When I was a kid, a teacher at my high school had a Nissan 300 ZX and we all wondered "how he made his money." Maybe he was a former finance bro who found life more meaningful when it was shaping young minds? We never found out, but that car never left my soul. It did, however, leave the roads, until a few short years ago. Nissan went the Hollywood route by reviving a trusted nameplate, leaning hard into the retro vibes. And for a Dad whose playlist went from featuring Metallica to belting Moana, the retro grab is a solid move. Packing 420 horses into a twin-turbo V6, rear-wheel-drive, sports car draped in nostalgia sounds like a no-brainer. Then, dial it up into the "is this a baby GTR" Nismo trim, and it's even better. But it costs $70,000. That's right. You could get a new 'Vette, BMW M2, or nearly a Cayman. So would Dad Drive the 2025 Nissan Z Nismo? Depends.Quick Links Exterior Design: The 2025 Nissan Z Nismo Turns Heads Without Shouting Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet Let’s get the obvious out of the way: the 2025 Z Nismo is dripppppping in retro, and in all the best ways. From the long front hood, the short, quick roof, to the slit-y taillights, it carries over all the design pieces from the Zs of yore. Thankfully, it's not some overly loud, overstickered tuner car from your Fast & Furious days. That said, the Nismo styling dials up the visuals and angles. It also tosses in some graphics and logos.Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet Nismo-exclusive elements like a front and rear fascia, side sills, and a rear spoiler look to justify the cost and turn your old-man head. There is a lower red lip accent that runs from the front diffuser around below the doors and all the way to the back connecting above the dual exhaust. The larger rear spoiler adds downforce and elevates the Z from the base to this race-ready version. Oh, and the 19-inch RAYS forged alloys are sharp and look fantastic. The 2025 Nissan Z Nismo might not be the best ride for date night or to pick up an exclusive client at work. BUT if it's just you and the boys (or teenager), let er rip!Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet Interior Comfort and Tech: A Sports Car Cabin That Respects Your Back and Your Bluetooth Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / ValnetThis is a track-focused, back-road ripper, made to clear your mind between work and home.Stepping inside...or rather hunching over back-side first as you slouch into the stiff race seats, then lower your head slowly so as to not give yourself a concussion on the way to get groceries, the Z Nismo shows its cards. This sports car is focused on one thing: going fast. That's not to say the interior isn't comfortable. It has some really nice Nismo-exclusive touches like Alcantara and leather on the steering wheel with a red leather stripe at the 12' O-clock. You'll also notice the Recarro race seats, and Nismo-styled displays on the 12.3" digital dash. I love that Nissan throws in a manual hand brake, justttt in case you find a wide turn and some room to break the rear end loose. Storage is small at 6.9 cubic feet, and it's an open-style trunk so there is the chance that bags could shift and slide forward. There is a small center console and one cupholder, but Nissan didn't have much to work with. This is a track-focused, back-road ripper, made to clear your mind between work and home. Or even take to your local track.Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet And it's worth shouting out the Nissan's Dad-gineers for giving old-school rotary dials for climate control and physical buttons for the media. The 2025 Nissan Z Nismo offers a 9" slanted touchscreen to make viewing easier. That's something my glasses-needing eyes appreciated. It's large enough to display Apple CarPlay and the Bose system is perfect for your "best of" Limp Bizkit playlist. There are also paddle shifters, three retro analog gauges on top of the dash, and a thoughtful knee pad on the center console tunnel to help keep you comfortable sliding around the twisties! Anything to help our Dad knees!Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet Overall, the interior is definitely more on the stiff side, mixed with the upgraded Nismo suspension, and you might want some gift cards from your chiropractor. Certainly, all sports cars are made to be a little more firm--that's what helps with grip. But even in some of the ones I've tested like the 2025 BMW M3 Competition, there was enough give and adjustment to the dampers to accommodate longer trips. That's not the case here.Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet Performance and Driving Experience: The 2025 Z Nismo is Dad-Approved Dynamite Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet Like your teen who launches into a 45-minute retelling of story, just to finally get to the bit about, "so that's why I'll need a ride to school in the morning." I'm sorry for burrying the lead. The entire reason for buying the 2025 Nissan Z Nismo is to drive it. And man, it's fun to drive. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 brings 420 horses to the table in a car that weighs around 3,700 lbs. For comparison, the 2025 Porsche 911 (truly a Dad ride)weighs about 300 lbs less, BUT also has about 40 horses less as well. Yes, this Nismo adds 20 horses over the standard Z and elevates it past the lauded German icon at about $50,000 less of your hard-earned dollars.Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet For all the things that might have annoyed you about the exterior, or interior, one open stretch of freeway or long straight will absolutely cover those wrongs in pure happiness. The engine sounds wonderful with a consistent hum/growl, mixed with some turbo dumps (light). It had me driving with the windows down and the stereo off.Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet But, Dad, I need to call a family meeting. There isn't a manual option, and to me this is a big miss. The enthusiast Dad who remembers this car from the 90s, also probably drove a stick shift at some point. I guess, I'm saying there is a connection to the vehicle that is lacking here. And the naysayers will decry "not even the base model Porsche 911 can be had as a manual." True. BUT that's a double-clutch transmission. This is not. The nine-speeds help get this moving quickly and robots can shift faster, but I still want the manual for this type of experience.Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet However, once you get past that and decide that paddle shifters will work fine enough, you can control the revs up to about 7,000 RPM and it just sings. What a feeling in Sport + letting the tail wag a little, and helping you make that turn a little quicker. The Nismo trim upgrades nearly everything on the car. Nissan gives you better brakes and calipers, the RAYS forged aluminum wheels, better suspension, stiffer spring rate, unique stabilizer bars, a limited slip diff, and retuned dampers to accommodate the larger rear tires. It's bascially not a Z anymore...it's a Nismo. What Else Can I Pick? Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / ValnetToyota GR Supra 3.0 – A smooth straight-six, great dynamics, and head-turning looks. Ford Mustang Dark Horse – Muscle car flavor with a dash of tech and V8 thunder. BMW M240i xDrive – All-wheel grip, Bavarian flair, and sneaky speed. Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE – A track weapon with a brawny V8, if you can deal with the visibility. Conclusion: Dad Dreams Can Come True And The 2025 Nissan Z Nismo Is A Perfect Example Source: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet The 2025 Z Nismo may not have room for five or get 40 MPG, but what it does have is heart. It’s a sports car for a grown man—a guy who’s earned his stripes and his stretch marks but still craves a taste of what made him fall in love with driving in the first place. At $70,000, you need to be a real enthusiast, but if that's you, meet your childhood. It's the reasonable move when looking for a mid-life crisis mobile, but not looking to be kicked out of your family. And it has something I appreciate more and more as I get older: legacy. That said, my move might be to get a lesser trim and buy some upgrades. Just make sure you also have a proper SUV to carry the family around...you know, like the 729-horsepower Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-hybrid.
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