2023 Nissan Z | PH Review
Nissan has revitalised the Z car for North America - are we right to be jealous?
With the introduction of the 2023 Nissan Z, the automaker refers to its two sports cars as “beauty and the beast.” Naturally, the legendary GT-R is the beast. And now that Nissan has reskinned and thoroughly updated the sixth-generation Z34 370Z to create the mostly-new seventh-gen 2023 Z, it sure is a beauty. As Nissan product planner Paul Hawson explained to our US colleagues at Cargurus (an unabridged version of this road test is available here) his favourite change to the 2023 Z is the cleaned-up aesthetics of the car. We agree that the new Z looks great, better in person and on the road than in photos.
The Z is approximately 80 per cent new. The styling takes inspiration from the original 1970 240Z at the front, the 350Z and 370Z in the middle, and the fourth-generation 1990 300ZX at the rear. The large, rectangular grille appears uninspired, but as Hawson explains, if you removed the chrome bumper from a first-gen 240Z, you’d see the same shape and location on the original Z car. Plus, given the cooling requirements of the new twin-turbocharged V6 engine revving under this Z’s long, retro-shaped hood, the grille needed to be big.
Two versions of the 2023 Nissan Z are available in the States. The base Sport trim starts at $39,990 (circa £33k), while the performance-tuned Performance trim costs $49,990 (circa £41k). A version of the Z Performance called the Proto Spec is $52,990 (circa £43k), but Nissan is building just 240 examples of that car. The range undercuts the Toyota Supra lineup by a few grand while providing significantly more power in standard spec.
Having said that, the Supra’s BMW-based mechanicals and interior bits and pieces make the Toyota look, feel, and drive like it rightly commands more money. Not that the new Nissan Z comes across as cheap. Especially in Performance trim with its 19-inch, matte-black, staggered-width wheels and tyres and its two-tone paint with a black roof, the Z looks terrific - and much better than the Supra.
Inside, except for some carryover pieces from the 370Z and some truly unfortunate lower door panel plastic that glistens in the sunlight, the new Z comes across as far more refined and sophisticated than the vehicle it replaces. Our Z Performance test car, equipped with a no-charge automatic transmission and extra-cost paint, wore a window sticker of $52,710, including the $1,025 destination charge. It is a reasonable price for what you get, most notably the new engine.
Nissan sources the Z’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 from the Infiniti Q50 and Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 models and tunes it for improved throttle response. When you’re accelerating hard, the car's backend feels greasy thanks to 400hp at 6,400 rpm and 350lb ft of torque between 1,600 rpm and 5,200 rpm, all sent to the rear wheels. A six-speed manual transmission is standard. Carried over from the 370Z but reworked for use in the new Z, it offers a smoother, more positive throw, and is paired with an upgraded clutch that is reasonably easy to modulate. With Performance trim, it features SynchroRev Match, a delightful add-on that makes you feel like a pro driver while improving the car’s soundtrack.
As we said, there’s no charge if you want an auto, which is a nine-speed unit. It has a Sport mode and paddle shifters and is relatively fun to shift manually. In addition to offering the best fuel economy, the automatic also puts up the best performance numbers. With Performance trim, both transmissions work with launch control to harness the engine’s power for the quickest acceleration. Performance trim also installs a mechanical limited-slip differential that, frankly, you’re going to want.
Performance trim also adds a throatier exhaust note, larger brakes with red calipers, sports suspension, Rays 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, and sticky Bridgestone Potenza S007 high-performance tyres - 255/40 at the front and 275/35 at the back. So, how do all these components come together in Nissan’s new sports car? We can’t truthfully say. The undemanding test route east of Las Vegas near a startlingly empty Lake Las Vegas could’ve been driven fast in a Nissan Kicks, let alone a Nissan Z. Furthermore, the maximum posted speed limit on those flat, wide, gently curving roads was a modest 50 mph.
