Yahoo Autos Tested: 2023 Nissan Z Performance vs. 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1
If this was an '80s movie, the new kid, the 2023 Nissan Z, would spend the first half of the film getting pummeled by our bully, the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Then there would be a montage of the Z lifting weights, running, and doing high kicks—maybe while wearing a cropped sweatshirt and some wristbands—and at the end, it would come back and teach the Ford, and all of us, a lesson about perseverance in the face of adversity. That lesson will have to wait, because while the Z makes a valiant effort, there aren't enough terrycloth sweatbands in the world to help it beat out the muscular Mach 1's deft moves and deep-voiced soundtrack.
The Mustang is playing the role of the rich baddie in this story, and a look at the pricing shows the monetary gulf between the two. You can get an entry-level Z for $41,015, but a Mach 1 requires a minimum of $54,595. (A more egalitarian fight might be between the base Z and the $43,960 Mustang GT Premium.) Our test Nissan was the Performance model, which gets a host of worthwhile add-ons including better brakes, a limited-slip rear diff, shiny aluminum pedals, and wider performance tires. That bumps up the cost of the Z by about $10,000, and our car pushed it to $53,610 with illuminated door-sill plates, glowing two-tone black-and-candy-red paint, and floor mats. Our Mustang had the Mach 1 Handling package, which raised its price by $3750 but earned its keep with gloriously sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, a rear spoiler with a cute Gurney kickup, and adjustable strut mounts. It also wore snazzy red brake calipers, which added another $495 for a total of $60,740.
The Mach 1 and the Z really should be friends since they actually have a lot in common. Each can trace its lineage back to the same era (1969-70) and offers just enough throwback design cues to make it recognizable even to non-car people. There's a cliché among classic car folks that everyone has a Mustang story, and the same is true for the Z. Often, people had both, recalling fond times in several decades of Datsuns and Fords. In our modern versions, both cars sport six-speed manual transmissions and promise to make future fond memories with at least 400 horses under their long hoods. The Mustang's 5.0-liter V-8 pumps out 480 ponies along with 410 pound-feet of torque just above halfway up the tachometer. The Z claims exactly 400 horsepower from the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 with 350 pound-feet spread over a wide rev band from 1600 rpm to 5200 rpm.
The Stang dwarfs the Nissan in every dimension—including weight, where the Z is lighter by almost 300 pounds (3507 to the Mustang's 3793). It's also just over 16 inches shorter than the Mach 1 with a nearly seven-inch-shorter wheelbase. Set the two cars beside each other, and you can't even see the Z behind the Ford. This gives the Nissan an edge in the small daily challenges of parking and maneuvering, but the Mach 1 offers more room in the trunk, and it feels more planted and stable when the speedometer needle climbs and the road starts twisting.
2nd Place:
Nissan Z Performance
Highs: Quick off the line, pretty in a parking spot, a compliant road car.
Lows: Tires can't hold on, plasticky interior, miniscule cargo hold.
