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driveway
Top down driving in sunny California
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Sports cars like the Nissan 370Z Roadster are surprisingly fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly.
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Bob McHugh
There are no beaches, no piers, no theme parks, no giant roller coasters and no kids... OK, just a few little darlings. It does have beautifully preserved historic buildings, magnificent gardens, art galleries, museums and a vibrant “old town” district with theatres, bars and many great restaurants. This “Z” was designed by a Canadian. A talented young man named Randy Rodriguez from Surrey, B.C. who works at Nissan’s U.S. design centre in California. That magic moment of divine inspiration for the Z’s fluid styling lines apparently came while he was watching Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. He also has cleverly incorporated some subtle styling references to the original 240Z, a classic sports car. The Z’s one-touch, autolatching convertible top can open or close in about 20 seconds and comes with a glass rear window and an integrated electric rear window defroster. It also comes with a fabric inner liner and a hinged metal body-colour tonneau cover that gives the top-down 370Z a classy finished look. This Z has a lighter and more rigid body structure than its predecessor, and a more powerful 332-horsepower 3.7-litre DOHC V6 engine. There’s a lovely “growl” from its dual exhaust pipes when you prod the gas
pedal, and drive goes to the rear wheels via a viscoustype limited slip differential. A noteworthy high-tech engine enhancement is its Variable Valve Event and Lift Control (VVEL) system, which adds extra power, yet improves fuel efficiency and provides cleaner exhaust emissions. Wandering on less travelled roads towards the towering San Gabriel Mountains, which create a picturesque backdrop to Pasadena, was an opportunity to play with the Z’s delightful rev-matching seven-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual transmission can also be fitted (via a sport package) and it comes with a downshift rev-matching feature, a “world first” for Nissan engineering. It’s a snug driver cockpit that offers limited storage (although there is some extra space behind the seats), a single cup-holder centre console and a pullup style park brake. I used all the rear travel provided on the driver’s seat and had the seat cushion set to its lowest position. Getting in or out of the low-slung Z wasn’t as painful an exercise as I feared it might be, but if you suffer from back or joint ailments a taller vehicle would definitely be a better choice. The hip point for the driver’s seat is very low and you sit with legs extended forward, viewing the road ahead over what suddenly seems like a much longer hood. Its short windshield and surrounding glass give Z a chopped racy appearance and the moulded design of the tonneau cover enhances its classic “double cockpit” roadster styling. Vertical door handles have become a signature feature of modern Z cars. Auxiliary turn-signal lights, on the front fenders, also hail from older generations of Z. An exceptionally good power-to-weight ratio allows an under-six-second, zero to 100 km/hour acceleration time and puts this Z into elite sports car territory. Yet, when you consider its comparatively good fuel economy numbers and sane pricing, it’s still one of the smarter “expensive plaything” purchases. In Canada, the Roadster is offered in a Touring trim with both six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic
transmissions. Touring automatic comes with both sport and navigation packages in Canada, but these packages are optional in the U.S. There’s also a basic (non-touring) edition of the 370Z Roadster that sells for $41,470, south of the border. Not too long ago, highperformance cars guzzled fuel, belched smog and were a workout to drive. Not so now. bob.mchugh@ drivewaybc.ca PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT: Offers valid until July 31, 2014. See toyota.ca for complete details on all cash back offers. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between Toyota prices, rates and/or other information contained on toyotabc.ca and that contained on toyota.ca, the latter shall prevail. Errors and omissions excepted. 