but also in handling. It is more agile and responsive than the 350Z. After doing more than 500 km of road testing in a day we got out of the car almost as fresh as we got in. The seats are comfortable and hug the passengers in a supportive way without squeezing them. The boot is small, as you'd expect, but Nissan claim it will still take a full size golf bag, plus some extra soft luggage.

(The highly successful 240Z was followed by the 260Z and later by the 280Z and 300Z that became heavier as time went on with the cars moving away from the company's initial intention of being 'lighter, powerful, faster' sports cars. The 370 Z roadster returns to the Z ethos and could well earn it's own nickname as the poor man's Porsche. The reference to a `poor man's E-type' refers to the long-bonnet similarity between the 240Z and Jaguar's XKE of the 1960s and the Nissan's pricing.)

FAST FACTS

Pricing:

370Z 3.7 L 6-speed manual $74,990

370Z 3.7 L 7-speed automatic $77,990

Engine:

3.7 litre V6 245 kW @7000 rpm 363 Nm of torque at 5200 rpm.

Transmissions: Six speed manual with optional 7 speed automatic

Safety: Stability control, front and rear discs brakes, break assist, ABS brakes, EBD, six airbags.

Fuel Tank: 72 litres

Dimensions

Length: 4259mm

Width: 1845mm

Height: 1325mm

Wheelbase: 2550mm

Weights

Manual: 1608 kg

Automatic: 1618 kg