The number seven in antiquity symbolized the completion … perfection. Perhaps not by accident, the Nissan Z is in its 7th generation and it is pretty perfect. Of course, there have been reinvented seven times in the past 56 years, and there has been a lot of time to do things right, and it is obvious that Nissan paid attention to his history and wishes of buyers.
For example, take the design. After years of increasing Swoopy designs, Nissan returned to the original Fairlady design to be inspired. From the square grill and the locked headlights to the fastback rear glass and the rumbling spoiler, it is borrowed strongly, but does not fully rely on the legacy. There are other lines on the sheet metal that complement the construction notes. The bonnet has some kink lines that give it a square strength. Some subtle folding lines on the sides offer a quiet swopy drama that complements the Fastback design. It is a good look and back at the beginning to inspiration shows that Nissan has not forgotten, there are roots. Our car arrived in Bayside Blue and it was beautiful. The wheels are stylish and large, filled with large brake discs and large painted brake calipers. It is a good look that has more than a few thumbs up while we had it.
Inside there is a stylish interior that provided us with a comfortable environment for the week in which we had it. The interior has primarily in black Nissan color block with bright blue leather and suede seats, blue suede pockets and blue leather loower fitting board. It looks really cool. The digital display is dominated by a large tachometer with oil pressure, oil temperature, coolant temperature and differential oil temperature measuring devices to the right. To the left of the tach is the selection of the driver of G-meter, kilometer knife or trip measuring device. On the top of the dashboard there are analog pods that display turbus printing, turbo speed and battery charge. A 9-inch digital infotainment display dominates the middle stack. It is clear and intuitive to use. Under the display there are HLK control sheets for fan speed, temperature and active ventilation selection.
There is a Twin turbo V6 under the bonnet. It makes 400 hp and 350 LB-FT torque, which is distributed to the rear wheels by the manual transmission (with an exedy power clutch), like all Z-models since it begins. It is a great engine, very flexible and torquey. No matter what equipment you are in or where you are on the tachometer, it floor and the engine reacts immediately. A larger rush is 4500 and drives them even faster than they expect. It is a magnificent engine and we enjoyed planting our right foot on every chance.
There are some beautiful 19-inch light ray wheels in the bike fountain, which are wrapped in sticky bridgestone potatoes. Within these wheels there are some performance brake discs and four-piston brake calipers in the foreground in the foreground and two-piston high-performance.
Climb inside and the seats feel considerably as if you are keeping them in place at some radical directions. The seating controls are a mixture of electrical and manually. The seats are heated. I accidentally had it when the temperatures were in the mid -nineties and did not come with the heating option. A ventilated seats would have been great, but the air conditioning has done a good job to keep the cabin cool. The HLK system has automatic temperature control so that you can determine and forget it.
The windows are short and give external eyesight a Pillbox slot feeling. But the view of the bonnet is good and we found the way the rear fenders filled the side mirrors. Larger drivers can find the rear view mirror than visual defendation, but it is probably not that important for shorter drivers. With 6’1 ”I had a periscope for the original Lamborghini Countach, which was integrated into the roof. It would be both practical and really trick. The steering wheel is adjustable for range and height.
The Shifter Knob falls slightly and sniffs easily. Set it for first gear, press the clutch and press the start button. The 3.0l V6 rumbles to life. It is quiet, but has a threatening tone. It is a perfect motor for a sporty daily driver – not too much, not too little. Snick the gear lever into the first gear, left the clutch and pull it off on the traffic. The engine eagerly drives the car up the road. Due to the thick B-pillars, there are large blind spots, but if the mirrors are adjusted correctly, it is easy to get through. There are also lights on the A-pillar that always illuminate when someone is in their blind stain areas. Most cars have them installed in the mirror, but Nissan has decided to put them in the car on the A-pillar. I have to say that I prefer Nissan’s method. It is a small but valued detail.
