Nissan Z 2023 review

There’s a very good reason why Nissan has managed to build its own new Z, and that’s because there’s a lot of the old 370Z and even 350Z under the skin, and a lot of the features that make it new have been borrowed from other Nissan models.

It’s hard to believe two decades have passed since Nissan’s iconic FM platform first appeared, which aside from 350Z and 370Z has underpinned models as diverse as the last two generations of Skyline, the final Stagea, most Infiniti models that came to Australia, and also spawned the E51 ElGrand people mover and R35 GT-R.

The Z’s particularly close relationship with the 370Z is evident in its RZ34 model code, adding just the R prefix to the latter’s Z34 designation. 

Nissan describes the Z’s design philosophy as retro-modern.

The 2,550mm wheelbase that places the occupants just ahead of the rear axle, as per the original 240Z, is carried over, as are the body hard points and glasswork. But all the sheetmetal except for the roof is new. 

The engine - first seen in the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport -  improves power-to-weight by almost 13 per cent over the 370Z. But the new Z is no lightweight at 1600kg, and the auto is another 33kg heavier.

Nissan describes the Z’s design philosophy as retro-modern, with hints of the original 240Z in the bonnet, headlights and overall profile, and the final 300ZX in the tail-light details.

The 2,550mm wheelbase places the occupants just ahead of the rear axle.

Inside, there’s a similar sense of deja vu, but it’s mostly new at surface level, and the material quality and most of the convenience features are a big jump over the 370Z.

The steering wheel finally has telescopic adjustment, but it’s also a good, round wheel, with really nice grippy leather, and the parts you hold were actually modelled on the R32 GT-R…

Other cool details include new 19x9.5 (front) and 19x10 (rear) RAYS forged alloy wheels which have grown half an inch up front over 370Z, while Akebono 4-piston front brakes over 355mm rotors and 2-piston rear brakes over 350mm rotors seem to carry over from the 370Z Sport package. A mechanical clutch-type limited slip diff was chosen for refined road use.

The Z wears 19-inch alloy wheels.

You might think Nissan would be even more likely than Toyota to borrow parts from other brands - see Subaru for the GR86 and BMW for the Supra - given its many cousins across the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. But none of them have an appropriate front-engined rear-drive platform at the ready. 

Even if they did, it’s unlikely a cross-pollinated parts-sharing outcome could be developed anywhere near as cheaply as the new Z. Such commonality with the 370Z - right down to the Tochigi factory which was already tooled up - was essential to getting off the ground in the first place. 

That first place, as described by Nissan Z and GT-R global brand ambassador Hiroshi Tamura, was via a hand-written memo in 2017 submitted to his boss’s boss. It posed the suggestion it was time to consider a replacement for 370Z (yes, nine years later!), as sales had slowed and its looks were dating.

Tamura-san proposed an exterior update with partial interior change, improved performance with more than 400hp (298kW, up from 370Z’s 245), but acknowledged that meeting emission and noise requirements would be a challenge.

The Z's tail-lights are inspired by the ones fitted to the final 300ZX.

The end result is strikingly close to this original idea but produces exactly 298kW, which Tamura-san explained is Nissan’s current engineering limit for two-wheel-drive cars, based on 150kW per road-spec tyre. Incidentally, Tamura-san points out that this was the limit for slick race tyres 30 years ago, which says a lot about advancement in tyre technology.

In this case, they’re 255/40R19 (front) and 275/35R19 (rear) Bridgestone Potenza S007 tyres, which are 10mm wider up front than with 370Z. 

It’s clear the new Z is not all-new, despite Nissan’s press material claiming as much. But that’s okay, because the new Z wouldn’t exist otherwise.

Nissan’s engineering philosophy for the Z was for it to be more ‘dance partner’ than outright performer, which sounds a lot like Mazda’s Jinba Ittai horse and rider relationship. This is distinct from Toyota’s Waku Doki, the Japanese expression for ‘heart pumping, adrenaline racing’.

This is a two-seat car, so it’s not going to suit most families, but it’s still important to think of the needs of the two people on board.

You’d hope the interior design was a big jump over the 370Z, and while it’s great that it’s finally got a modern multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it’s only an 8.0-inch screen, which isn’t big in 2022. 

Inside is a 8.0-inch multimedia screen, which features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

For some reason Nissan hasn’t managed to integrate the climate control with this screen, or any digital display for that matter, so you’ve got to take your eyes off the wheel to read the tiny labels on the control knobs. Incidentally, these controls aren’t carried over from 370Z, so it’s not age to blame. You’d probably get used to it, but it’d take some getting used to.

Back on the plus side of the ledger, the new Z has both USB-A and USB-C charge points, and finally has two cupholders in the centre console. The second has been added beneath the lid of the console bin.

The bottle holder in each door isn’t great though, with little support. The 500ml bottles we were trying to carry had a habit of falling onto the floor as soon as you start to enjoy the Z’s performance.

Unlike most two seaters, The Z can be fitted with a child seat on the passenger side.

One great place to store stuff when you’re going fast is behind the seats, matching the 370Z’s cubby holes on either side with enough room for a laptop bag.

Now, I did say the Z won’t suit most families, but unlike most two seaters, it can actually carry a child seat on the passenger side - if you need to -  because it’s got ISOFIX and top tether mounts and the passenger airbag can be disengaged.

And then under the hatch is very familiar, with a reasonable 241-litre (VDA) boot space now six litres larger. This is enough for a weekend away for two, and there’s a tyre inflation kit and a subwoofer sitting under the boot floor.

Boot space is rated at 241 litres (VDA).

