2023 Nissan Z review

Fear not, purists – turbocharging doesn’t spoil the Nissan Z experience

When the original Nissan S30 – sold here as the Datsun 240Z – hit Australia in 1970, the notion of a Japanese sports car was laughable. But the 240Z combined stunning looks reminiscent of a Jaguar E-Type with a 2.4-litre straight-six engine and a suspension setup that made those on most Aussie cars seem primitive. It would lay the groundwork for a 50-year string of successors, including the 260Z, 300ZX, 350Z, 370Z and now the Nissan Z.

What Nissan Z 2023 models are on offer in Australia?

There’s no snowstorm of models and options to negotiate – $73,300 buys the Z Coupé with either a six-speed manual or nine-speed auto transmission. The limited edition Z Proto ($80,700) sold out in Australia almost immediately.

How are the Nissan Z’s features?

Providing thrust is a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine, while in the cabin is a 12.3-inch driver display, eight-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, eight-speaker Bose audio, heated seats, a reversing camera and plenty of automated safety systems.
While the curved dashboard and centre console in the Nissan 370Z dated it like bell-bottomed jeans, the Z’s similarly proportioned cockpit has fuss-free styling, with an easy-to-use touchscreen, knobs and switches for air-con, volume control and so forth, and a manual handbrake.

How is the Nissan Z’s interior?

The upholstery in our test vehicle combined red-on-black leather and suede, which sounds gauche but is attractive and sporty.

The clustered taillights (a tip of the hat to the Z’s forebears) are both nostalgic and contemporary.

Nissan has resisted the temptation to add diminutive rear seats and this allows for a behind-seat storage shelf and a liftback boot that can accommodate hand luggage. Vision all around is unexpectedly good; even the narrow back window isn’t bad. The car’s flanks are so short the blind spot monitor is all but redundant.

How does the Nissan Z 2023 feel to drive?

The sports seats keep occupants secure without making it hard to breathe and the ride is surprisingly compliant.  A sudden dip or bump can catch out the suspension and the Z does get a tad fidgety on patched surfaces, but this is not a sports car that will turn your skeleton to dust on country roads. The only real cabin noise comes from some tyre roar courtesy of the 19-inch rims and low-profile tyres.

Tipping the scales at 1600kg, it has chubbed up compared to its predecessor yet it has a better power-to-weight ratio and somehow feels lighter. Attack a few corners and it’s clear the Z still benefits from the classic ‘driver’s car’ setup of engine at the front, drive at the rear, and a low centre of gravity.

How is the Nissan Z’s engine performance?

The 370Z’s naturally aspirated 3.7-litre V6 represented the vestiges of a motoring industry more concerned with engine performance than environmentalist apparatchiks and was renowned for its responsiveness.

Purists needn’t worry; the new 3.0-litre V6 is turbocharged but such is the thottle response you’d swear it wasn’t. The gearstick feels alive and the throw is light but pleasantly notchy as it slots into gear. Quiet and urbane during ordinary driving, it’s only when the Z accelerates onto a motorway that you realise a ferocious monster lurks under the bonnet. The Z doesn’t get shouty until it nears its 7000rpm redline and eschews the artificial blips and grumbles common to many modern performance cars.

Final thoughts on the Nissan Z 2023

Much like the 2015 Ford Mustang, the Nissan Z is a superb blend of good looks, performance and nostalgia for a pretty reasonable price. It’s a worthy entry in a long and storied lineage.