Nissan Z NISMO 2024 Review

There is only one 2024 Nissan Z NISMO to choose from and it’s priced at $94,000 plus on-road costs (ORCs). This is a sizeable $18,200 more than the car on which it’s based and puts it head-to-head with some pretty spicy competition.

The most obvious rival is the Toyota Supra GTS ($97,380 plus ORCs) but speaking of BMWs (teehee…), there’s also the excellent M240i xDrive ($96,000 plus ORCs) while the Ford Mustang Dark Horse (from $99,102 plus ORCs) offers similar flavours, albeit from the other side of the Pacific.

For such a substantial premium, you’d hope the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO offered a significant number of upgrades and it doesn’t disappoint. Mechanically, at least.

There’s extra grunt, which we’ll detail in a minute, but harnessing it are half-inch wider wheels (19 x 10.0-inch front; 19 x 10.5-inch rear) wrapped in Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 tyres from the GT-R.

A couple of points to mention. The first is that despite being wider the RAYS wheels are slightly lighter than those on the standard car and while the rear tyres are 10mm wider (285/35) to improve traction, the fronts are the same (255/40) but stretched over a wider rim to improve turn-in precision.

Next up are larger front brake rotors (380 x 34mm vs 355 x 32mm) gripped by four-piston calipers and the suspension has been given a thorough overhaul with stiffer springs, retuned dampers and new anti-roll bars.

Aesthetically the Z NISMO has an elongated nose, inspired by the Fairlady 240ZG homologation special, and while dimensionally it’s very similar to the standard car, the extra 25mm width and 15mm of track fore and aft – not to mention the bespoke rear spoiler – give it a much more aggressive stance.

Inside, a leather/Alcantara combination replaces the standard leather on the steering wheel and seats, while the Recaro pews lose their power adjustment and heating. The digital instrument display features NISMO-specific graphics and the engine start/stop and drive mode selection buttons became anodized red.

Seats aside, it features all the same gear as the standard Z: keyless entry and start, air conditioning, LED headlights and a trio of gauges atop the dash in case you really need to know your boost pressure (fair enough), voltage (um, ok) or turbo speed (you ran out of things to put in the gauges, didn’t you?).

Three colours are available, black being standard and slate grey or brilliant silver – both with a contrasting black roof – requiring an extra $1250. The warranty is five years or unlimited kilometres while servicing is required every 12 months or 10,000km.

No official safety rating exists for the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO, but it does feature front, side and curtain airbags as well as a comprehensive list of active safety equipment, such as autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep and departure assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition.

A rear camera and front and rear sensors take care of parking duties and a possibly underrated feature of the Z NISMO for parents is ISOFIX mounting points on the front passenger seat along with an airbag cancellation function. It’s not recommended for young children to travel in the front but if needs must at least they’ll be securely installed.

The 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen display in the dash of the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO has all the basics, including wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, AM/FM/DAB+ radio and Bluetooth audio streaming, all playing through an eight-speaker Bose stereo.

USB-A and -C ports are provided for charging and there’s both active noise cancellation and sound enhancement – or fake engine noise, in other words.

As mentioned, the fully digital instrument display has NISMO-specific graphics and the start-up animation in particular is quite cool, giving off some Zorro vibes. Otherwise, it’s simple enough to find the information you’re after.

The usual 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 continues in the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO but some extra boost and timing tweaks generate an extra 13kW and 45Nm for totals of 309kW and 520Nm, the latter available from 2000-5200rpm. An engine oil cooler has been added to keep temperatures under control on track.

Unlike the standard car, the only available transmission in the NISMO is the nine-speed automatic and a further quirk is the regular Z’s trick carbon-composite propshaft is replaced by a steel version.

Funnily enough, the standard Z’s 186kW/tonne power-to-weight ratio is actually slightly superior to the NISMO’s 184kW/tonne, though torque-to-weight is in the latter’s favour (297Nm/tonne vs 309Nm/tonne).

The auto has been reprogrammed for more aggressive shifts, especially in the NISMO-specific Sport+ mode, and launch control has also been revised. Drive is sent to the rear wheels only through a mechanical limited-slip diff.

Fuel efficiency isn’t a strong suit of the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO. The official combined claim is 10.4L/100km and it’s frugal enough on a cruise but exercise the performance and it’ll drink the 62-litre tank dry in short order.

Before we delve into the details of what the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO is like to drive, it’s worth adding some background on both its predecessor and the car on which it’s based.

The previous 370Z NISMO was, well, pretty unpleasant. It took a fundamentally enjoyable sports car and smothered it in grip, eradicating any rear-drive playfulness, along with an absolutely brutal ride and engine that felt as keen to rev as I am to get out of bed on a Melbourne winter’s morning.

Today’s regular Z couldn’t be more different, almost harking back to the Z32 300ZX in being more of a grand tourer than an out-and-out sports car. The soft suspension gives it plenty of daily comfort but combined with the huge boost (literally) in engine power it can be a wild ride driving it quickly.

The new Z NISMO blends the two beautifully, creating the quintessential Japanese sports car experience. It’s fast, involving and beautifully controllable – NISMO’s fettling couldn’t have been more finely judged.

It’s probably only fractionally faster in a straight line, if at all, but the chassis upgrades mean it’s now able to harness the vast majority of the prodigious grunt, while the car also telegraphs its movements far better with proper front-end communication.

In slippery conditions care is still needed – it’ll wheelspin pretty easily in the first four gears – but you can drive with much greater confidence, especially thanks to the brilliantly-tuned VDC Traction mode, a sport stability control setting the standard car lacks to its detriment.

Whereas that gives you the option of frustration (ESP fully on) or heart attack (fully off) the NISMO’s halfway house is like your best friend being behind you in a trust fall – you know it’ll have your back, but only when you really need it.

Thankfully, unlike the previous NISMO, this extra control comes with a ride that is still perfectly acceptable and bar some fairly prominent road noise it’s not at all a difficult car to drive in daily use. Though some heated seats would be nice.

A couple of complaints. A quick foray into Sport mode was just that. It adds unwelcome effort to the steering and simply corrupts the feedback it’s providing, while the engine is responsive enough in its normal setting and you’re likely to be using the steering wheel paddles for gearchanges, anyway.

The engine also sounds anodyne, a tuneless buzz that elicits little excitement. Turbocharged V6s are hard, but a Ranger Raptor sounds like a V10 compared to this, inside at least.

The cabin of the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO is a workspace and suitably fit for purpose. It’s not a luxurious environment, but nor should that be the expectation. The driving position is good, the seats are supportive, the ergonomics are sound and the Alcantara adds to the motorsport ambience.

One area it is clearly superior to its Supra rival is accommodation and vision. The Toyota is a great car but those of larger stature may struggle to fit in it whereas there will be no such issues with the Nissan.

Boot space is limited at 241 litres though the rear hatch makes the space slightly more useful than that figure suggests.

If you’re a fan of Japanese sports cars the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO is a fine example of the breed. It’s a driving machine first and foremost – if you want the latest tech and a fancy interior, go and buy a BMW 430i.

There are plenty of clues that this latest NISMO is heavily based on the previous 370Z – and it would be nice if the engine sounded at least half-decent – but these things fade into insignificance when it’s writhing beneath you on a challenging road, engrossing you in the task of taming a powerful rear-drive sports car.

2024 Nissan Z NISMO at a glance:
Price: $94,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol twin-turbo petrol
Output: 309kW/520Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 242g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated

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