370Z Takes on Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track

280z/300zx

Agreed. the Z could lose a bit of weight but what other car that packs 300+hp and costs less than 40k weight's less than 3200lbs? You won't really find one. It's not so much that the Z is light, it's just that compared to some competiors like the Genesis, Camaro, Mustang, etc the Z is on the lighter side. Cars in general just need to lose weight but it costs money as you already pointed out. Still I understand your point about having sedans weight the same or less than the Z (example 2012 impreza at 3150lbs).

Also looking back to the Z's history the 370z isn't doing bad, which is what I was trying to point out. The Z has stayed right around 3200-3400lbs since 1984 dispite consistantly getting larger engines, beefer tranys, heavier differentials, bigger wheels/tires, and lets not forget....being safer in collisions while at the same time being able to play your ipod. I think for being able to keep the Z at this current range of weight for the last 30yrs is pretty decent.

Also to answer your original questions about the sunroof, probably the biggest deciding factor for Nissan was chasis rigidity. Cars with sunroofs, targas, and t-tops have less rigity which affects handling. When Nissan designed the 370z their main target was the porsche. They wanted to make a car that could rival the porsche around the track for half the cost. Having that extra big of rigidity on the roof helps keep the car from twisting which in turn makes the car handle better in turns.