2023 Nissan Z

MARK TAKAHASHI: The Z cars from Nissan and Datsun have a special place in automotive history. Some consider the original 240Z one of the first affordable sports cars. And here we are more than half a century later and we've got a new Z-- Kind of. Why kind of? Well, this is the new 2023 Nissan Z. And, no, it's just called a Z, no more numbers. It uses the same chassis as its predecessor, which was last redesigned in 2009. Nissan does say that almost 80% of the car is all new, though. But that has me wondering if this new Z is good enough to outrun its recent past. Before I answer that, do us a favor and hit the Like and Subscribe buttons below. And head to edmunds.com/sellmycar to get a cash offer on your vehicle. While we like the last generation 370Z for its precise steering and handling, it got dinged pretty hard by the amount of noise it produced and it's jumpy and twitchy behavior when you want to drive smoothly. It also had big blind spots and the lack of common features in the base model. Before we get around to finding out if these have been addressed, let's dive into the specs. Under the hood is a twin-turbo V6 that's good for 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. It's the same engine in the INFINITI Q50 and Q60 Red Sport. You have the choice of a six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic transmission that drives the rear wheels only. When it goes on sale in the summer, there will be two Z trims to choose from-- the sport and performance. The sport starts right around $40,000, while the performance jumps to about $50,000. Unlike the last Z, these will all come with a decent list of safety features that include adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation, as well as lane departure, and blind spot warnings. Upgrade to the performance trim and you get bigger wheels, upgraded brakes, a rear spoiler, a mechanical differential, a sport exhaust, and some convenience and interior upgrades. There is also a limited edition proto spec that's based on the performance model but with some aesthetic upgrades. It's limited to 240 units and will cost right around $54,000. Now, if you've watched my video on design hits and misses, you might already know how I feel about the styling of the Z. There are some good, there's some not so good. And you can check it out for yourself in the link below. How does this all add up? Well, let's hit the road to find out. But let's start with the racetrack first, shall we? [MUSIC PLAYING] All right, so what I'm in now is the base model Sport Z. Let's see what $40,000 could get you these days. [CAR ENGINE REVVING] That was pretty decent. Hit 79 miles an hour, according to the speedometer at the end of those cones. It's impressive. This doesn't have launch control. It was just kind of working the clutch, trying to get the right amount of slippage, and it was pretty easy. It's a little bit of squirreliness in the rear tires, going a little side to side, but nothing dramatic. It's really easy to keep it on track. That was impressive, but I need to try that performance because that has the automatic with launch control. [MUSIC PLAYING] All right, so here we go with launch control. Both paddles in, foot on the brake, full throttle. [CAR ENGINE REVVING] Woo! Yeah, it's a really good launch, just the right amount of wheel spin, start crabbing just a little bit in the rear, but really easy to control. Certainly going to keep you from crashing when you're leaving your local cars and coffee. [MUSIC PLAYING] It's pretty easy to modulate that clutch. It's nice and progressive. There's no surprises there. And the power delivery is also nice, and smooth, and predictable. Now, I can already tell that I already have a complaint and that's road noise. There's quite a bit of road noise. And it obviously varies a lot on the surface you're on, right now I'm on a moderately coarse asphalt. But it is pretty intrusive and that is actually something that I complained on the last 370Z as well. Now, I realize that this is a sports car and you do have to make some concessions to comfort and especially when it comes to noise, vibration, and harshness. But that said, this is quite a bit louder than almost any other sports car out there that I know of, even maybe the Miata with the top up. So if there's a lot of long distance road trips in your future, maybe this isn't the best choice because all that noise will fatigue you after a couple hours. Then, again, you could just blast the stereo and enjoy yourself. It looks like we're getting into some twisty areas here. I touched on the clutch just earlier, but let's talk about the shifter itself. It's nice and notchy. The throw is relatively short and the automatic rev matching is pretty much perfect. You really just slam it into that next lowest gear and dump the clutch. There's not a lot of thought required. Now, I am one of those weirdos who likes hill towing and blipping that throw myself. So let's see how it does with that. So I'm going to go from fourth to third, just a little-- and it does it well. And that's something that the 370Z didn't do well. On the old Z it hung the revs up and didn't drop very quickly. It's almost [INAUDIBLE] had too much rotating mass in the engine or driveline. However, this one-- it starts falling a lot quicker. It's not hanging. So it can give you those nice smooth throttle blips while you dump the clutch. Let's try that again. Yeah, that's pretty good. Let's try it with it on. [MUSIC PLAYING] You know what, it's about the same. So, hey, I'm as good as a computer. [LAUGHS] Yeah, there's something about driving a manual that just makes you feel more connected to the car. And, honestly, since they're going away and if you've ever had that desire, now at the time. And this is actually a really good car to lean on because of that rev matching. This car is genuinely easy to drive if you're just tooling along like I am right now. There's nothing to it. The ride quality is, well, it's sports car stiff, but it's not harsh. When it comes to the all-important outward visibility, it's pretty good. This roof pillar here of the A pillar is actually pretty small. It's narrower than a lot of other vehicles I've driven recently. And it's also