2024 Nissan Z NISMO Is a Big Ask

Lukewarm feelings about our experience behind the wheel of the latest Nissan Z-car left us anxiously awaiting the track-oriented model wearing the vaunted NISMO badge. That car has finally arrived in the form of the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO, but the automaker is asking for a couple of big concessions if you want to snag one of your own. Depending on the sting of inflation and your preferences as a driver, they might be deal breakers.

That said, Nissan’s go-fast division has significantly upped the Z’s game over the heretofore top-level Performance model. Underfloor chassis braces add noticeable rigidity to the NISMO’s structure, while firmer bushings, larger passive dampers, and stiffer springs and anti-roll bars discipline its body motions and sharpen its reflexes. Larger 15.0-inch front brake rotors with four-piston calipers (13.8-inch, two-piston rear units carry over from the Performance trim) bring greater security in braking zones. Wider 19-inch Rays forged aluminum wheels wrapped with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 summer tires (sized 255/40R-19 in front, 285/35R-19 in back) greatly increase overall stick.

Countering the 100 or so pounds of extra mass those upgrades bring is a hotter tune for the Z’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, now rated at 420 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque, gains of 20 horses and 34 lb-ft. Increased cooling capacity, including a larger engine-oil chiller, should help protect the engine and drivetrain during the track days this car was designed for. Which brings us to issue number one: NISMO engineers opted for a beefed-up version of the Z’s nine-speed automatic transmission, rather than its six-speed manual, because it’s simply the quicker way around a racetrack. That may be true, and this two-pedal ‘box does display impressively snappy and well-orchestrated shifts via a new Sport+ drive mode. But this misses the point of a driver’s car. With only steering-wheel paddles and an electronic shift dongle on the console to busy ourselves with, our attention often drifted to the antiquity of the Z-car’s switchgear.

Still, back-to-back laps of the Performance model and the Z NISMO revealed the latter to be vastly better at instilling confidence. While forward thrust feels about the same (figure on getting to 60 mph in the low-four-second range), the new car’s steering responses are crisper, its cornering attitude is more stable, and it hangs on in turns with a tenacity its lesser kin lacks. Combine all of that with revised stability- and launch-control programming, and exploring this car’s limits is a breeze. Surprisingly, the civilized demeanor extends to the street, where a reasonably compliant ride, more relaxed Standard and Sport modes, and embracing support from the model-specific Recaro seats had us marveling at the car’s dual-natured temperament. You could drive this thing daily.

The Z’s aerodynamics, and arguably its aesthetics, benefit from the NISMO’s aggressive bumpers, rocker-panel extensions, and slightly taller rear spoiler. Color choices are limited to black, white, red, silver, and a model-exclusive Stealth Grey, but you can’t delete the ankle-height red stripe that rings the body and kills some of the retro vibe. Inside, more scarlet touches grace the seats and the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, with bits of dark microfiber thrown in on the steering wheel and elsewhere for good measure.

Yet the root of the Z NISMO’s rub is its starting price, which at $66,085 is some $12,780 higher than the Performance model’s. It’s also a bigger outlay than what a BMW M2 or a Ford Mustang Dark Horse demands, and not far below the ask of a Chevy Corvette Stingray or a Porsche 718 Cayman. Nissan says it hasn’t ruled out a manual version if customer demand is sufficient, but even then this might be a tough sell.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com