Yahoo Autos 2024 Nismo Z Adds Horsepower, Subtracts Manual Option
Nissan's stylish new Z stands out by offering an excellent analog sports car experience at a reasonable price. A higher-performance variant, the newly-announced Nismo Z, is here to crank up the car's capability on track. Unfortunately, that capability is not offered with the base car's six-speed manual.
The latest Nismo Z is more powerful, more stiff, and altogether more prepared for serious track time than the standard model. The headlining change is an additional 20 hp and 34 lb-ft of torque from the same 3.0-liter V-6, thanks to changes to the cooling system, boost pressure, and spark timing. That pairs with handling changes, thanks to Nismo-specific stabilizer bars, stiffer spring rates, and larger dampers. Nissan also says that additional bracing has increased torsional rigidity by 2.5 percent over standard Z variants, plus a more aggressive standard Dunlop tire.
Those changes contribute to a goal of what Nissan calls "one-shot" steering, a combination of total grip and feel for the car that would allow a driver to confidently pick their line into a corner and hold it. To keep the car on track longer, Nissan also bulked up the car's engine oil cooling capabilities, installed larger 15-inch front brake rotors, and added an adjusted brake pad compound.
As a leaked order sheet suggested last month, all of those performance upgrades cannot be paired with the Z's standard manual transmission. Only the nine-speed automatic is offered with the Nismo Z, although it comes with a few benefits not available to Z buyers that option the auto on the other trim levels. Nissan says that revised clutch packs speed up shift times, reducing downshift time by nearly half. Although manual gear selection is available with wheel-mounted paddles, a new Sport+ transmission setting is designed to be aggressive and responsive enough to stay satisfying on track without actively shifting. The launch control system also offers more aggressive standing starts on the Nismo variant.
Visually, the Nismo Z is substantially more aggressive than its basic counterpart. A nose inspired by the homologation-focused Fairlady 240ZG reaches further forward and leaves room for front canards that direct airflow over the adjacent wheels. A red accent line along the car's nose stretches along the side skirts to the exhaust exits, which sit below a more aggressive rear spoiler. The existing roofline accent is finished in a unique dark metallic texture.
Inside, red accents matching the bottom stripe can be found on the start/stop button, drive mode selection button, digital dashboard tachometer display, unique-to-Nismo steering wheel, and Recaro seats. All of those accents, along with a black roof and gloss black wheels, are the same in all five of the Nismo Z's launch colors of black, silver, white, red, and the Nismo-specific Stealth Grey.
The base Z stands out on analog feel both on its own and in comparison to some of its most notable competition. Those solid first impressions meant high expectations for the higher-performance Nismo variant. While the car is certainly more prepared for both track use and on-track performance, the choice to restrict the car to an automatic transmission does take away a major portion of what made the Z so appealing in the first place. Pricing for the Nismo Z has not been announced yet, but the base Z currently starts at $40,990.
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