New Nissan Z: Five things we love – and don’t

The new Nissan Z has finally been revealed and is now just months away from arriving in Australia.

When it lands here in the first half of next year, the 2022 Nissan Z will stay true to the compact rear-wheel drive coupe formula pioneered by six generations of iconic Z-cars dating back to the Datsun 240Z of 1969.

We’ve already done a benchtest against its closest rival – the Toyota GR Supra – and, judging by the hype, the seventh-generation Z is certain to pass the pub test, too.

But what exactly is there to love about the new Z35 and, more importantly, what are its flaws?

Let’s dive in…

Manual gearbox
Like the affordable V8, manual transmissions are fast disappearing from the automotive landscape. But unlike most high-performance sports cars today – including the GR Supra – the 2022 Nissan Z will actually be available with three pedals.

This is huge news for fan boys and girls that still enjoy doing the shifting for themselves and like to feel more at one with their car. Of course, a nine-speed auto is also on the menu, if that’s your jam.

Iconic design
Like a fine wine, when it comes to design the Nissan Z has arguably got better with age.

Sure, not every Z die-hard will agree, but at least the Japanese car-maker has carried over plenty of retro design cues, while still keeping it funky and fresh.

More powerful than Supra
This is a double-edged sword, because while the new Nissan Z’s 298kW/475Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 out-powers the Supra’s BMW-sourced 285kW/500Nm straight-six of the same capacity by 13kW, it falls short in the peak torque department by 25Nm.

Affordable
Another thing we love about the new Nissan Z is that it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Local pricing won’t be announced until closer to its arrival, but leaked US pricing indicates it will stick with a launch starting price similar to its forbears of around $70,000, which would be about $17K less than the Supra.

You can get matching shoes
If you fancy yourself a bit of a fashionista and you’re looking to invest in a Z, you can now order matching shoes in anticipation, thanks to a collaboration between Nissan and leather-maker Negroni.

Likely to show up before the car arrives, they’re only available in White, Ceylan Blue and Lightning Yellow, so if you want to play matchy-matchy you’ll have to make sure to order your Z in one of those colours.

It’s far away
We know all good things take time, but the new Nissan Z is still months away and the Japanese car-maker is yet to actually say exactly when it’ll arrive Down Under.

But it’s already been delayed from this year and it doesn’t hit the US market until the northern hemisphere spring of 2022 (March-May) as a 2023 model, so our best guesstimate is towards mid-2022 for Australia.

That’s as long as it doesn’t hit semi-conductor delays like the new Toyota LandCruiser, so just think of all the cool metal you could’ve slipped into by then.

Won’t be as quick as Supra
As we mentioned, the new Nissan Z is up on power but down on torque compared to the Supra, but it’s now also been confirmed it will be about 25kg heavier at 1530kg.

For those reasons we expect it to be a fraction slower than the Toyota, with a 0-100km/h time of about 4.3 seconds (versus 4.1sec), which is still pretty quick for an accessible sports car.

Platform is old
Another Nissan won’t be shouting from the roof tops when it arrives is the fact the new Z is based on an updated version of Nissan’s venerable Front Midship (FM) platform, which dates back almost two decades to the fifth-generation (Z33) 350Z of 2002.

Although Nissan has made extensive improvements – such as tweaked suspension and improved structural rigidity – the ‘new’ Z is not technically all-new.

We could only get one variant
Overseas, Nissan is set to offer an entry-level Sport version of the new Z as well as a flagship Performance variant that adds larger 19-inch wheels, Bridgestone Potenza S007 tyres, a limited-slip diff, aggressive body kit upgrades and a more premium interior.

Here in Oz, we may only get the fully-equipped Performance grade, which could see that circa-$70K price tag blow out.

The name
Is it really just going to be called… Z? Each of Nissan’s Z models have had model designations that reflect their engine displacements, but with the return to turbocharging for the first time in two generations, ‘300Z’ would have been perceived as a backwards step.

We get that, and it’s why everyone expected the new model to be called the 400Z, so we were a little surprised when Nissan confirmed it would simply and unimaginatively be called the Z. Just sayin’.