2024 Nissan Z Nismo First Drive Review: A Good Car With Multiple Asterisks

As a digital reflection of humanity as a whole, it's not surprising that the internet is full of people who can never seem to agree. What color was that dress really? Are you supposed to stand up or stay sitting when you wipe? How do you pronounce "gif?" Does pineapple belong on pizza? (Yes. Yes, it does.) Was the 2020 presidential election rigged? That sort of thing.

When it came to the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo, though, everybody seemed to be on the same page. Namely,

• A: It's a shame that the car is not being offered with a manual transmission.

• B: Its reported but now-official starting price of $66,085 is too damn high.

Going into driving the Nismo Z, I was ready to give Nissan the benefit of the doubt. And in a vacuum, the hotted-up Z is quite a good sports car. Unfortunately, though, the internet's initial complaints about it are indeed valid.

The Basics

Let's start with some positives, though. Right off the bat, the Nismo Z looks cooler than the regular Z. There's a pointier 240ZG-inspired "G-Nose" front end with a wider, less polarizing grille featuring what Nissan claims to be the thinnest honeycomb mesh in the company's history—bring that up at the next Nissan owner's meet and watch the Altima boys boil over with envy. Canards on all four corners and a more aggressive lip spoiler apparently add real downforce while a red lip wraps around the entire lower body to let people know this ain't no vanilla Z.

Inside, the engine start/stop button, drive mode toggle, and digital tach are now red while Alcantara covers the steering wheel and sportier Recaro bucket seats.

Under the hood sits the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that powers the base Z, but here it's making 420 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque, up 20 hp and 34 lb-ft thanks to increased boost pressure. Per Nissan, the physical turbos are the same as in the regular Z but software was tweaked to essentially let them spin faster while independent ignition-timing control tech lifted from the GT-R was used to optimize per-cylinder combustion.

Just like the normal Z, power travels exclusively to the rear wheels through a mechanical limited-slip differential, but, as mentioned, the Nismo Z is automatic only. No six-speed manual here; nine-speed auto or bust.

Samurai Stuff, IDK

Climbing in and setting off, the new Nismo Z immediately steers like a sharper, more aggressive machine than the regular Z. New 19-inch Rays forged aluminum wheels are wrapped in the same Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 rubber found on the GT-R, lending to crisper, more direct-feeling steering and, of course, better grip.

It's agile and lively and steers with an enjoyable eagerness that feels adequately analog. The way it changes direction isn't necessarily what I'd call immediate or darty, but it's fluid and swift. Meanwhile, a bunch of little chassis improvements have indeed made the whole thing feel more focused.

Reinforcements have been added to the front core support and rear floor. The engine sits on high rigidity mounts, the steering receives a more solid rack insulator, and Nismo-tuned suspension boasts higher spring rates and damper forces all around. There are stiffer compression and T/V bushings up front while an additional rebound spring was given to the rear. Lateral rigidity is up 12.2% while torsional rigidity increases by 2.5%. This all results in a tangibly tighter, more serious-feeling vehicle not just in terms of ride but also in how it carries itself through undulating corners and elevation changes.

Thankfully, it isn't uncomfortable. The regular Z was already grand tourer-level comfy and while the Nismo's enhancements do move it closer to the sports car side of things, it isn't untenable at all as a potential daily driver.

The brakes are a Nismo component rocking bigger 15-inch front rotors with beefier calipers and different pad material. The upgrade here is also very evident, as the Nismo's left pedal responds with the immediacy and precision of a proper athlete without being overly twitchy or grabby. Very nice stoppers.