Yahoo Autos 2024 Nissan Z NISMO Revealed with Extra HP, Ready for the Track
On Monday, July 31, Nissan revealed this track-focused NISMO variant of the Nissan Z, which slots in above the Z Performance.
With 420 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, the Z NISMO is the most powerful of the current Z cars.
There'll be no manual for NISMO, but a retuned nine-speed automatic transmission and a Track mode for faster shifts.
We saw it in spy shots wrapped in camo, and in a teaser video wreathed in tire smoke, but now Nissan has officially unveiled the 2024 Z NISMO. Like most performance variants, the NISMO treatment is focused on upgrades to the track-driving experience, both visually and mechanically.
The Z NISMO is a step up from the Nissan Z Performance trim. Where that model offers a limited-slip differential, bigger wheels and brakes, stiffer suspension, and better seats, the NISMO takes all that to the next level and adds in redesigned bodywork, stickier rubber, and more horsepower.
How Much More Power?
Let's start there. Under the hood, the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 gets a redesigned wastegate, better cooling, and performance-enhancing ignition timing, based off the GT-R NISMO. The results are 20 extra horses and 34 more pound-feet of torque over the standard Z. The Z NISMO makes 420 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, with peak torque from 2000 to 5200 rpm. The hotted-up engine gets a bigger oil cooler too, so you can use all that power on track for longer.
No Manual
The Z NISMO will only be available with the nine-speed automatic transmission, but it comes with NISMO-only clutch packs and retuned engine management software, so downshifts are nearly twice as fast and launch control is more aggressive at the start. There's also a Sport+ driving mode, designed to be quick enough on the downshifts that the driver needn't even use the shift paddles. Those do remain, though, for those who like to have something to do in the car.
The most obvious changes outside the car are where Nissan has extended the front fascia in a visual callback to the G-Nose on the Fairlady 240ZG. The new nose has a reworked grille opening filled with a fine honeycomb mesh to allow additional cooling for the engine. Just in case you might miss that extended spoiler, it's highlighted with a brash red line. The red stripe runs all the way to the back, and if that's not enough to clue you in that this is the top Z, NISMO badges and a black-painted roof make this version stand out.
