2024 Nissan Z NISMO Review: First Drive

“NISMO”. You likely know the name; it stands for “NISsan MOtorsport” and it’s been emblazoned across the flanks of everything from the Frontier pickup to the GT-R supercar, not to mention road racing rockets and desert bashing off-road racers across the globe.

Most recently in the sports car world, we’ve also seen NISMO-ized versions of the both the 350Z and 370Z sports cars, all grey and low and bewinged and with the ubiquitous red and white checkered flag graphic running down their flanks. They were more committed versions of those popular rear-wheel-drive (RWD) sports cars designed to scratch the itch sported by many track enthusiasts.

And now, they’re at it again with the latest Nissan Z. Indeed, when it was released last year, the impression held by many who drove it was that it called louder for a NISMO version than the two previous Zees ever did. Its twin-turbo VR30DDTT V6 packed a fine punch, but it was a punch not necessarily matched by the chassis underneath it, or the body surrounding it.

It needed a little more, so it was time for the good folks at NISMO to get just a little more dirt under their fingernails.

The changes can be seen right away – they’re not exactly “subtle”, but then “subtlety” has’t exactly been a strong suit for the various NISMO Zees through the years.

For this particular one, they’ve extended both the front and back bumpers and given the former some functional canards for downforce production and to reduce air buildup ‘round the front wheels. According to Nissan, they’ve borrowed some of the shapes for the bumpers from the GT-R NISMO. The rear spoiler has also been extended over that of the standard Z and it’s on-hand to create some actual downforce. It looks fantastic, especially from the rear where you can really appreciate the square-chinned effect produced by the new rear bumper, while the dual exhaust-tips ground the whole thing. They’ve kept the taillights and black fascia that recall the Z32 300ZX which is great as it’s one of the Z’s most defining features. While US cars don’t get the touring car-style fog light that other markets do – rules are rules, and all -- there’s no denying it’s a more purposeful look overall and one that turns to the original Datsun 240Z’s ZG variant for styling inspiration.

The front and rear ends covered, we turn our attention to the side profile and the fantastic new wheels and tires. The former are 19-inch items designed by Rays – all black and spokey and with NISMO badging – and there’s no missing the “Dunlop SP Sportmax” logos on the tires. They’re wider at the back than the Z Performance, measuring 285 mm to that car’s 275 mm (both cars get 255 fronts) and on the NISMO, they shroud larger-diameter front discs (they now measure 15”) and larger 4-piston front calipers. The NISMO signature red band, meanwhile, stretches ‘round the entire body, which can now be painted in NISMO exclusive Stealth Grey. That’s a color NISMO fans will recognize but it’s actually the white pearl option that really stands out, especially when you consider the way that contrasts with the red trim, black wheels, grille, roof and wing mirrors.

Power has been upped from 408 horsepower to 428 hp, while the torque figure jumps a generous 34 pound-feet for a total of 384 lb-ft and yes, all we’re getting for the time being is a 9-speed automatic transmission. Why? Well, according to Nissan, Z fans have faster lap times atop their punch lists and the automatic was the best way to achieve that goal. They have upgraded the clutch pack, however, and both up- and downshifts happen more quickly than previous.

The real changes, however, happen underneath all that with stiffer bushings and springs, upgraded shocks, beefier steering rack and a body that is up in terms of both lateral (+12.2%) and torsional (+2.5%) rigidity.

Well, they couldn’t very well do all that work outside and just leave the interior untouched, could they? Of course not! The most obvious additions are NISMO-spec Recaro sports seats finished in Alcantara suede and real leather and Alcantara inserts on the steering wheel that also gets a red centering band. On the more subtle side, the NISMO team has splashed a little more colour into the modifiable digital gauge cluster and painted both the start/stop button and drive mode toggle a metallic red.

Since the NISMO builds on the features offered on the Z Performance, we get uprated Bose audio as standard – it’s a fine system, though not necessarily one of the top features of the interior digs. Indeed, that’s reserved for the way the seats hold you tight and the wheel feels fantastic against your palms. Yes; you do lose power adjustability and seat heating with the switch, but considering the NISMO does weigh about 100 lbs. more than a Z Performance, perhaps a few less gadgets inside is the right move. The infotainment display, meanwhile, measures 9” and while there is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, one does wonder when Nissan’s going to get around to fitting their newer infotainment system to the Z. What’s currently on offer just feels chunky in its operation and the backup camera is blurry as all get out.

