2024 Nissan Z Nismo review

Cue the Tokyo Drift music…

The 2024 Nissan Z Nismo looks straight out of a Fast and Furious movie, and that’s without any aftermarket mods. It also looks like it would be right at home parked up at the Daikoku Car Meet in Japan.

It’s special, and it’s not like the standard Z Coupe was pedestrian by any means.

The racy bodykit, Nismo red pinstripes, Rays forged alloy wheels, and Slate Grey paint exclusive to this model all come together to make it look like something very distinctive and high end – trust me, you’ll get looks of admiration in the street.

That’s before you look inside, which has been given the tuning arm’s treatment with more red accents, Recaro bucket seats and swathes of Alcantara trim. While these are things that a lot of car brands offer, there’s something distinctly Japanese about the execution of it all.

At $94,000 before on-road costs or more than $100,000 in your driveway, you would hope this thing feels special. Especially when it commands a $20,000 premium over the ‘standard’ Z.

Is this six-figure Nissan sports coupe worth the money? Or are you better off looking at something European… or something in between like the Toyota Supra?

How does the Nissan Z compare?

View a detailed breakdown of the Nissan Z against similarly sized vehicles.

Nissan

Nissan Z

How much does the Nissan Z cost?

The Z Nismo commands a near-$20,000 premium over the standard Z Coupe.

To see how the Nissan Z lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What is the Nissan Z like on the inside?

Very black, with pops of red…

The same basic design and architecture of the new Z remains, which is a very heavy revision of the 370Z predating it.

From the moment you slide into the Recaro-branded leather and Alcantara buckets and put your hands on the wheel, which also sports a red 12 o’clock market, you know this is no ordinary Z.

The black cabin is contrasted with flashes of red in the seats, top-stitching, and some of the switchgear. They’re subtle but nice additions that help to make the cabin feel focused and purposeful without being tacky, at least in my opinion.

Other distinguishing features include a Nismo-branded instrument cluster, but otherwise it’s the same bones as the Z, right down to the fiddly shift-by-wire selector and the very old-looking manual parking brake.

Would I say this feels like the interior of a $100,000 car? Not sure, especially when there are elements of the old 370Z in the door cards and switchgear – the Toyota Supra’s BMW-sourced components feel more high-end.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster gets some unique flourishes of Nismo branding, with a slightly different skin in the sports setting compared to the regular Z. You also get shift light bars at the top of the display, which is a racy inclusion.

The gloss black multifunction buttons on the steering wheel don’t feel quite as nice, and the smudgy surface taints the look and feel of the classic steering wheel design. In fairness, that could all be down to personal preference.

While I’m at it, I have to knock Nissan for only supplying the Z with its basic 8.0-inch central touchscreen sans wireless smartphone mirroring and navigation. C’mon, this is a $100,000 flagship sports car and it’s got the infotainment unit out of a base Qashqai…

Apple CarPlay worked fine using the wired connection, and thankfully there’s USB-A and USB-C ports depending on your preferred input or the default supplied with your phone – my iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable which poses issues when only USB-A is available.

There’s otherwise not much else to report on the infotainment unit, perhaps other than the fact it’s hooked up to a pretty beefy eight-speaker Bose sound system that offers deep and clear sound in my experience.

Being a sports coupe it doesn’t need to be particularly spacious or airy in the cabin; if anything buyers would prefer the opposite. That said at 6’1 I could comfortably get into my seat without feeling like I was about to whack my head on the headliner or rub shoulders with my passenger.

The sexy Recaro buckets lose electric adjustment but have several ways of manual adjustment to find the right driving position. I like the range of adjustment available in the base cushion, meaning I could dial in a good amount of support for my long legs.

Behind the bucket seats is the same 241-litre boot which is pretty shallow but has room for some soft sports or travel bags; or a small suitcase at a squeeze.

The big strut brace and weird arch intrusion also eat into the cargo area, and there’s no spare wheel under the boot floor – just a tyre repair kit.

To see how the Nissan Z lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Z Nismo gets a beefier tune of the Z’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, adding 11kW and 45Nm.

This is achieved via improved cooling; a revised electronic wastegate control which provides increased turbocharger boost and turbine speed; as well as incorporating GT-R Nismo-inspired independent ignition spark timing.

Other highlights include an enhanced oil cooler for extended track performance; launch control; and a new Sport+ drive mode.

It’s worth noting my consumption figure was achieved over a week of driving which included peak-hour commuting as well as a more extended highway stint out to the Victorian hills with spirited B-road squirts.

Still, it’s impressive that I nearly managed to match the advertised claim without really trying.

To see how the Nissan Z lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

How does the Nissan Z drive?

To be honest I never loved how the standard Z drove, so I wasn’t sure how much the Nismo would change my mind.

While I didn’t particularly love how the six-speed manual in the standard Z felt, I thought it was a shame that the stick shift hasn’t made the cut for the Nismo glow-up. That said, the auto was always my pick of the Z transmissions, and in the Nismo it’s largely up to task.

I spent the best part of a week driving the Z Nismo, from the daily commute to and from the office to a weekend blast through the Victorian hills. We didn’t take it on track, so that’ll have to wait for next time.

Let’s start with the fun stuff.

My dynamic drive consisted of a run out to Healesville out east of Melbourne, heading through the Toolangi forest which consists of on the winding Myers Creek Rd. It’s a fantastic stretch of tarmac with road rally levels of technical corners, with a good mix of conditions to put a car like the Nismo through its paces.

I was initially wary of the Z’s torquey twin-turbo outputs going exclusively to the rear axle, but with the sticky Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres the Nismo was surprisingly sure footed and grippy despite some patches of road being a little damp – it is a ‘rainforest’ for a reason.