a placed pretty well, so it's not really blocking a whole lot in your vision. The view of the back, however-- it's actually cut down pretty low to the point where it would cut off the top of a lot of cars that are following me. But that's not so bad. I just have to dip my head a little bit to get a clear view. It's quite a bit stiffer than the previous Z. And that usually allows engineers and designers to, let's say, soften up the suspension since the car itself is pretty rigid. As far as the engine note goes, it's pretty good. [CAR ENGINE REVVING] Yeah, for a six-cylinder, that's pretty beefy. It obviously doesn't have the burble and the growl of a V8, but that certainly encourages you to push a little harder if you're so inclined. Now, I am in the performance model, so it does have a sport exhaust system. When I was driving the base sport model, I couldn't really tell the difference because I was wearing a helmet. But, honestly, I don't think it's that different. Now, as I found out at the racetrack, the Z-- it handles quite well and it's predictable. It's trustworthy, allows you to push past your comfort zone with a lot more confidence. Because when it does start releasing grip off those rear tires, it does it really, really well, really gently and progressively. That's what you want from a rear drive car like this. When I was at the racetrack, the brakes held up really well, but still it was a hot day and I didn't feel any brake fade. Considering that there aren't any big brake ducts and lots of air being channeled in there, it's pretty impressive. Now, in the performance model, you do get upgraded brakes over the base sport model and that probably has a lot to do with it. I would say if you plan on driving your car hard on track or, let's say, weekend drives in the canyon that are really hard, I would say definitely step up to the performance. Since the Z is a driver's car, it's not exactly what you'd consider a technical marvel when it comes to advanced driver safety and driver assistance systems. You do have adaptive cruise control, but it's not so great with the manual transmission. Because once you shift, it disables it and you have to resume again. Obviously, with the automatic you don't have that problem. So if you're doing a lot of road trips, the adaptive cruise control in the manual is great because at least on long stretches of road like this makes sense. But for traffic and city driving, it's not so great. But that's expected. [MUSIC PLAYING] As far as the interior goes, this new Z sees some serious improvements. The design is much more modern, especially when you talk about the infotainment section here with this glossy touch screen, which is a huge improvement over the last generation when it comes to the infotainment system itself. You have some shortcut buttons here that are physical shortcut buttons as well as your typical knobs. Now, below that are the climate controls, which are a throwback to traditional three dials, so one for the fan, one for the temperature, and one for wherever you want it directed. Now, that's really easy to use and it works pretty well. We did get some hot and cold spots here and there. And these vents tend to blow right onto your left wrist while you're driving. But, overall, it's a huge improvement. When it comes to materials quality, however, there is still some hard plastics here in the center console that it takes you out of the fantasy of driving a more expensive or luxurious car. There are some bits and pieces here and there that remind you that this is still based off the old Z and that's right here in the door handle as well as the switchgear here and there. Unfortunately, there aren't any ventilated seats, which would have come in handy today because it is pretty hot. It's about 90 degrees here in Las Vegas. But the seats themselves are pretty comfortable. Now, I didn't spend enough time in them without getting out and taking breaks, so I can't really speak to how they are going to be on a long distance drive. But just getting around town, I was totally fine with it. There is a little bit of weirdness going on with the headrest here, especially when you're wearing a helmet, so another thing that keep in mind if you plan on taking this to the racetrack. There's a decent amount of storage. It's not great. But for a sports car, it's pretty good. You have a tray here that's rubberized, it keeps your phone in place pretty well. You have two moderately sized cupholders and a pretty small bin in the back. You have another cupholder here and a pretty shallow pocket in the door. As far as cargo capacity, well, let's go take a look. This new Z seems to have about the same space as the old Z. And it is slightly hampered by these humps here that break up the otherwise flat floor. But the space itself is nice and wide and somewhat shallow near the tail. Once you're under the glass, you have quite a bit more height, but, of course, you'll be blocking your outward view. Now, we don't have exact specs for the cargo capacity yet. But if I were a betting man, I'd say you can fit about one half [INAUDIBLE] back here. [MUSIC PLAYING] All right, so the question I posed at the top of the video was is this new Z good enough to outrun its past? Yes. Emphatically, yes. This car feels lighter, even though might not be lighter. There's something about the handling, there's something about the more rigid chassis that's all coming together to make this a more competent sports car. Now, it is still loud inside when it comes to road noise. But as good as it is on track as well as on road, I think a lot of people might be able to forgive it for that road noise. Overall, I think it compares really well and especially for the price. Now, what do you get instead of a Z? Well, I mean, there are plenty of Mustangs out there and Camaros. There are also less expensive alternatives like the Mazda Miata, and Subaru BRZ, than its Toyota clone. Overall, I think it is definitely worth checking out now, whereas the last generation not so much. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Don't forget to hit Like and Subscribe below. And head over to edmunds.com for the latest news, reviews, specs, and comparisons with the Z and all of its rivals.