Back in 2022, Nissan revamped the Z sports car line to take on the Toyota Supra, dispensing with the numbers in the name and just going by “Z.” The 2023 model year Nissan Z packed 400 horsepower, a six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive and retro good looks. It technically carried over the platform from the 370Z — which was ancient — but in this day and age, we take endangered sports coupes any way manufacturers can provide them.
The natural follow-up effort to the Z was a harder-edged Nismo (the Nissan Motorsports) version. And Nissan duly delivered it for the 2024 model year. The Z Nismo receives a massaged twin-turbo V6 pumping out 20 extra horsepower and 34 more lb-ft of torque. Nissan also threw in myriad upgrades such as wider rear wheels, grippier Dunlop tires, stabilizer bars and a revamped, firmer suspension.
We didn't get to test the Z Nismo on track due to scheduling conflicts. But we had two Gear Patrol staffers sample the car on extended home loans in the Detroit and New York City areas. And while it has some things going for it, it's a hard value proposition to justify.
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The 2024 Nissan Z Nismo: What We Think
Tyler Duffy
We love the idea of a harder-edged Nissan Z car ... on paper. And we concede that the Z Nismo is a looker. But it's hard to get over that $64,995 price point — a higher starting MSRP than the BMW M2 — and the absence of a manual transmission that would have made it more straightforwardly engaging.
The modifications may be significant improvements, and this may be the apotheosis of what Nissan can achieve (given budget constraints) with this Z car. But it's just hard to see what makes the value proposition worth it. We'd rather have the standard Z and $20,000-plus in the trunk.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
The Z Nismo is really, really damn pricey
Tyler Duffy
We don't normally begin car reviews talking price. But with the Z Nismo, that context is a lede we can't bury. The Nissan Z Nismo starts at $64,995. Tack on the destination charge and floor mats, and you’re at around $66,500.
In a Z context, the Z Nismo is $22,780 more than the base model Z and $12,780 more than the loaded Z Performance — figures that make you question whether there is the requisite amount of Nismo baked into the recipe to warrant that outlay.
All those cars set an incredibly high bar for performance, refinement and ability to transition to everyday driving. And at this price, it's more than fair to expect the Z Nismo to match them.
Nissan isn't offering a manual in the Z Nismo
Tyler Duffy
Sports cars must engage the driver; there's no point to them otherwise. Manual transmissions are more engaging than automatic transmissions. Yet the Z Nismo, a bit counterintuitively, only offers the Z's less-desirable 9-speed automatic transmission.
A Z fitted with an automatic is quicker on track, which is no shock in 2023. But the real reason Nissan can't offer it with a manual is that — even with five figures worth of upgrades — a standard automatic Z would be quicker than a manual Nismo.
I'm not a stick-shift absolutist. I think you can make the case that — especially with modern, probably over-powered performance cars — ripping through cogs on paddles like an F1 driver may be more fun than long-geared manuals you never shift into fourth while attacking a public road. And on my first drive in the Nismo, I was grateful not to have a stick when I was caught in stop-and-go traffic.
But for Nissan to win that argument, the automatic transmission needs to be really damn good, and the Z Nismo's is merely fine. It's not as surgical and crisp on the boil as the M2's ZF eight-speed box. Manually shifting with the paddles comes with a distinct lag at public road speeds.
The Z Nismo is smoother when you let the software do the work (albeit with a penchant for shoving you up to 9th gear the second you lift a touch off the throttle). But who wants to let the software do the work in a sports car?
The Nissan Z Nismo does look pretty sweet
Tyler Duffy
Looks are a major reason people buy sports cars, and the Z Nismo does deliver on that front. It retains the Z's classic silhouette. But a new, wider grille looks more natural than the squared-off one in the standard Z, and the red lipstick and lower bodywork add a bit of pizzazz.
I also think the two-tone paint — the only option unless you go black — looks great. However, I thought the "Stealth Grey" paint I had on the test car blended in a little too well with the Michigan fall weather. Go with red. Live a little.
But the Z Nismo is rather uncomfortable
Tyler Duffy
Taller drivers have noted issues with the regular Z, and my 6'4" colleague Will Sabel Courtney confirmed that the Z Nismo did not resolve them; even with the seat all the way back, he was close enough to the wheel to steer with his knees. Even at my (still a couple of inches above average) 5’11” stature, it was a squeeze getting in and out. I considered making my TikTok debut with a compendium of old man noises I made getting in and out of it over a week.
The sporty bucket seats are fairly comfortable — at least by sporty bucket seat standards. But the Z Nismo counters that with a seriously firm ride — particularly over Michigan or New York Coty roads — that can't really be mollified much with drive modes. The Z Nismo is the first car that has made me conscious of my nearly-40-year-old cheek fat being jostled. That wasn't a pleasant feeling.
And the Nissan Z Nismo isn't very practical
Tyler Duffy
Sports coupes don't need to be practical per se. But I found myself spending a lot of time looking at the Z Nismo ... as I walked on by to my VW for most of my weekly driving.
The lack of a back seat precluded using the car for kid pickups, drop-offs and sporting events. The cargo area isn't wholly useless — my carry-on suitcase from the airport fit without incident — but it's fairly close, due to its lack of vertical space. I had to do some reorganizing to fit even a moderate number of grocery bags in the slim space beneath the sloping roof.
Granted, the BMW M2 isn’t a bastion of sensibility. But little things like a practical trunk and rear seats just big enough to shoehorn a child into for a short ride make it far more useful.
And the Z Nismo didn't behave very nicely on wet pavement
Tyler Duffy
One of the key upgrades Nissan made with the Z Nismo was its shoes: it boasts super-grippy Dunlop SP Sport Maxx summer tires. In dry weather on backroads, they worked well; the Z Nismo clung to the road like lingering self-doubt from my teenage years in my thoughts. But things got harrier — for both of our test drivers — in wet weather.
My first drive in the Nissan Z was home from Detroit's Metro Airport. The rain was steady, but not monsoon-level. I entered the I-94 on-ramp, gave the Z Nismo some moderate throttle ... and had the back of the car cut loose, nearly sending me spinning into traffic. I drove the rest of the way with very soft inputs and eventually returned to normal breathing. My colleague Will Courtney had a similar experience on the FDR Drive in New York in damp conditions; a moderate throttle input for a highway overtake caused the rear end to cut loose in 15–20-degree swings.
(Nissan noted that the cars were likely on the same tires that put in some hard miles with car journalists on track, which could have played a role in the lack of grip.)
