2022 Nissan Z Will Supposedly Have A 400HP V6 Engine And A $34,995 Base Price

The Internet is awash with the 2022 Nissan Z sports car's supposed production images released a couple of days ago, long before its imminent debut later this year. In a strange twist of fate, a knowledgeable member of 400Z Club forums has purportedly revealed the luscious specs of Nissan's newest Z car.

For starters, it will drop the 400Z monicker and will debut simply as the Nissan Z, hence our title. But in Japan, folks will be calling it the Fairlady Z. Next, the newest Z sports car will carry a $34,995 base price, which is around $10,000 less than a comparable Toyota GR Supra 2.0 or BMW Z4 sDrive30i.

But the most shocking news is the Z's 400-horsepower VR30DDTT V6 engine, the same power unit found under the hood of Infiniti's Q50 and Q60. Rear-wheel-drive is standard via a six-speed manual gearbox, but AWD may arrive in the Z Nismo variant, according to 400Zclub.com.

These revelations further cemented our suspicions of what's awaiting underneath the new Z's vintage-inspired body style. Apparently, the 2022 Nissan Z is a current-gen 370Z with different body panels and a 'heavily massaged' chassis with more aluminum bracings and lashings of carbon-fiber. Want proof? The base car's six-speed manual is a direct carryover from the 370Z.

The 2022 Nissan Z will also have an optional nine-speed automatic transmission from Mercedes-Benz, also found in the Nissan Titan and will come standard in future Infiniti vehicles. The new Z car will come with Type S and Type T packages at $5,000 each. The former has Brembo brakes, thicker sway bars, and additional oil coolers. On the other hand, the latter has power leather seats with heating and cooling, automatic cruise control, and more active safety features.

Standard across the range are Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, a digital dashboard, and a rear ducktail spoiler. Remember, nothing is official, and the specs/features are bound to change, but the 2022 Nissan Z is beginning to look like the sports car bargain of the new era.