As snug as the cockpit is, it should come as no surprise that storage is at a premium but you do get a shelf behind each seat big enough for a crash helmet. That’s handy to have and the rear cargo area can be reached from the front seat as there’s no firewall there.

Taking a seat in the NISMO – like the Z, taller folks will have to contort themselves a little – reveals a spot-on driving position that keeps all the controls nicely within reach while the three auxiliary gauges atop the dash and long hood do well to have the driver feeling nice and ensconced, and at the centre of the proceedings.

You do feel the added stiffness almost as soon as you set out – there are no adaptive dampers here so what you see is what you get and what you get is a firmer ride. It’s not brittle, though – it won’t rattle your fillings like the last two NISMO Z models did because they haven’t just stiffened the dampers, cut the springs and that’s it, but comprehensively adjusted everything about the Z to make it more performance oriented without overly damaging the quality of life on normal roads. Yes; there are some visibility issues – though the view out is better than what you get in the GR Supra, which isn’t exactly saying much – and while the high-bolstered sport seats do put quite the squeeze on the hips we’re not talking the rock-hard situation you get with carbon-backed sport seats in, say, a BMW M2.

Then, once you’re free of clogged city streets and on to your favorite windy road the Z NISMO really starts to come in to focus; activate “sport” driving mode (we agree with Nissan when they recommend saving the new “sport +” mode for the track) that tweaks the transmission, throttle response and even the steering and the NISMO begins to act a very different animal from previous. The horsepower jump isn’t huge, but the engine combines with the faster transmission and faster-spooling turbo to make sure you definitely feel those expanded hp and torque figures. Would I have liked to see a little more power? Sure, but this remains a fast car.

Which is great, but those upgrades pale in comparison to just how good and sorted the chassis has now become. No longer do you get that strange feeling that the weight of the engine is at-odds with its surroundings like you had in the old car, because they’ve stiffened the engine mounts. The further firming up of, well, everything, really and aero that actually provides downforce means those fat Dunlops are pressed even more firmly into the ground below. As a result, you just get the feeling that they don’t have to do as much work to contain lateral forces as they would have in the standard Z. It’s almost uncanny how different it feels on the road.

Sonoma Raceway sits in the picturesque Napa Valley region just outside of San Francisco, CA and it is a whopper of a track filled with elevation changes, chassis-unsettling chicanes and multi-apex sweepers. It’s the kind of track that puts all manner of stresses on the cars that traverse it (let alone the drivers) and as a result, is a really good way to see just how far the Z has come in NISMO guise.

The real tough spot is the turn 8-9 complex, a string of downhill third-gear left-right-left transitions that are as tank-slappy as you can imagine. I’ve been on the track before in a pretty good front-wheel-drive car but that section – especially the final 9a segment whose severity catches you off guard – completely bamboozled both me and it. I wasn’t the only one; a few other journos actually spun there that day.

Not so the NISMO. It just settles in, squats, squashes its tires into the tarmac below and gets on with it. It’s tough to unseat it past maybe a degree of opposite lock, even with the relaxed VDC settings provided by sport + mode; note that traction control can be switched off, but never fully defeated. Could this be an indication that it’s over-tired, and could use more power to bring the powertrain up-to-speed with the rubber? Perhaps, but I’ll take the communicative and responsive steering over a few extra horses any day of the week. The steering really is the icing on the cake; the Alcantara wheel feels great in your hands, and it’s so solid, now, that I couldn’t help but think of much more expensive BMWs and even Porsches as I drove. The new brakes, meanwhile, bring the NISMO to a halt in short order and with hardly any dive even in downhill situations.

If I’m honest, nothing could have prepared me for just how much better the Z has become at the hands of NISMO. We’ve seen it before; an OEM turns to their performance div to inject a little life into a model with some badges and wheels but doesn’t really dive deep.

Not only has Nissan and NISMO gone deep, here, but they’ve mined the depths of the Mariana Trench and come up with a sports car that provides a massive paradigm shift from its sister models. It’s fantastic, what they’ve done…

…but questions do remain. The NISMO’s $64,990 MSRP means it now costs more than a GR Supra 3.0 – two cars that will be inextricably linked until they shuffle off this mortal coil -- by a clear 10 grand, and it’s been well-documented that car now has a manual option and that addition has been transformative. One of those could still come to the NISMO but it’s not here yet, and I do fear that could spell victory in more than a few sales contests for the Supra.

That doesn’t change the fact, though, of just how good the NISMO is. It’s a pure, RWD sports car that looks the business, sounds the business and yeah, even with a single transmission choice, drives the business as well.

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