Flicking into Sport and Sport+, the Z Nismo pipes in more engine noise via the speakers (including fake pops and overrun sounds which were surprisingly convincing), and tightens throttle and steering response as you’d expect.

The nine-speed auto will hold onto gears longer and downshift earlier, or you can flick into manual mode and take control via the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

In manual mode the auto is pretty snappy and offers decent engagement, but the plastic paddles aren’t quite as tactile as the units you’ll find in other cars. It’s a shame Nissan didn’t invest in some aluminium paddles or similar to add that extra edge.

Where the old 370Z often felt like it had vague steering to the point of almost being boaty with its long nose, the new Z feels noticeably sharper and more dialled in by comparison.

It turns in nicely and as you progressively pile on throttle it’ll shoot you out of corners with 520Nm of torque, which is on tap from just 2000rpm. Nissan doesn’t officially quote a 0-100km/h time, but I reckon even the standard Z is easily in the mid-4.0-second realm with a good launch.

You can easily pile on speed in this thing quickly, meaning it can at times feel a little shackled on Australia’s heavily policed public roads. I look forward to one day unleashing the Nismo on a circuit to see what it can really do.

The beefier brakes also help to tame that added pace, with good stopping power and a confident pedal feel.

While I praise the Nismo for its improved feel and sharpness over the standard model, it still doesn’t feel quite as nimble or athletic as the Toyota GR Supra.

Keep in mind the auto-equipped Supra GTS is over 150kg lighter than the Nismo, which no doubt plays into its more dynamic and light-on-feet feel compared to the Nissan. This likely cancels out the Nismo’s power advantage, too.

I was left wanting more from the sound experience too. While there’s a noticeable amplification of the augmented sound design in the Sport and Sport+ modes, the Nissan lacks proper bark to match its bite.

Driving it normally in town you get that brassy V6 note as the revs climb if you hold gears, but otherwise it doesn’t sound all that different from any of Nissan’s other V6 passenger cars – especially for onlookers on the outside.

It’s a touch heavy in feel and firm in ride in everyday driving, which is to be expected in something being pitched as a track day warrior but worth noting if you plan to use this as a daily. You occasionally get a jolt or clunk through the transmission at low speeds between first and second if you suddenly lift off or shift.

Get on rougher sections of freeway and those sticky Dunlop tyres also rustle up plenty of road noise. Driving to and from Melbourne CBD on the currently patchy Eastern Freeway definitely got quite droney.

Despite the fact the new Z is a heavily revised and reskinned version of the old 370Z, Nissan has done well to incorporate some of its newer driver assistance technologies into the Z, and by extension the Nismo.

Standard adaptive cruise control helps to take the load off extended freeway stints and heavy traffic. In practice, it worked fine.

Lane departure warning alerts you if you drift over the lines but there’s no active assist, and the Z’s standard blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warnings are handy given the chunky rear pillars and pumped haunches.

It’s a shame there’s no surround parking cameras though there are front and rear sensors to bolster the reversing camera and rear cross-traffic alert when parking (or exiting parks). Rounding out the safety suite are drive attention monitoring and traffic sign recognition.

What do you get?

The Nismo adds some choice performance equipment over the standard model.

Nissan Z standard equipment:

• Mechanical limited-slip differential
• Launch control
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• 1 x USB-A outlet
• 1 x USB-C outlet
• 8-speaker Bose sound system
• Heated seats
• 4-way power-adjustable front seats
• Leather-accented upholstery
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Active Noise Control
• Active Sound Enhancement

Nissan Z Nismo adds:

• Nismo exterior and interior styling enhancements
• Larger front brake rotors (+25mm)
• Gloss black Rays 19-inch wheels
• Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 tyres
• Enhanced engine cooling
• Sport+ drive mode
• Nismo-tuned Launch Control
• Nismo-tuned Active Sound Control
• Nismo leather and Alcantara Recaro seats
  • Removes heating
  • Removes power adjustment
• Leather and Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel

Is the Nissan Z safe?

The Nissan Z hasn’t been tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• AEB with pedestrian detection
• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane departure warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Driver attention alert
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera

How much does the Nissan Z cost to run?

Like the wider Nissan range, the Z Nismo is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

To see how the Nissan Z lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

CarExpert’s Take on the Nissan Z

The Z Nismo is definitely something special, but it’s also far from perfect.

It has that sort of old-school Japanese character that perfectly caters to the target market, and has meaningful upgrades to make it a more well-rounded and focused offering than the standard Z.

Personally, I think it looks gorgeous. A couple of times I had parked it up and as I couldn’t help but admire it as I looked back.

In our tester’s Slate Grey finish it looks expensive standing still, and could easily be confused for a sports coupe from a more premium brand.

It’s also very quick, and quite fun to punt up a winding B-road. Is it the sharpest tool? Maybe not, but there’s charm to its flaws and the fact you have to learn how to drive this quickly – like going up the levels in Gran Turismo.

My biggest gripes are the 370Z-sourced interior elements, basic infotainment and lack of sound for a flagship sports car costing six figures. That said the GT-R has been a cult hero right up until the end of its life and it had an even older tech suite.

I also wish the Z Nismo had a short-shifting six-speed manual option or a snappier dual-clutch auto which would only heighten the fun, and while I love the understated aggression of the Nismo upgrades I can’t help but think a proper GT3 or GT4-style track pack could really take this to another level.

It also doesn’t sound particularly good unless you have it in Sport+ and manual mode engaged. Even then, it’s synthesised so what you’re getting in the cabin isn’t what onlookers are hearing from the outside.

So should you buy one? $100,000 gets you into a lot of very capable sports coupes, including everything from the GR Supra to the V8-engined Ford Mustang GT. I don’t think the Z is objectively better than either of those cars, but I don’t think you’d be disappointed if you one day have one parked in your driveway.

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