Review: Nissan 370Z Roadster

I still look admiringly at the old Nissan 350Z but time waits for no man and the new 370Z is fully established in the sports car world and I have been a little slow off the mark in getting one to test writes Sharon Walters.

The model I had on test was a roadster in a bright Le Mans Blue and the colour is very striking and well suited to the car.

The bodywork retains some of the feel and shape of the outgoing car but that is where the similarity ends.

• Click on the gallery to your right for more pictures of the Nissan 370Z Roadster

The front end is very reminiscent of the 370Z's big brother the GTR and eschews the car with a purposeful stance that leaves no doubt to those looking at it through their rear-view mirrors of its intentions.

The sides of the body are also very sleek, with the wide, scalloped doors providing a fantastic silhouette.

However, the rear end of the car is something else. I am not sure if the designer went to lunch and left the office junior with the rear design, but it just does not match the rest of the car.

A South African friend once told me that a large bottom in a woman was a sign of wealth, and if this is the case, owning the 370Z must mean you are loaded. The only saving grace is that the lovely twin exhausts have been retained.

Fortunately, the middle-age spread of the rear end has not found its way in to any other area of the car.

The interior is a great place to be with comfortable bucket seats that are easily adjustable and provide a great level of support when pushing the car round corners.

The dashboard is very clear and provides the driver with all the information required to keep tabs on what is happening in the engine bay.

In this car the engine is a fantastic 3.7 Litre V6 which provides great power and economy which won't break the bank.

It also sounds glorious, which does mean that I cannot report on the stereo as I enjoyed music of a mechanical kind.

Handling is excellent, with suspension perfectly at home on both the Shropshire lanes and motorway.

It combines a firm ride with enough compliance so that you always know you're in a sports car, but does not invoke tiredness as with other manufacturers.

The steering is direct and enables precise placement of the 370Z on any surface, and even with the wide 245 by 19-in front wheels never veered off course.

The boot is surprisingly spacious even though it does not look it. A quick trip to the local supermarket to pick up a few essentials resulted in a trolley load - that I was convinced would not fit, but fit it did.

So the 370Z is also practical.

A this point, when opening the boot, I spotted what can only be described as an anoraks guide; a detailed graphic showing how to fit a golf bag in the boot.

Now call me cynical but golf players driving a 370Z? I think not. Other fine cars in the Nissan range will do them quite nicely.

Leave the 370Z to those that appreciate fine sports cars, or perhaps I have missed the point.

If I consider a direct comparison between the 350Z and the 370Z, the latter seems a little tamer with some of the hard edges rounded off. The power, the sound and the performance are all there but somehow more refined.

Perhaps then, that is the whole point of the 370Z, refinement from previous models building on a sound base in order to appeal to a wider audience.

In this respect the 370Z is a fabulous car and well worth the £35,000 price tag.