Nissan shapes for max attack

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Nissan is getting ready for a pre-Christmas assault on the new-car market in New Zealand with the upcoming launch of its 350Z Roadster and new Maxima.

The soft-top Roadster is expected to cost up to $10,000 more than the coupe, priced at $64,990 for the automatic Touring and $67,990 for the six-speed manual Track model.

The Roadster was designed in tandem with the coupe and shares its 3.5-litre V6 engine and rear-drive running gear. But it has about 70kg more to pull than the 1440kg hard-top, because of steel reinforcements in the sills, A-pillars and windscreen surrounds as well as a V-shaped under floor cross brace.

A power hood is also fitted, taking 20 seconds to stow under a composite tonneau cover. The hood drops into a well, ahead of the crossbar (now hidden) that bisects the luggage compartment of the coupe.

The Roadster has had its suspension settings tweaked for a more "European" ride, in this case softer not harder damper settings. Nissan wanted the softer settings in the heavier vehicle in part to help quieten the scuttle shake inherent in convertibles.

Unlike some new soft-tops, the Nissan requires the hood to be unlatched from the header rail before folding (there are three locating points on the header rail, but just one latch), and the car must be stationary at the time.

The small, glass rear window has a built-in demister. Also installed is a tempered glass deflector between the headrests, designed to guide the breeze away from the occupants.

The 350Z Roadster comes with a strong list of standard equipment. So does the new front-drive Maxima, which is built on the modular FM family platform shared with the 350Z.

The Maxima has been on sale in Japan for about a year badged as the Teana and using a 2.5-litre V6 engine. But the New Zealand model will get a 3.5-litre V6, a detuned 170kW/330Nm version of the 206kW/363Nm engine in the 350Z. The model on sale here will also differ from the American variant, which has a more sporting look.

Nissan New Zealand won't talk about prices for the Maxima until the launch towards the end of November.

But the four-door is expected to come with a high level of specification to match offerings from competitors, including Honda's new V6 Accord next month.