It took rather a long time to work out that the Roadster's powered folding roof is neither powered nor foldable unless you remember to put your foot on the brake pedal as you press the appropriate switch. Having finally got this sorted out (shortly after a cry of "for God's sake, let's just look it up in the owner's manual, okay?" from the passenger seat), I was at last able to experience open-top motoring, 350Z style, and to declare it a Good Thing.A car which is designed in the first place to have a roof and which then has that roof removed must of necessity be wobblier than one whose roof remains part of the structure. Manufacturers who go down the convertible route have to add lots of extra material to prevent the abbreviated bodyshell falling apart at the first bump, and the success of their efforts can be surprisingly variable.Nissan has done the job expertly here. A 350Z Roadster feels almost as sound as a 350Z Coupé. The test car seemed absolutely secure over crests and across camber changes, and only the most severe bumps produced anything remotely resembling scuttle shake. Let's hope that this applies to the Roadsters that are available in Nissan showrooms and not just to the ones on the press fleet.The feeling of solidity allows you to enjoy the pleasures of al fresco transport all the more, a process made yet easier by the fact that the Roadster displays so few of the vices. Even with the side windows open (which is how they end up after the roof has been folded away), and even at speeds I blush to mention, the airflow in the passenger compartment is relatively calm. You can create enough wind noise to drown out the 3.5-litre engine at full revs and full throttle, but you can't do much damage to your hairstyle without standing up or sticking your head out beyond the sides of the doors.Despite this talk of hard acceleration, my best moments with the Roadster came when I was travelling gently through beautiful countryside. Blessed with considerable power though it may be, the standard 350Z has never been particularly well suited to high-speed action; the handling just isn't sharp enough for that.As a Coupé, this is a car for the sporting motorist rather than the sporting driver, as a Roadster even more so - with the roof down you naturally get a far greater sense of travelling through the land and being part of the process of movement.You pay for this, of course. The Roadster is significantly more expensive than the Coupé, with a list price of £27,000. As with the Coupé, though, this is merely the start of the matter. The test car came with several extras, and one of these - the £2500 GT Pack consisting of heated electric seats, a Bose audio system and cruise control - is very popular among 350Z buyers.Metallic paint costs another £375, so we're over £30,000 already without even considering the dramatically beautiful but dramatically expensive 18" RAYS alloy wheels, which add £1000 to the package. Engine 3498cc, 6 cylinders Power 280bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 24.1mpg / 280g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.4 seconds Top speed 155mph Price £27,000 Details correct at publication date
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