Nurse Shark and a Cow............

Zaggeron

The Boxster S starts at 20K above the base Z roadster, but add similar option packages and the Porsche starts to skyrocket in price. I priced similarly equipped Z roadsters and Boxster Ss and the difference ended up being around 30k. A better comparison is the non-S version of the Boxster.

The aesthetics of the Z roadster are a subject of controversy ... But like all aesthetic choices it's rather subjective. That said, anyone who thinks the Z4 is better looking than the 370ZR need their eyes checked What clinched the Z for me over the Porsche was the sheer uniqueness of the Z roadster. It's rare in my area (even the coupe is relatively rare compared to the Mustangs and Camaros). I can sometimes see at least 4 Boxsters and a couple of TT coupes a day, but I have yet to see another Z roadster on the road and I live in the middle of a metro area with over 1 million people.

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2010 Platinum Graphite 370z Roadster:Touring/Sport
2013 Subaru BRZ Limited

gumpy

this review's a bit of a funny one, we have a magazine here down under and they do two kinds of tests.

BFYB - bang for your buck where performance is measure against cost
PCOTY - Best performance car with no consideration for cost

Seems as though they were ignoring the cost here which can be valid i guess. What is not valid is to rate a car better for styling when they seem to be measuring performance... No one can rate styling except for ssangyong who make the fugliest cars ever closely followed by subaru.

Why would they ignore the price difference and then start looking at styling... these people are stupid...

dalparadise

I've seen two other Z roadsters and fewer than 10 coupes in my metro area of 6 million people and 55+ mile commute (round trip), so our numbers are bearing out, I suppose. I agree that Boxsters and really all styles of Porsches seem to be a dime a dozen around here. Most TTs I see are hardtops and I've only seen one new Z4 on the road since they came out.

That said, I never expected this car to be rare. Nor did I buy it because it was all I could afford. I craved this car. I've owned an MZ3 and a 330CiC -- both "higher end" cars than the 370ZR -- and have never felt this way about a car. I get nothing but thumbs-up everywhere I goand the power, performance and style of the car are in a league apart from the rest.

The Bimmer in this test looks great and I can vouch for the powertrain, but the retract hardtop kills the roadster feel to me. The Porsche is an excellent car all around and probably the clear winner, but is a bit dated and bland in styling and way overpriced. The Audi would probably get my nod for most intriguing offering of this bunch -- in the true spirit of a roadster, I like a light, tossable car -- but again, the value proposition isn't quite there for me. That's where the 370Z makes such a statement.

This is truly a step-up, no-compromises car that presents an amazing value proposition relative to the other cars tested. I know that's not supposed to factor in and I understand the allure of suckling at the German design teet. However, if all cars tested were within $2000 or so of one another, I'd put the Nissan second in this competition.

As it is, I'd give it first.

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2010 Platinum Graphite Roadster - Tour/Sport/6MT/GReddy SE catback/B&M short shift
If the top is up, it must be parked.

Zaggeron

That's basically what I thought. I cross-shopped the Boxster and it clearly is a nice car, but something about the styling didn't do it for me.

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2010 Platinum Graphite 370z Roadster:Touring/Sport
2013 Subaru BRZ Limited