2024 Nissan Z NISMO Review: Fast, But 0-60 Isn't The Point

The Nissan (or Datsun if we are being historically accurate) Z car is the original Japanese performance car. Long before Supras, Skylines, STis, and Lancer Evos, the Z car was speeding around. The Z has been around in some way shape or form since 1969. That means it was up against absolute historical automotive monsters like the Plymouth Roadrunner, the original Dodge Charger, the Chevy Chevelle, and Ford Torino. My neighbor, who was a semi-professional drag racer in the 1970s, remembers street racing against Datsuns in his Mercury Cyclone. The Z has been here for a while, is what I'm getting at. When I saw that I was going to drive a 2024 Nissan Z Nismo, I was giddy. I had only seen a current Z car one other time (and I was driving it).

The current Nissan Z sits at a weird spot in the automotive landscape. Really, only the Toyota Supra can be compared to it, and that shares a running gear with the BMW Z4. Subaru doesn't have any house built performance cars (the BRZ is a Toyota at heart). The Mitsubishi Lancer has long shuffled off its mortal coil, and Honda has moved towards the "really mean sedan" route with the still very good Type R Civic. If you want an angry two door Japanese sports car, you are stuck between the BMW-engined Supra, or the Nissan Z. After a week behind the wheel of the Z, I think it's an easy choice to make.

All Z car trims–Sport, Performance, and NISMO–are powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that Nissan internally refers to by the catchy name of "VR30DDTT.". The Sport and Performance versions "only" have 400 horsepower, while the NISMO, the version I had for the week, generates 420 horsepower.

The NISMO trim manages to stand a little higher than just a goofy graphics package or slightly lowered suspension. In addition to the boost in horsepower, the interior has been wiped clean, leaving only Recaro seats, an infotainment system, and a few knobs for the air conditioning. No heated seats or power adjustable seats for you, but you can bring your race harness if you want. 

You also get a number of red accents all over the exterior and interior trim, and a unique front fascia that Nissan refers to as (and I'm not kidding) the "Grand-Nose." Grand indeed. The Chekhov's gun of the NISMO is its stock choice of tires for its 19-inch wheels, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600s, which are little more than an entire can of Flex Seal sprayed over the rims.

Let's start with what the Nissan Z NISMO isn't, and that's a normal car at all. The Sport and Performance Zs can likely do the work of a sports car and grand tourer pretty easily. You can live with one. Huskies are a little more difficult to train and maintain due to their high energy and intelligence, but they're a perfectly normal dog to own. Owning a Nissan Z NISMO as your only car would be like owning an alligator you taught how to open doors, at least marginally more difficult.

You have to be aware of steep driveways, potholes, and other road hazards, or you'll scrape on the ground. You can't carry anything around much larger than a backpack, and inclement weather will be your mortal enemy. I drove to a gravel parking lot with the Z and between the sticky tires picking up every stone and the undulating parking lot, I immediately thought "I am not supposed to be here."

The leather and Alcantara trimmed seats are comfortable enough, but only barely adjustable and hard to get in and out of. I had to practice folding myself in half and sort of falling into the car to get into the seat. But once I was in the seat and buckled in, I was suitably nestled in for the ride. "Climate control" would be a stretch for what type of HVAC system the Z has, as it possesses a mere three knobs: fan speed, a numbered temperature dial, and vent control. The inside was small enough that it didn't really have a hard time getting warm, but I can see that it isn't exactly a selling point of the car.

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As far as gauges and instruments go, the Z has a turbocharger boost gauge, a volt meter for some reason, and a turbo speed gauge. Never did those gauges become useful over the week, but I like them nonetheless. The Z NISMO also comes with a few extra screens on the digital instrument panel that show you the current G-forces and some other performance metrics. There are no rear seats, and only a shelf in the back that does double duty as the trunk as it's a liftback. 

That rounds out the little bit of an "interior" that the Z actually has. Most of the length of the car is rightfully dedicated to the engine bay. It's all about saving weight and having anything that approaches a well appointed interior is heavy. Writer Adoniram Judson said "There is no success without sacrifice." The success, here, being a really fast Nissan, and the sacrifice being the bare bones interior.

Despite the lack of inside creature comforts, the Z NISMO was an absolute blast to drive and I would suffer the spartan interior for hours on end just to drive the Z more. Although the Z's 9-speed automatic transmission propels the car to 60 miles per hour in more time than a comparable car like the BMW Z4's 3.9 seconds, at a somewhat lengthy 4.2 seconds, the grippy tires, stiff suspension, and P-38 Lightning-like cockpit of the Z made that highway speed sprint feel a lot more interesting. The Z4 is a fast and efficient bullet train you take to work, while the Z NISMO is a roller coaster on a school field trip when you're 11 years old.

The Z is much more exciting feeling. It might be the most fun I've had in a car on public roads. The Dunlop tires came into the fun equation a number of times as it was raining during a good portion of the week. Rain and wide slick tires don't always mix well, and I had to be very careful when I was driving to go get groceries or run errands. When I wanted to have fun while driving, however, the Z NISMO became a traction-less madhouse of noise and goofiness.

The regular public seemed to love this car. Visiting family, my aunts and uncles all gathered around the car admiring it with its Black Diamond Pearl paint job and red accents. All of my automotive-inclined friends wanted to sit in the passenger's seat and go for a ride. I was once getting groceries late at night and drove past some street racer type kids with a Mazda RX-8, Chrysler 300, and Honda Civic Sport. They all dropped what they were doing to admire the NISMO and stare at it. More than once, people would pull next to me in traffic and compliment the Z. It was as hilarious as the car.

You look cool sitting in it and behind the wheel, and you look uncoordinated and clumsy getting in and out of it. I think that's a fair trade off. It bears no semblance to every other car in the Wal-Mart parking lot, nor is it making any attempt to blend in. On that, it's so low to the ground, that I lost it in the parking lot more than once because a crossover parked next to it, completely obscuring it from view.

The 2024 Nissan Z NISMO starts at $64,990, putting another nail in the coffin of practicality. The only options I was graced with were kick plates and floor mats, which, with the destination charge, brought the price up to $66,985, right within the ballpark of a BMW Z4 and the 45th Anniversary Edition of the Toyota Supra. It's more than twice as expensive as a Subaru BRZ and more than $20,000 more than a Honda Civic Type R. The car itself is wild escapism on a set of four wheels, but the price is a shock back to reality.

It likely wouldn't be wise to own a Nissan Z NISMO as your daily driver without a more pedestrian backup. It would, however, be one of the greatest instances of "committing to the bit." All that said, I greatly enjoyed the NISMO and I wish more cars were capable of having as much fun as the Z seemed to be having, although the grille's demeanor could also be interpreted as the rictus grin of madness. I choose the former.