Editor’s Note: Check out Sean Smith’s review of the Nissan Z Performance in 2023 for an in-depth read.
I went back to the Mt. Equinox Hillclimb this year. The drive from New York takes you through beautiful countryside with wonderful winding roads. If you are not competing on the hill at least your trip to the mountain should be an event in itself.
Last year I drove a Performance Z and this time around I got a hold of a 2024 Nissan Nismo Z.
Nissan has brought some of the flair of the 240 Z mixed with some 300ZX back with their latest iteration.
The track-focused Nismo’s twin turbo-charged V6 has 420 HP and 384-foot pounds of torque. That is a gain of 20 horsepower and 34-foot pounds from the standard Z, but you will have to accept a nine-speed automatic (this seems to be the way of the world with performance cars these days). It’s running wider tires on forged wheels. Behind those wheels are stiffer anti-roll bars, larger front brakes, and bigger dampers with stiffer springs attached to a nicely balanced chassis.
The steering is nicely weighted and precise. The ride might be a bit hardcore for the general public, but if you are looking for a modern interpretation of the 240 Z you’re willing to accept this. The Recaro seats are firm, with good lateral support and allow for a long drive without much pain and suffering. The Z can have multiple personalities. Put it in drive and you have a docile daily driver. But switch to manual and choose Sport + mode and you have a different beast altogether. You will be in the high three-second range getting to 60.
Getting to the top of Equinox before the first race car was let loose was done quickly without drama. With Sports+ engaged both upshifts and downshifts came as quick as you could flap the paddles, with the turbos kicking you in the backside as needed. The Z felt planted at every turn and offered plenty of confidence to keep your right foot planted.
It may be more expensive than its stablemate the Performance Z version and not have a standard transmission, but in these times maybe that will allow more people to drive it.
There are offerings from Toyota (Supra) And BMW (M2) But in my eyes, the Z just has more style, retro or otherwise. It just says sports car louder and more convincingly than the rest.
