2013 Nissan 370Z - Quality Review

Like any two-seat sports car, the 2013 Nissan 370Z is less about passenger space, cargo room, or even drink holders than it is about the simple joy of driving. If you're okay with that, then you're likely to be okay with the 370Z.

The seating, once in the low-slung and snug cabin, is comfortable, with an ample range of adjustment for most body types. Power-adjust seats with ventilation are available on higher-end trims.

Despite the comfortable seats, the 370Z's stiff suspension makes its presence known, jouncing occupants over large bumps and only barely smoothing out smaller pavement seams and other surface imperfections. The ride comfort issue is also translated to noise.

Both tire noise from the road surface and wind noise from the car's shape slicing through the air can become an issue, especially when mixed with the ever-present sound of the engine, which can become intrusive at higher revs. The overall effect is a cabin that's neither quiet nor peaceful, likely a result of minimal sound-deadening materials in an effort to minimize the 370Z's weight.

Cabin materials themselves are largely pleasing, with solid-seeming plastics and appropriate amounts of soft-touch and padded elements. It's no German luxury machine, but neither is it a bargain-basement parts-bin special.

In the Roadster, the soft-top convertible mechanism is efficient and effective at keeping out the elements, and it encroaches only minimally on trunk space, but it doesn't do as effective a job of keeping out noise--or intruders--as a retractable hardtop like you'll find on much of the competition.

These drawbacks are, however, largely endemic to the sports car class in general, and while some more expensive or luxurious alternatives may be quieter, or more refined, few if any can deliver the same level of performance, fun, and value as the 2013 370Z.