Nissan Z to deliver what Toyota Supra can’t

When the incoming seventh-generation Nissan Z officially breaks cover on August 17 at the New York motor show, long-awaited details of its twin-turbo V6 engine will be revealed.

And while it may outpower the Supra in a 300kW vs 285kW fight, when the 2022 Nissan Z arrives in Australia early next year it may not match the Toyota for outright pace.

That’s the indication we’ve received from Travis Maher, senior manager for a number of Nissan Australia’s most important vehicles including the Patrol, Navara and Z.

Maher told carsales the new Nissan Z was “more around enjoying the open road” than flat-out speed, and while he wouldn’t discuss details, his tone suggested that it may not have the launch-controlled acceleration of its arch-rival, the Toyota Supra.

“It’s not about a 0-100km/h time, it’s about how it gets there, and how you enjoy the curves,” said Maher.

The Supra’s BMW-sourced 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine (285kW/500Nm) can dispatch the 0-100km/h benchmark sprint in just 4.3 seconds.

When the new Zed sports car launches Down Under, it’s expected to undercut the circa-$87,000 Toyota Supra with a $60,000 to $70,000 price tag.

The new Nissan Z will embrace a turbocharged V6 for the first time in more than 20 years. The Nissan 300Z’s 3.0-litre V6 turbo was discontinued in 2000, replaced by the 350Z’s naturally-aspirated 3.5-litre V6.

But the incoming Z may not be the Supra-slaying beast fans have been hoping for.

“Z’s always been a grand tourer, it’s not a GT-R. It’s more around enjoying the open road. Anything we do in this space we’ll try and embrace these attributes,” said Maher.

No matter what the vital statistics reveal, the seventh-gen Z35-series Nissan Z sports car will offer more driver engagement than the Supra due to the availability of a six-speed manual transmission.

“We’re quite proud to be offering both manual and auto to customers,” said Maher.

“It’s back to the ’90s again, it’s Supra vs Z.”

However, the Nissan exec noted that manuals are a dying breed.

“We are seeing a change in that space. It’s demographic-driven,” he stated, adding that younger drivers in Australia are increasingly not bothering to get a manual driver’s licence.

He wouldn’t say what the forecast split between manual and automatic sales of the new Nissan Z would be locally, but it’s likely the anticipated nine-speed automatic version will be the weapon of choice for a majority of buyers.