The new Nissan Z won’t match the impact of the original Datsun 240Z. It can’t. When the first of these heritage-inspired machines roll off the dealership lot, they’ll find themselves pulling up alongside electric sedans and crossovers easily capable of out-warping them down the drag strip. Time has moved on, and the Z arrives like a black-and-white Akira Kurosawa movie about samurai. Today’s audiences want light-sabers.
Nissan’s latest sports car wanders into town wielding old ideas matched to an aging chassis. No hybrid. No torque-vectoring differentials. Closest you’re gonna get to electrification in this thing is the standard plug-in block heater. But here’s the rub: have you ever watched Yojimbo, or Seven Samurai, or Rashomon? Because those ideas aren’t old. They’re timeless.
Tucked in behind a front end designed to ape the 1972 Fuji Grand Championship-winning Fairlady 240ZG, a new twin-turbo V6 is the heart transplant that gives this Z a fighting chance. The ‘6 has the same 3.0L displacement as the bigger engine you get in the Supra, but slightly bests the Toyota’s straight-six with an honest 400 hp.
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
But with great power comes great, uh, weight. Anyone complaining about the lack of turbocharging in the Toyota GR86 should take a good hard look at what the intercoolers, turbos, and associated plumbing and cooling does to the new Z over the old 370Z. Base model to base model, there’s an increase of 70 kg. Performance models equipped with the standard manual transmission tip the scales at above 1,600 kg. The new nine-speed automatic is 30 kg heavier.
However, the holy invocation, “standard manual transmission,” has just been uttered, and hallowed be Our Lady Of Blessed Acceleration. In a world, as the movie trailers voiceover says, where mankind has abandoned the stickshift, here comes Nissan with a row-your-own gearbox attached to four-hundred horsepower worth of eventually paying for your local tire shop to put three new espresso-makers in its waiting room. Even better, the public appears to be responding — Nissan says fully 70 per cent of Canadian pre-orders for the new Z are for the six-speed manual version.
None of those owners will be disappointed, and neither will those who order the nine-speed automatic. The latter is perhaps less quick-witted than the dual-clutch transmissions you might find in other sports cars, but it does a good job of holding revs in the sportier of the two drive modes. Responses to the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters are quick enough, but the auto is still engaging when left to its own devices.
The Z is, at heart, a simple car. While torsional stiffness is up by about 10 per cent, the chassis is near-identical to the outgoing 370Z, its underpinnings dating back to 2009. Options for the traction control are either “on” or “off.” The upgraded brake option is a four-piston caliper with 355-mm rotors up front, and two-piston 350-mm units in the rear; those are the same brakes on the Nismo variant of the outgoing 370Z. Added grip comes from fitting bigger tires, with Performance models getting 19-inch forged wheels with 255-mm-section front tires, 275 mm out back. More positive caster has been added for heavier steering feel and better high-speed stability.
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
On a short-track course, braking seemed up to the challenge, but given the weight of this car, anyone looking at dedicated track use should start exploring more heat-resistant braking setups. Nissan accessory division will offer a pad upgrade, and given the Z’s similarities with the 370Z, aftermarket support should be huge.
The track is not really where the Z shines, it’s out on the road. Again, the automatic version is no slouch here, and doesn’t blunt the enjoyment. The manual, on the other hand, is an absolute charmer.
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
The Z might look a bit like a modernized 240Z, but it drives like a reborn 300ZX twin-turbo. Torque comes on in a rush from 1,600 to 5,200 rpm, but peak power is still high enough (6,500 rpm) to make it worth the wringing out to red line (7,000 rpm). That red-line indicator is clocked at high noon, and it’s endless fun to watch the needle sweep into your eyeline as the shift indicator counts down from green to red. Just watch your speed, because this car pulls like a freight train in the mid-range. The weight blunts a little off-the-line performance and means the Supra will likely take zero-to-100-km/h bragging rights, but the Z will chirp its rear tires on a quick-shift into third gear, and surges on turbocharged boost from 2,500 rpm.
Handling is more about outright grip than nimbleness in quick transitions, but this is a predictable and confidence-inspiring car. Ride quality is reasonable, less jouncy than the 370Z thanks to new monotube dampers, and the car doesn’t get twitchy over bumpy pavement. Some patience is required in getting the power down as there’s so much torque, but that just makes for an involving drive.
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
Some mention should be made of interior improvements. If Nissan hasn’t quite transformed the Z into an iPad, upgrades take it from the 370Z’s Speak & Spell grade infotainment to an acceptably modern look. All Canadian models will have to make do with an 8-inch central screen and no onboard navigation, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. Driver assists such as forward collision warning and blind-spot assist are also standard.
The best news is the pricing, which starts at $46,498 for the entry-level sport model. As a bang-for-your-buck proposition, this level of Z undercuts a four-cylinder Mustang when the Ford has a few option boxes ticked. It’s also $10,000 less than a four-cylinder Supra.
2023 Nissan Z Photo by Brendan McAleer
Less of a bargain are the Performance-model Zs, which come with huge price jump. Still, $58,495 for a manual-transmission Performance model with a mechanical limited-slip differential, forged 19-inch wheels, and a host of audio and convenience upgrades is again $10,000 less than an equivalent six-cylinder Supra.
The new Z is not quite the bargain the 240Z was when it came out, nor is it quite the cutting-edge powerhouse the 300ZX was in its day. Instead, it’s a sort of blend of Nissan Z greatest hits, a sprinkling of sports-car magic from various generations.
Precisely because it is not trying to be a car of its moment, the Z manages to pull off the hardest trick of them all. It arrives already a classic, a brand-new sports car of the old school. You can keep your space wizards with silly names. The Z arrives like Toshiro Mifune stalking into a village, battle-tempered and leonine. Aging, yes, but still carrying steel.
Keyword: First Drive: 2023 Nissan Z