2014 Corolla CE 6M Manual BURCEM-A MSRP is $17,544 and includes $1,549 freight and pre-delivery inspection, tire levy, and battery levy. **Lease example: 2014 Corolla CE 6M with a vehicle price of $16,844 (includes $700 Toyota Canada Lease Assist, which is deducted from the negotiated selling price after taxes, and $1,549 freight/PDI) leased at 0.9% over 60 months with $0 down payment equals 120 semi-monthly payments of $85 with a total lease obligation of $10,900. Lease 60 mos. based on 100,000 km, excess km charge is $.07. ***Finance example: 0.9% finance for 36 months, upon credit approval, available on 2014 Corolla CE 6M Manual BURCEM-A. Applicable taxes are extra. 2014 RAV4 Base FWD LE Automatic ZFREVT-A MSRP is $25,689 and includes $1,819 freight and pre-delivery inspection, tire levy, battery levy and air conditioning federal excise tax. †Lease example: 2.9% Lease APR for 60 months on approved credit. Semi-Monthly payment is $123 with $2850 down payment. Total Lease obligation is $17,610. Lease 60 mos. based on 100,000 km, excess km charge is $.10. ††Finance example: 0.9% finance for 36 months, upon credit approval, available on 2014 RAV4 FWD LE Automatic ZFREVT-A. Applicable taxes are extra. 2014 Tundra Double Cab SR5 4.6L 4x4 Automatic UM5F1T-A MSRP is $37,029 and includes $1,819 freight and pre-delivery inspection, tire levy, battery levy and air conditioning federal excise tax. ‡Lease example: 0.9% Lease APR for 60 months on approved credit. Semi-Monthly payment is $175 with $3,450 down payment. Total Lease obligation is $24,390. Lease 60 mos. based on 100,000 km, excess km charge is $.15. ‡‡Finance example: 0.9% finance for 72 months, upon credit approval, available on 2014 Tundra Double Cab SR5 4.6L 4x4 Automatic UM5F1T-A. Applicable taxes are extra. ‡‡‡Up to $4000 Non-Stackable Cash Back available on select 2014 Tundra models. Non-stackable cash back on 2014 Tundra Double Cab SR5 4.6L 4x4 Automatic is $4000. Applicable taxes are extra. Down payment, first semi-monthly payment and security deposit plus GST and PST on first payment and full down payment are due at lease inception. A security deposit is not required on approval of credit. Non-stackable Cash Back offers may not be combined with Toyota Financial Services (TFS) lease or finance rates. If you would like to lease or finance at standard TFS rates (not the above special rates), then you may be able to take advantage of Cash Customer Incentives. Vehicle must be purchased, registered and delivered by July 31, 2014. Cash incentives include taxes and are applied after taxes have been charged on the full amount of the negotiated price. See toyota.ca for complete details on all cash back offers. †††Semi-monthly lease offer available through Toyota Financial Services on approved credit to qualified retail customers on most 24, 36, 48 and 60 month leases of new and demonstrator Toyota vehicles. First semi-monthly payment due at lease inception and next monthly payment due approximately 15 days later and semi-monthly thereafter throughout the term. Toyota Financial Services will waive the final payment. Semi-monthly lease offer can be combined with most other offers excluding the First Payment Free and Encore offers. First Payment Free offer is valid for eligible TFS Lease Renewal customers only. Toyota semi-monthly lease program based on 24 payments per year, on a 60-month lease, equals 120 payments, with the final 120th payment waived by Toyota Financial Services. Competitive bi-weekly lease programs based on 26 payments per year, on a 60-month lease, equals 130 payments. Not open to employees of Toyota Canada, Toyota Financial Services or TMMC/TMMC Vehicle Purchase Plan. Some conditions apply. See your Toyota dealer for complete details. Visit your Toyota BC Dealer or www.toyotabc.ca for more details. Some conditions apply; offers are time limited and may change without notice. Dealer may lease/sell for less. *Toyota - Winner of more 2014 Canadian Black Book Best Retained Value awards than any other brand. Based on value retained from original MSRP for 2010 model year vehicles as published by CBB, as of 1 January 2014. See CanadianBlackBook.com for complete details.
The Nissan 370Z (Zee or Zed) oozes youthful energy with its edgy design and wholehearted performance. Add warm California air to enhance the open sports car driving experience and roll back a few years, at least temporarily. My two days in Los Angeles were spent mainly in and around Pasadena, a short freeway drive (16 kilometres) northeast of the downtown core.
The Nissan 370Z has an exceptionally good power-to-weight ratio, says columnist Bob McHugh. Follow us at:
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