New York Motor Show stars

The Nissan 370Z Roadster and Jeep Grand Cherokee are polar opposites in the car world, but each created a major buzz in the Big Apple.

The Japanese droptop is the obvious extension of the Z-car renewal program which began in Los Angles last year with an all-new Coupe, while the Grand Cherokee is set for a starring role once Chrysler emerges from its funding crisis.

The 370Z Roadster has the same basics as the Coupe, from its 3.7-litre V6 to a much-improved interior, with the addition of a strengthened body and a top that folds in 20 seconds.

The latest Grand Cherokee is completely new with a bunch of new off-road technologies and a new-age V6 engine which will eventually migrate throughout the Chrysler family.

The droptop Z will hit Australia first, but not for more than a year after its Big Apple appearance.

"The Coupe will be here next month. The Roadster sometime next year, in about 12 months," says Jeff Fisher of Nissan Australia.

There is a slight chance the old and new Zs will be sold side-by-side during the switch to the new cars, although Fisher does not see a problem. He also believes the new Roadster will mirror the improvements in the Coupe.

"It's not really an issue on the sales side. We're only talking weeny numbers," he says.

"It's a much improved car and, once people see the pricing, they will see it's very competitive. The 370Z is going to go well."

The Grand Cherokee has massive improvements, including the all-new Chrysler Pentastaris engine, which heads a $3 billion spend on powertrain improvements. Chrysler claims an average eight per cent improvement to fuel economy and says the 3.6 in the Grand Cherokee heads a family which will ultimately replace seven existing engines.

The New York machine has an engine with 209 kiloWatts and 353 Newton-metres of torque, helped by twin-overhead camshafts with variable valve timing, while the 5.7-litre V8 has also had a tweak for improved efficiency.

"The Grand Cherokee is completely new. It's a little bigger, too," says Chrysler Australia's Jerry Stamoulis.

"They will start selling them in the middle of next year in the USA. There is no timing yet for Australia, but normally we expect right-hand drive markets to get the car six to 12 months after the US.

"So we're hoping for late 2010, or early 2011."