Here’s what we did learn. First, the Z is fast in a straight line, and you’ll need to carefully modulate the throttle to keep the rear tyres glued to the road. Additionally, a short stint in a Z with the SynchroRev Match manual gearbox demonstrated significant improvement over the old 370Z and convinced us this is the way to go for true driving enthusiasts, even if it’s not the fastest model. It adds joy to driving the car that is absent with the automatic. And the Performance trim’s forged aluminium wheels contribute to good ride quality in the city and on the highway, thanks to reduced unsprung weight at each corner of the car.
In the city or on the freeway, the Performance trim’s stouter braking components provide a near-instantaneous response, so there is an acclimation period. Under hard braking, followed by fast turn-in, the Z’s brakes proved responsive and balanced. Still, nothing about the drive route tested the fortitude of those brakes under duress or fostered the highly focused, intense driver concentration that could determine whether the Z achieves that holy grail of man and machine as one.
The new rack-mounted electric steering is also more agreeable than the heavy hydraulic steering of the old 370Z. No, it’s not the drive-by-wire tech you’ll find in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60. And, finally, while the road noise is excessive and the exhaust note doesn’t have the same distinctive character as the old 370Z, the new Z has discovered a refined and engaging sound of its own.
For now, we’re going to give the Nissan Z the benefit of the doubt and err on the side of a favourable rating. But until we can get the car onto a challenging road with narrow lanes, undulating pavement, decreasing radius corners, and off-camber curves, we cannot put our stamp of approval on anything but the powertrain, which is delightful. However, even that comment is qualified until we examine how the car behaves under hard acceleration out of a corner.
Either way, the Nissan Z comes across as a comparative bargain. As mentioned, it undercuts the Toyota Supra - particularly if you want that car with a 3.0-litre motor - and the rear-drive sports cars available for less (the current MX-5 and incoming GR86) generate substantially less power. Obviously there are more expensive alternatives to consider, but Nissan has wisely positioned the Z as a value-orientated performance car that ought to appeal to a different buyer than, say, the V8-powered Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang.
Of course, just because a new model plugs a hole in a segment doesn’t necessarily mean it deserves consideration. Nevertheless, even with the proviso that we didn’t get a chance to properly evaluate the new Z’s driving dynamics, we can confidently state that it’s a better sports car than the one it replaces, and, in the US at any rate, shows real promise as a desirable alternative to similar vehicles regardless of price.
Read the full CarGurus Nissan Z Test Drive here
Specification | 2023 Nissan Z
Engine: 2,997cc, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 400@6,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 350@1,600-5,200rpm
0-62mph: TBC
Top speed: TBC
Weight: TBC
MPG: 20mpg (EPA, anticipated)
CO2: TBC
Price: circa £43k as tested
More like the change from GT86 --> GR86 than a whole new model in my mind. Not like Nissan has the money to make a new sports car anyway!
I owned a 370Z for a couple years from new. Really were great cars except the steering adjustment was poor.
Great gusty engine, which was a bot course at the top end, but had a nice amount of Torque. Certainly felt more Torquey than the Audi R8 V8 I replaced it with.
More like the change from GT86 --> GR86 than a whole new model in my mind. Not like Nissan has the money to make a new sports car anyway!
The 370 wheelbase is 100mm shorter than the 350, and it's noticeable in both low and high speed cornering. It's also wider, and less tall, and generally is a completely different car.
Although, my 350Z was a GT convertible, my 370Z is a Nismo hardtop, so they do feel a bit different to drive near the edge.
It is intereting that you cite the 240 etc because I woukd argue that nissan europeanised the design of the 240 etc for a bigger market, z cars of that era were quite restrained particularly compared to the likes of the Toyota 2000gt and Mazda cosmo, which could only be Japanese. The z cars became more immediately Japanese with the 300zx tt and 350/370 in my opinion, taking the softer European cues and adding some flair. That said, a 240z would be one of my lottery cars and one can perhaps argue that Nissan have long been a rather conservative car company in comparison to some other Japanese companies from a design perspective.
Surely if you're going to electronically automate the only bit of the process that takes any skill, you might as well fit a flappy paddle auto and have done with it?
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