Take second gear and nail the gas when opening traffic. The Z accelerates quickly and then climbs up the road and quickly catches the traffic. The flat torquey power band is a joy. Take third gear and hatch a few slower cars. Find out fourth place, let the gas and direct the road up. The highway on Ramp approaches quickly. Align the engine and change third place. Or if you have huge feet like me and a feeling of coordination, so that women give them a wide space at dances, press the sports shifting mode button for you. Remove the second and listen to the motor blip again. Brake hard and then throw it into the corner of the on ramp. The z glides through the curve effortlessly. Back for the accelerator pedal and the engine roar when it rises on the Remt. Take the third equipment and shoot around the cloverleaf. Enjoy how the shared seats keep in place when building the G-forces. The car is stable and quickly inspires trust. While the cloverleaf gladers and merges with the highway, they reduce down and take fourth place. The z rock the street up. The torque hits her like a fire in her chest. Click on your turn signals – a confident, sharp action – and quickly overflow the Slowpokes that are half sleeping on the steering wheel. Go to an open place, grab your right track and drop the speed of traffic.
It is very quiet in the case of highway speeds. The suspension and tires take out many bumps and expansion joints, but they still feel them. The suspension is not as advanced as some sports cars because it has no active damping, but they have an honest, mechanical suspension that does a very good job without becoming too expensive or complicated. There is no drive modes that are becoming increasingly unusual these days, but I like that about the Z. It doesn’t try to be everything for everyone. It is a damn good sports car and that’s all it is trying to be. That’s honest. That is admirable.
Leave the highway, ride the centrifugal -g -g -gleblatt and finally stick to the red light. When it gets green, roar away and grab the first funny rural road that you can find. Immerse yourself in the curves and the z simply obey every input, almost as far as you know what you want before you do it. The steering is intuitive and uncomplicated. Just as it should be. Is that a deer that steps into the street? Nail the brakes and it stays fast, without fuss or worry. The car keeps his serenity all the time. The nose neither dives nor dip nor the body of the car leans very much. The car feels solid as if it were shaped from a solid titanium. We didn’t hear creak or rattling while we had it.
The Z is a competent small sports car. Much more competent that I honestly expected. The more difficult you drive it, the more it seems to shrink around you and become an extension of you as a driver. And here the strengths of the Z really shine. It is one of the most honest and uncomplicated sports cars I’ve ever driven. So many of today’s sports cars show an almost schizophrenic attitude towards their performance. To get the best out of it, you have to press several buttons or scroll through endless menus to switch off various Nanny aids. With the Z the performance is right there and waits for you to use it. No tricks, no new products, no gimmicks. Only a dynamic driving experience of quality performance. I can only commit a handful of sports cars as focused and obliged to miss the mission of the service part. The Z is in a rare company.
The EPA has gave the Z fuel consumption of 18 MPG in the city and 24 MPG for an average of 20 MPG. It is not a fuel sipper, but when you feel that the fire brigade thrust of the turbo engine quickly drives you to the horizon, you understand the compromise completely.
I was surprised at how many people took note of the Z while we had it. Every time we took it out, we got at least one, but usually more than a positive comment or thumb up. Heads would swirl when we drove past. It is a car that people notice, probably because of the retro styling and the calm growth of the engine.
The price is not bad either. Our performance level with some minor options was around 56,000 US dollars. More than a Miata MX-5, less than a corvette, in harmony with a Supra.
We were surprised by the Z in the best possible way. It has been a while since we climbed behind the wheel of a one and it is obvious that Nissan has not neglected the platform. Since competitors such as Toyota’s new Supra GR 3.0 appeared on the market, Nissan has taken note of the Z and repeatedly improved to compete better on the track and on the market. It is a damn car and we enjoyed it very much.
Performance: 8
Handling: 8
Design: 7
Interior: 8
Infotainment: 7
Sound: 7
Fun: 8
Total: 8
