2014 Nissan 370Z Convertible

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Text Cor Steenstra, photos Jaap Dijkshoorn / Edward Breedveld-fwdmotiontv

We were very lucky with the California weather when we had this 2014 Nissan 370Z Convertible on loan. We had plenty of opportunity to drive it with the top down, on local roads and even on the freeways. This version had an automatic gearbox with the option of using the flippers for gear change mounted behind the steering wheel.The car came in a gorgeous medium deep red metallic color, with sporty leather interior. We’ve had the 370Z quite a few times, and the convertible version of it still manages to turn heads, even though it is not an unknown object on the street. The proverbial ‘thumbs up’ from fellow 370 Convertible drivers is a nice added plus.

When pushed, the acceleration of this 370Z is very respectable, but if one does switch it to the manual option, make sure you don’t forget to change gears. It does not change up automatically if in this option, something I really appreciate since I sometimes choose my gears very selectively to get a certain characteristic in the car. Some other cars override my choice in that, and that can lead to dangerous situations.

The car still has a tight cabin, offering enough space for 2, but not much else. There is some storage space behind the 2 seats, and that works quite handily, if you remember you put it there. With some people, out of sight is out of mind, and than it is not very good, so tie a ribbon around your finger in that case.

I am still not too convinced of how the open version is resolved. It seems a bit crude in areas where the roof opens and where the roof mounts on, which, in my opinion, could have been resolved in a more elegant way without making it a boring design.

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