Nissan's new man gets platform right

By ALASTAIR SLOANE Motoring editor

A platform is a whole bunch of mechanical components - the chassis and so on - upon which a vehicle is built.

Once, Nissan had about 14 platforms on the go. Something like one platform for every car it built. This cost lots of design and development money.

Cash-rich carmakers like Toyota and Volkswagen built lots of cars on a handful of platforms.

The Volkswagen Beetle, Audi TT, Audi A3, Skoda Octavia, Seat Leon and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all sit on the VW Golf platform, for example. That's why the VW Group has lots of money.

Conversely, it is why Nissan lost zillions and nearly went to the wall. It spread itself too thin.

Enter, in the late 1990s, Nissan's new major shareholder Renault and its cost-cutting executive Carlos Ghosn. In a few years, Brazilian-born Ghosn has turned Japan's oldest carmaker (since 1912) around. It is now making money using roughly half the platforms it once had.

By 2005, Nissan will have six platforms only.

One is called the FM platform, on which sits the new rear-drive 350Z sports car, launched in New Zealand the other day.

The FM is a development of the FR-L platform, the basis also for the upcoming GT-R "Godzilla", a coupe or two, some sedans and a "soft-road" four-wheel-drive.

The FM platform has been designed, says Nissan, to accommodate a relatively long wheelbase, short front and rear overhangs, and a V6 engine well back in the engine bay.

Such geometry gives the 350Z a 53:47 front/rear weight split which, combined with a wide track and Nissan's acclaimed front and rear multi-link suspension, aids overall balance.

The result is a flat, comfortable ride, good body control, and sharp, communicative steering.

Performance is helped by the underbody design, which tucks the exhaust, fuel tank and mufflers out of the way for improved aerodynamics.

The 350Z feels a lot lighter than its reasonably bulky 1440kg. Nissan puts this down partly to the use of aluminium in the suspension, which saved more than 20kg in unsprung weight.

The body itself presents a pleasant, if different, design mix: chunky and aggressive in front, sleek in profile, tailing away to a powerful rear. Would the rear have had even more of a presence without the teardrop tail-lights?

The interior is also different, black panels with polished alloy instruments. A classy design touch: the door handles slot into a groove narrowing out from the air vents in both doors.

The 350Z shows off what Nissan has always had: engineering integrity. The glorious 3.5-litre V6 engine is an example of that. So is the twin-exhaust note, tuned to entertain driver and passenger.

The engine is a development of the 3-litre unit in the Maxima and develops 206kW at 6200rpm and 363Nm at 4800rpm.

A feature of the new V6 is its flat torque curve, with more than 300Nm available from 2000rpm thanks to variable valve timing.

This makes for an effortless drive, the well-matched automatic and manual gear ratios and the fly-by-wire throttle helping to pretty much carry the car along on a constant wave of torque.

There are two 350Z models, the Touring with its five-speed automatic/manual mode gearbox at $64,990, and the six-speed manual Track at $67,990.

The Touring gets 17-inch wheels with 225/50R and 235/50R front and rear tyres; the Track gets a bigger footprint with 18-inch alloys and 225/45R and 245/45R rubber front and rear. Both setups provide plenty of grip.

The Track also gets other goodies like Brembo brakes, front and rear spoilers, an underbody aerodynamic diffuser and Vehicle Dynamic Control, which helps the careless driver from putting the 350Z in the trees.

* The soft-top 350Z roadster is expected to join hardtop models in New Zealand within the next 12 months.