Review: 2022 Nissan Z

Review: 2022 Nissan Z

Winner of the 2024 Drive Car of the Year Award for Australia's Best Sports Coupe

The Nissan Z, or Fairlady, has been one of the most iconic sports cars for decades with a cult following.

Over 50 years of history, spread across six generations, has led to the creation of the all-new Nissan Z.

The question is - does this blend of heritage and new technology create a good car?

We took it out on the streets of Brisbane to find out.

Initial Impressions

Any old-school Nissan Z fan will immediately recognise many of the key design elements from previous generations. The front of the car resembles the timeless design seen on the Nissan 240Z in the '70s, while the rear is based on the Nissan 300ZX from the '90s. It comes together in a way that stands out instantly and as we found out later, turns heads on the street.

The classic Z styling continues inside, but now with a more technologically advanced twist. If you have driven any other generation of Z you will feel at home with the stacked layout of three gauges above the air conditioning and infotainment, but this isn’t a recycled interior from previous models. This is made obvious by the 12.3” digital display sitting behind the steering wheel, full of features to rival that of the luxury European sports cars.

Driveability

Without a doubt, the all-new Nissan Z is fast! Seriously fast! Nissan has brought back the use of twin turbochargers as they first did on the 300ZX and this is a welcomed change from the more recent naturally aspirated models.

Now powered by a 3.0L twin-turbo V6, the Z produces 298kW of power, 33kW more than the outgoing 370Z. The addition of two turbos has also increased the torque output to 475Nm. Which is a whopping increase of 112Nm of torque over the 370Z!

This means when you put your foot down at any speed and the Z will take off and leave nearly any competitor in the rearview mirror. What makes this experience even better is the fact it can be optioned with either a 9-speed automatic gearbox or the fantastic 6-speed manual gearbox which was in the car we reviewed. 

Nissan deserves to be praised for continuing to offer a car such as the Z with a manual gearbox. It is direct and smooth, combine this with the addition of integrated shift lights in the dash telling you when to make the optimum gear change and you have an experience that makes you feel like a GT4 racer.

One thing you will notice in the all-new Z is the S-Mode button near the gear shifter, this activates a whole range of cool driving features designed to enhance the manual driving experience. This includes launch control, flat shifting and automatic rev-matching on downshifts. This is a cool feature seen in many European sports cars but the best thing is that unlike many of its European counterparts you can switch this off at any stage.

This new Nissan Z is not a one-trick pony that just goes fast in a straight line, it is a thoroughbred sports car. Since the Z is now packed with more technology than ever before, it has gained some weight which can be felt on the mountain roads around Brisbane.

Although it sits in the middle of the competition once weighed on the scales, it is still an extremely accomplished drive on the twisty roads. The new mechanical limited-slip differential helps distribute the power through the rear Rays Engineering wheels (arguably one of the best wheel makers in the world), wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza tyres to maximise your traction out of corners.

Getting you back up to speed quickly ready to dive on the strong brakes for the next hairpin corner. It is a recipe that does make for some exciting and fun driving.

Liveability

This is a Z for modern times which means there is more modern technology than you can poke a stick at.

The first example of this catches your eye as soon as you get in the car. The instrument cluster has been replaced with an impressive 12.3” digital display which not only displays your speed and revs but a whole suite of additional features. This includes monitoring engine oil temperature and pressure, water temperature, differential oil temperature, speed limit recognition, tyre pressure and g-forces.

Digital displays like these are becoming more and more common however the Z is a step above with detailed graphics and a crisp, sharp display. 

Infotainment in the car is controlled through an 8” touchscreen display which plays through the impressive 8-speaker Bose sound system. The touchscreen is fairly quick and responsive, not as fast as some other systems but nothing you would notice unless you are in and out of a lot of premium cars.

Apple CarPlay & Android Auto are standard, in the new Z, which is great, but it needs to be connected through the standard USB port, not the USB-C port. Unfortunately, this means you cannot fast charge your phone and use CarPlay at the same time. However, these are minor concerns given the fact that the Nissan Z has everything you need and more.

Plus, this is a sports car and you are here for the driving experience.  

There are no useless back seats in the Z. Unlike the competition which has back seats that can only be used by those without legs, the Z is a true two-seater sports car. This gives you more cargo space through the rear hatch, however, having your items slide around behind your head may be an unusual experience for anyone who hasn’t owned a similar car before.

The heated electric seats in the Z are comfortable and do a decent job of hugging you and providing support when needed.

Pricing

When building your dream Z there are not a lot of options. To begin with, there is one trim level and this starts at $80,095 driveaway.

You can select either a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed automatic gearbox at no extra cost. There is a range of paint options available, these start at the base price for Rosewood Red Metallic, and step up to $80,830 for the more premium Gun Metallic and Black Diamond Metallic.

You can take your Z one step further by selecting one of the six different two-tone paint options available for $81,355 driveaway. It must be said that these premium paint options look fantastic and really pop when driving down the road.

The last option you can pick when building your Z is either a full black interior or a black interior with red accents and stitching, this is a no added cost option. 

Summary

The ‘90s are often regarded as the golden age for affordable sports cars but after the turn of the century, there weren’t many options besides a Nissan 350Z or 370Z. In the last few years, there has been a resurgence of affordable, fun and competent sports cars.

The fact that the all-new Z stands out amongst this now-busy crowd, is a testament to the fantastic job the team at Nissan has done.

If you are looking for a car that is packed with the latest technology, stands out on the road amongst the gaggle of identical-looking SUVs and has enough power to leave the smug European sports cars in the rearview mirror, then the all-new Z is for you!​