Yay, the new Z has a new engine, except it’s not really new. We saw the same 298kW/475Nm VR30DDTT twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol V6 in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 Red Sport as much as six years ago. 

But that doesn’t matter, because it’s 53kW and 112Nm stronger than the naturally aspirated 370Z and as mentioned before, it’s bang on what Nissan reckons modern road tyres can handle. It’s also got launch control to make the most of them.

The twin-turbo V6 produces 298kW/475Nm.

Despite the Z outputs matching the Infiniti models, it’s not a direct carryover, with Nissan adding a recirculation valve to the cool side of the turbo tracts to improve throttle response. 

Nissan isn’t quoting performance figures aside from the 13 per cent improved power to weight ratio, but we're still rejoicing that the six speed manual remains, and it's expected to be chosen by 40 per cent of Z buyers in the long run.

The Z comes with either a six-speed manual or nine-speed auto.

It's pretty much carried over from the 370Z, but modified for extra strength and improved shift feel.

The automatic no-cost option (!!) is a bigger story though, upgrading to a nine-speed unit which is related to the one found in numerous Mercedes-Benz models, and also sees duty in the Nissan Titan truck in the US.

If an automatic Nissan Z sounds sacrilegious to you, skip through to the Driving section as there’s more to that story.

This is a 1600kg performance coupe with a 3.0 litre V6, two turbos and makes 298kW, so it was never going to be particularly frugal. 

On the official combined cycle, the manual is rated at 10.8L/100km and the auto is a full litre better at 9.8L/100km, which are some way beyond the 7.7L/100km stated for the similarly engined automatic Supra. And you’ll need to fill the Z with top-shelf 98 RON premium.

With a 62-litre fuel tank, this suggests a theoretical driving range of 574km for the manual and 632km for the auto between fills.

Usually I’d raise both eyebrows when a new model jumps more than $20,000 in price, but the new Z’s engine, features list and safety gains dull that blow significantly. And, it’s about $13,000 cheaper than the cheapest version of the Supra. 

The $73,300 list price is for the regular Z Coupe, with the $80,700 Proto launch edition ironically sold out before launch. Fear not though, you can still get Ikazuchi Yellow if you want to look like a Proto, or choose from another eight colours. Six of the colour options are paired with a black roof.

With the Proto lanuch edition sold out, the Z is available in a single spec level and is priced at $73,300.

As I mentioned under Practicality, the Z finally gets a modern multimedia screen with CarPlay and Android Auto, and while that screen is a bit small at 8.0 inches, the 12.3-inch driver instrument display is bang on what you’d expect it to be. 

There’s also an eight-speaker Bose audio system, leather and Alcantara trim, power adjustment and seat heaters, but no seat cooling, and that’s really the only thing that’s missing.

A handful of 370z interior bits and pieces have carried over to the Z.

My first impression of the new Z reiterates that it's not an all-new car. The last one felt like a flashback to 2008 when you drove it, and the new one really only feels marginally refreshed.

But that’s not a bad thing, the last Z was still a pretty awesome driver’s car right to the very end.  

The manual Z makes you work for the performance.

That new engine is the headline act, and even though it’s now got two turbos the power builds progressively, which is great for making life relatively easy on those rear tyres, and takes the fear factor out of driving on patchy surfaces. 

Considering it inherited an Infiniti engine, there was a risk it would score Infiniti steering along with it, which would have been very bad news. Thankfully, it's wound up with a new electric setup, which feels just fine, and loads up nicely when you're going fast.

Driving the 370z felt like a flashback to 2008 and the Z only feels marginally refreshed.

One thing I was hoping they’d change is the seat height, which still feels a bit high for a car that’s all about driving fun, but it’s not a deal breaker.

The manual is easily the most rewarding to drive, as it makes you work for the performance and feel like you’re part of the equation, but hop in the auto and all of a sudden it feels like a much more modern car. 

The Z has a new electric steering setup.

It pains me to say this, but the auto is actually pretty good, making it very easy to go pretty fast, and with a flick of a button into Sport mode it changes personality big time, holding gears longer, and downshifting proactively under brakes so you’re ready to punch out of corners.

In a nutshell, I think the manual is a better Z, but the auto is a better car. If you’re tossing up between the two, please try and test drive both.

Safety wise, the new Z  gets a big boost over the outgoing car, with adaptive cruise control, AEB with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, rear cross traffic alert and lane departure warning for the first time.

Nissan describes its AEB system as Intelligent Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, which operates from 5km/h (10-60km/h for pedestrians). There’s no upper limit stated, so let’s call it 5km/h to at least 60km/h overall.

Unlike Subaru and the new Toyota GR86, you don’t lose the most important active safety gear by choosing the manual. Good onya Nissan, and take note everyone else.

The new Z is yet to be rated by ANCAP.

The airbag count is unchanged over 370Z, which entails dual front, side and curtain units, but there’s no knee bags or centre airbag as we’re starting to see on new models, the latter of which is generally essential for achieving a five star rating.

The new Z is yet to be rated by ANCAP, and don't hold your breath because the 370Z never was, but the new model ticks all the important boxes for active and passive safety features, at least.

Nothing too exciting here, but nothing disappointing either. 

Like all Nissans, the new Z comes with the industry standard five year, unlimited kilometre warranty, but impressively includes roadside assistance for the duration.

It also comes with six years of capped price servicing, which is reasonably priced for such a performance car and significantly cheaper than the 370Z it replaces despite moving to a more complicated engine. 

With pretty convenient service intervals of 12m/10,000km, the totals over six years/services tally $2,965 for the manual and $2,984 for the auto, compared with the $5,133 of the 370Z.