Not quite…not yet, anyway, but Nissan’s Z is one of the few pure sports cars available these days….and even fewer are still available with a manual transmission.
We’re talking about “Sports Cars,”…not sporty cars or sport hatchbacks…but good old-fashioned two-seat genuine sports cars. No blurred lines with this one…the Z is all about performance. And even more so with the 6-speed manual we drove for a week.
Nissan gave their Z a bit of a makeover last year. The result? A vehicle that’ll make you wish you belonged to one of those private race-track country clubs.
Yes… it’s that good. As you’d expect, we’ll start with the engine. Today’s 400 HP twin-turbo punches out 68 more HP than the previous version…and packs a solid 350 cu ft of torque, too…another big increase. The result? 0-60 times somewhere around 4.5 seconds. Acceleration like that will have you keeping up with names that are priced well into six figures.
On the other hand, Nissan’s Z starts at $39,990…and tops out in the low to mid $ 50’s. And there’s no extra charge to choose your
transmission…either a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed auto.
You’ll pretty much get everything that the average enthusiast needs in the base “Sport” version, including aluminum doors, hood and hatch…even a carbon fiber driveshaft if you choose the manual. For ten thousand more, Nissan’s “Performance” Z puts a little more frosting on the cake.
You’ll have 19” RAYS forged alloys vs. 18’s, plus limited slip, Akebono 4-piston front calipers with 14” rotors, front and rear spoilers, Bose premium audio that can muffle or enhance the sound coming out of those two big pipes in the rear, front and rear sonar, heated faux suede seating, heated mirrors, performance rubber, and rev-matching that blips the throttle automatically for you when downshifting…making you look like quite the professional track veteran.
It’s kinda hard to believe, but Z’s have been on the road for 53 years now…with early models already in auto museums. I hope it’s still a few years down the road before government mandates relegate all vehicles like this ’23 Nissan Z to the museum.
