2023 Nissan Z Performance: New car reviews

We get another chance to drive the new Nissan Z. Do our initial impressions still hold true?

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The new Nissan Z arrived with much fanfare–but then things got quiet. To date, I still haven’t seen a single Nissan Z out there in private hands. In fact, I believe that goes for the entire GRM staff.

I recently spent some more time with this one–not the Nismo, though, but a Nissan Z Performance, so still fitted with the limited-slip differential and 19-inch Rays wheels. We have driven this configuration before.

Everything we have said before about the Nissan Z still holds water. As a street car, I’m going to call it totally adequate for the mission: distinctive looks, comfortable cockpit and enough forward thrust to keep things interesting. Unlike the Supra, though, I don’t bonk my head and much getting in and out.

Plus you can get a Nissan Z with a stick shift, a bit of a rarity these days. (Our car, though, had the smooth-shifting, nine-speed automatic but should get bonus points for the white over red colorway.)

With our market always hot for cars like this, why has the Z just not resonated as well as expected?

Comments

Datsun240ZGuy MegaDork
11/8/23 3:40 p.m.

I can stretch and buy a base model $42,000 plus tax? I can't do $60,000 plus you mentioned they've sold 1200 YTD?

How are the Cuban sandwiches?

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
11/8/23 4:06 p.m.

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

I never got the chance to get a sandwich there, and I’m a huge can of Cuban sandwiches!

The place was very closed when I shot this photo. It was just me and a dude with a broken-down 18-wheeler.

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
11/8/23 4:08 p.m.

Like, if I panned one more degree to the left when photographing the back on the Z, you would have seen an 18-wheeler with the hood up.

I have thought the place looked rustic, though, so finally stopped to make some photos. This is just off I-95 here in Ormond.

Caprigrip Reader
11/8/23 6:18 p.m.

I'm curious as well. Saw a handful last week at SEMA and they made me look. Are the prices marked up? I also haven't seen one on the road ever.

kb58 UltraDork
11/8/23 10:25 p.m.

It sure looks they lifted a number of styling queues from the Jaguar F-Type.

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
11/9/23 5:56 a.m.

In reply to kb58 :

I can see that.

Still surprised I haven’t seen a Z at an autocross, a cars or coffee or even while in Orlando.

racerfink UberDork
11/9/23 2:52 p.m.

There were two at the FL2K event at Bradenton Motorsports Park last month. Both had a few mods, but nothing internal. They both were off the index time for their class by nearly a second. I don't know if they did anything on Sunday for eliminations, as I was just there for qualifying on Saturday. The faster car belonged to one of the owners of a tuner shop in Houston. I *think* it was called RaceBox.

z31maniac MegaDork
11/9/23 3:38 p.m.

David S. Wallens said:
In reply to kb58 :

I can see that.

Still surprised I haven’t seen a Z at an autocross, a cars or coffee or even while in Orlando.

I haven't seen any in real life either. But I also haven't been to any C&Cs since January. Way too many people get there way too early to make it any fun, in January it was below freezing, we got there 15 minutes before it "officially started" and there was probably already 400-500 cars there.