2024 Nissan Z Nismo Review

There is, in all things, a sweet spot.

For every car, there is a point at which its maker finds an ideal balance between price, purpose, and performance, creating the perfect compromise for drivers. In the case of the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo, performance has been pushed a little too far, allowing the sports car to stray out of the sweet spot that the standard model found. But then that’s sort of the whole point.

Driving Feel 9/10

It’s not as if Nissan has ruined the Z. The Nismo version is a remarkably well-sorted car that is eager to turn in on entry, and even more excited to scamper out of corners thanks to its 3.0L twin-turbocharged V6 engine — which has been tuned to generate more output than the standard model — and its sharpened suspension.

There are plenty of positives to focus on here (most of which boil down to: car go faster), but there are some subtle ways in which it feels like a finely honed track weapon. For instance, the action on the throttle and brake pedal are nearly perfectly tuned. Neither overly aggressive nor disappointingly numb, I’ve never felt like I had better foot-eye coordination than when I was in the Z Nismo. Meanwhile, the aluminum double-wishbone front suspension and multilink rear keep the car glued to the road even when your foot is a little more ambitious than your eyes think it should be.

My only complaint about the driving dynamics is that they feel utterly focused on track driving at the expense of on-road fun. Yes, the car is quick and sharp, but at regular (even slightly illegal) speeds, it just doesn’t feel that playful. That’s something that the non-Nismo Z excels at, so it’s no tragedy for Nissan, but it’s something shoppers should think seriously (and honestly) about. If you can afford regular track days, the Z Nismo will no doubt be a blast but, if you can’t, you might find yourself wishing you had gone with a less hardcore version.

Comfort 7/10

My biggest gripe with the Z Nismo’s level of comfort is related to sound. Firstly, the engine drones unpleasantly at regular speeds. That may not be terribly surprising for a hardcore sports car, but it further contributes to making the Nissan less pleasant at regular speeds.

Otherwise, the car is acceptably sporty. Yes, the suspension is stiff, but it’s well-sorted. You certainly feel big bumps, but the car isn’t unsettled by them, which prevents the experience from being too shocking. I also found the lightweight Recaro seats to be a perfectly nice place to sit.

Power 7/10

Although the engine drones at normal speeds, it absolutely howls high up in the rev range, where it prefers to play. All 420 hp pull together at 6,400 rpm, and the full complement of torque is available from 2,000 rpm, providing drivers with plenty of get-up and go. On that note, the 384 lb-ft of torque is 34 more than the regular car makes to go with 400 hp.

The nine-speed automatic transmission feels direct and eager to shift but, as a track-focused model, is the only option available. The decision makes sense (manual gearboxes are categorically slower) but it’s indicative of what Nissan’s engineers were trying to give drivers: performance, not fun.

Unfortunately, the cold data is less kind to the Z Nismo. It makes around 40 hp more than its closest competitor, the Toyota Supra, but 30 fewer than the BMW M2, and 100 fewer than the comparably performance-tuned Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Nissan estimates the Z Nismo can get it to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. As you’d expect, that’s a little slower than the Ford and the BMW but, surprisingly, it’s also slower than the less powerful Toyota.

Value 6/10

Pushing the sports car farther out of its sweet spot is its price. Whereas the standard Nissan Z is a bargain compared to the Toyota Supra, the Nismo variant opens at $75,998. That’s about $3,000 more than the Supra with its big engine (which is, admittedly, less track-focused), a few hundred dollars more than the Mustang Dark Horse, and a couple grand less than the M2. 

As mentioned, all three will outpace the Nissan to highway speeds, all are nicer inside, and the Ford is no less special. Unlike that car, however, the Z Nismo comes with pretty much everything included. Apart from paint colour and a handful of accessories, there isn’t much on offer to inflate the price of the Nissan, unlike the Dark Horse, which can easily crest the $100,000 mark with extras.

Styling 9/10

The Z gets back on track when it comes to styling. While the grille has its detractors, the overall design is undeniably brilliant. Almost the Platonic ideal of a coupe, the roofline is cut perfectly, the proportions are purposeful, and the subtle improvements made by the Nismo division only make it better. This tester’s Stealth Grey paint ($1,200) sings against the red highlights, and the Rays wheels are the perfect complement in black.

Features 6/10

Although the exterior looks classically correct, the interior just looks kind of, er — old. Sure, there’s an instrument screen in front of the steering wheel that can be configured to a couple of views, and there’s also an infotainment screen, but it does shockingly little. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are only available through a wired connection, the seats aren’t heated, and there’s no navigation. Even the feed from the backup camera is low resolution, and the cabin materials look cheap and dull. These might not be deal-breakers for buyers, but owners may feel a pang of envy if they go on a caravan road trip with friends who own competitors. 

User-Friendliness 6/10

In addition to having few features, the infotainment system also required heavy presses, making it feel a little unresponsive. Similarly, the paddle shifters sometimes struggled to recognize my inputs during this test. Although they shifted into the gear I wanted whenever the engine could stand it, I had to pull the paddles firmly, sometimes causing them to feel less responsive than they really were.

Practicality 5/10

Even by the standards of the sports car segment, the Nissan Z Nismo is impractical. Unlike the Mustang and M2, it only has two seats, and the rear storage area is more like a big parcel shelf than a small trunk. In my time with the car, it could accommodate little more than two backpacks, and putting anything more in there might have blocked my view of the road behind me.

With only 198 L of space available, this coupe lags far behind the competition. Never mind trying to fit a golf bag back there — cargo capacity is so tight you can actually buy bicycles with more cargo space than the Z Nismo.

Fuel Economy 6/10

In its efforts to provide the model with a little extra power, Nissan has sacrificed a little fuel economy. Whereas the standard Z consumes 11.9 L/100 km combined, per Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the higher performance trim tested here consumes 12.2. That’s a bit better than a Mustang Dark Horse, whose V8 drinks 14.2 L/100 km, but the Toyota Supra sips fuel by comparison, requiring only 9.4.

Safety 7/10

Although there is a rather large blind spot to the driver’s left, a quarter window on the passenger side helps make lane changes easier on the right side of the vehicle — and the blind-spot monitoring system is there to help, too. A collection of advanced safety systems is also standard on the Z Nismo, including lane departure warning, predictive collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and rear cross-traffic alert, which should help drivers protect their precious track car from being damaged by the realities of daily life.

The Verdict

In a vacuum, the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo is a fantastic track car that will no doubt provide owners who use it to its fullest with oodles of fun. However, in the context of the segment, the high-performance coupe is in no man’s land. It isn’t the most extreme track weapon, nor the quickest, nor the silliest. In its efforts to turn the fun coupe into a serious track car, Nissan has sacrificed some of the Z’s charm, without going far enough to give it a giant-killing reputation like its GT-R sibling has carried with it for years.