The 2024 Nissan Z NISMO has been a hot topic among sports car enthusiasts, combining a nostalgic nod to its lineage with performance upgrades aimed at modern driving. We recently visited Japan for the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon and while in the country had the pleasure of touring around in the 2024 Z NISMO courtesy of Nissan.
We had the car for about a week and easily put over 300 miles on it. Our tour consisted of a variety of environments, from city cruising through Tokyo to putting the car’s handling to the test on the Hakone Sky Line pass. With this range of experiences and the duration of our Test Drive we are able to look at this vehicle through the lens of a potential daily drive sports car — particularly for the Japanese market — considering it’s priced at a reasonable 9,200,400 JPY or $60,000 USD.
Here are five standout features we experienced while touring in the Z NISMO, each with its own pros and cons.
Enhanced Performance
The heart of the Nissan Z NISMO is its 3L twin-turbocharged V6 engine, delivering 420 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque. When compared to the regular Nissan Z, the NISMO variant has 20 more hp and an additional 34 lb-ft of torque, while numerically this may seem like a small jump, it’s a noticeable one, largely due to the enhanced drivetrain that features a NISMO exclusive Sport + mode. The car is paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission that features noticeably quick shifting and enhanced cooling. We were pleasantly surprised with how engaging the drive was, there was a clear sense of urgency when pushing the car through its gears.
While some enthusiasts have expressed disdain over the lack of a manual option for the NISMO, it’s worth noting that the 9-speed is no regular auto-configuration but instead is NISMO-tuned and features shorter gear ratios. The metal paddle shifters are also extremely responsive, offering quick shifts and a bit of extra fun. During our time with the car on the twists and turns of the Hakone Sky Line, we also appreciated the confidence and control the automatic transmission offered.
The NISMO upgrades extend to the chassis as well. Wider tires, mounted on forged 19-inch wheels, provide increased grip, while stiffer anti-roll bars keep the car planted during aggressive cornering. This combination results in precise handling and in our opinion makes the Z NISMO track-ready from factory.
Steering Precision
One of the standout features of the Z NISMO is its steering. The Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel adds a layer of luxury and tactile engagement, which contributes to the car’s overall driving enjoyment. The weight and feedback from the steering wheel have been fine-tuned, providing a precise connection to the road. This was especially noticeable during high-speed cornering.
Feedback through the steering is direct, with minimal numbness. We felt complete control over the vehicle’s movement, allowing for quicker and more confident inputs when maneuvering. The only downside we found was when navigating dense areas in the city like Shibuya and Shinjuku. Albeit a very minor con, the sporty tuning of the wheel made it feel almost too heavy in these low speeds, especially when parking. However, it’s a worthy tradeoff for the raw, mechanical feel the performance steering offers.
Track-Focused Suspension
The Z NISMO’s track-oriented nature shines through in its suspension setup. Nissan has equipped the car with stiffer springs and dampers, as well as enhanced chassis bracing for increased rigidity. These adjustments work together to deliver a composed and stable ride during aggressive driving. While we didn’t get out to a track like Fuji Speedway, we were able to run the car through its paces in other controlled environments and noticed that the Z NISMO especially excels in its ability to remain planted, with minimal body roll and excellent weight transfer during cornering.
One of the only drawbacks and tradeoffs of this track-oriented setup is that there is no adaptive suspension, which results in a slightly reduced comfort but only on less-than-ideal roads. Given the environment we drove in and the quality of roads throughout Japan, we found the suspension to be adequate and comfortable enough for drives of up to three hours. Overall, the suspension feels purpose-built, providing a nice balance of predictability and capability.
Interior Design and Comfort
At the interior the car features some noteworthy upgrades, including supportive Recaro seats that kept us firmly in place during spirited driving. The materials used in the cabin, like Alcantara and red accents, emphasize the car’s sporty personality. The layout is driver-centric, with controls and gauges positioned for easy access and readability, which aligns with the car’s performance-first ethos.
However, the interior does feel slightly dated, particularly in comparison to some competitors. A few of the components, like the infotainment system and dashboard design, appear to have been carried over from previous generations, lacking the premium feel that some might expect in a car at this price point, especially in the States, where the car can cost upwards of $70,000 USD.
Additionally, while the Recaro seats provide excellent support and great styling, we did find one thing to be slightly annoying during long drives and that was the squeak of the top of the seat against the roof. That being said, this was largely due to us having the seat in the furthest possible position for comfort during longer drives and something that was easily tuned out by the eight-speaker Bose stereo setup.
Weight Considerations
At 3,704 pounds, the Z NISMO is the heaviest model in the current Z lineup but is by no means a “heavy” car. This weight increase comes from the additional chassis reinforcements, upgraded suspension components and wider tires. While these changes contribute to the car’s improved handling and stability, they also appear to have a slight impact on agility, particularly during quick transitions or in stop-and-go traffic.
When comparing to similarly classed vehicles like the GR Supra or Cayman, we noticed that the Z is slightly less nimble than these lighter competitors. The extra heft is most noticeable in tight corners, where the car’s dynamics can feel slightly slower compared to the lighter, more athletic competition. However, the NISMO’s wider tires and improved suspension help to counteract some of these effects, with overall grip and stability remaining strong.
Taking all of the above into consideration, we are quite impressed with the 2024 Nissan Z NISMO and feel that it is certainly one of those cars that captures the best of both worlds, in that it offers thrilling everyday driving as well as track-ready performance for those looking to push it to the redline.
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