2024 Nissan Z Nismo Road Test: The Z we wanted from the start

No other car I drove this year shocked me more than the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo. It’s a sports car greater than the sum of its parts, but I fear it’s also a sports car destined for obscurity and meager sales.

The optics are admittedly bad. While the other Z trims can be spec’d with a six-speed manual, the Nismo is only available with a nine-speed automatic transmission. It’s not even a dual-clutch or well-known torque converter-style transmission, such as the lovely ZF eight-speed, either. Curb weight stands at a shocking 3,704 pounds for this little two-door coupe, making it the heaviest Z by a wide margin, another demerit. To add further insult, the Nismo stickers for $66,085. In case you needed reminding, that’s essentially identical to the BMW M2’s starting price, more than a Mustang Dark Horse and apes the price of a fully-loaded Supra. Yikes.

Having pit the regular Z Performance against a GR Supra, I was doubtful the changes made to the Nismo would be enough to justify its price. And while that number is still tough to get over, from the driver’s seat, this Nismo is one rocking sports car that proves the haters wrong.

All the dynamic complaints we served to the Z in past reviews are remedied thanks to, takes deep breath, added front and rear underfloor bracing, stiffer suspension (and steering) bushings all around, more aggressive stabilizer bars, larger re-tuned dampers, stiffer spring rates, wider RAYS 19-inch wheels and some mega-sticky Dunlop SP SPORT MAXX GT600 tires.

These modifications take the Z from a middling sports coupe to a dead-serious sports car. The soft, bouncy chassis that once was is gone, and in its place is a glued, confidence-inspiring machine that begs to be driven hard. After the first pass on my usual test loop, I was legitimately wondering where the Nissan Z I drove before was, and who stole it? 

Nissan describes the Nismo’s steering as “one shot,” and I have to concur. Pick your line through a corner, and the Nismo willingly tucks in, staying flat, predictable and devoid of the chassis uneasiness that never goes away from the regular Z. It rides harder, and you feel more of the road through the seat of your pants, but I can’t help but feel the Nismo’s composure and handling are at the level the Z should’ve always been at. It no longer feels deficient to a GR Supra and is legitimately happy to be tasked with a technical backroad.

Many compliments must be paid to these Dunlop tires, which are far more aggressive than what you’d find on most sports cars in this price range. Track day enthusiasts will recognize the 200 treadwear rating and smile, knowing how much performance the rubber will pay you both on the street and on a racetrack. It’s hard to want for more grip on the road with how high the limits are now, and the much-stiffer chassis is perfectly paired to this spicier tire choice, remaining unruffled as you poke and prod at this Z’s newfound performance.

There are downsides to such an excellent performance tire, and they come in the form of road noise and an unforgivingly stiff ride. Not as though the Z was all that comfortable before, but the Nismo can be grating on a long highway jaunt, sending sharp jolts through the cabin on occasion alongside the never-ending dull roar of the Dunlops. Those are compromises I’m happy to make for what the car can do outside of daily driving, though, and I bet the majority of folks who would even consider a Nismo will think just the same.

On the topic of noise, the new exhaust is a real joy. The Nismo sounds like what I want every Z to sound like. Instead of just intake and turbo whooshing, you get to hear the exhaust wind up all the way from idle and through the rev range at a loud — but not overpowering —volume. It even provides a tasteful crackle on the overrun that doesn’t sound contrived or manufactured. The downside, again, is a bit of drone that never quite dissipates at highway speeds. A little bit of loud music can drown it out, but just a slight lean on the throttle will fill the cabin with the sound of this VR30DDTT’s trumpet.

The Nismo’s extra output – 20 horsepower and 34 pound-feet of torque – over the regular Z is a tangible increase and will have you lighting the rear tires up far easier than before. This engine was a rollicking time beforehand (perhaps the best part of the whole car) and the Nismo version gives it an extra step you feel up and down the tachometer, revving noticeably quicker than before.

This brings us to perhaps the most controversial piece of the Nismo puzzle, its required nine-speed automatic transmission. Nissan says it’s been “enhanced for faster and more dynamic shifting performance,” and it’s not kidding. Shifts are shockingly quick from each pull of the slender but shapely paddles, losing all of the regular Z’s sluggishness. No, it’s not Porsche PDK-quick or as rapid-fire as the ZF eight-speed can get, but in all my driving, there wasn’t one point in which I wished for a better transmission. This nine-speed is a shock to the system, and I came away much less upset about it being the only option than I was going into this test.

All the above said, c’mon, Nissan. There needs to be a manual option too!

So many other small upgrades to the Nismo add up to make this car great. Its manual Recaro bucket seats feature some mighty large bolsters that hold you in snug and position your body a good bit lower to the floor than the standard Z, mending one of my complaints about sitting up too high in that car. Its bigger brakes (both in front and rear) combined with better-performing pads give the pedal a more assured feel and a more immediate response when you call on them. Its combination leather and Alcantara steering wheel is both pretty to behold and  brings a touch more atmosphere to the equation. And did I mention the steering is leagues better than the non-Nismo? Because yes, its weighting and road feel are far more agreeable, with both the upgraded steering bushing and better tires to thank.

The Nismo’s exterior styling is very take-it-or-leave-it. This new Z is a gorgeous car, and all the red extra bits de-class it to a degree. But for the Nissan enthusiast, I’d wager it’s bold and cocky looking in all the right ways. Plus, the heavily revised grille design leaves folks with a distaste for the regular grille’s look with a different option, though I think both versions are attractive.

No matter how much praise I might toss at the driving experience, the Nismo option is still a shockingly expensive car for what you get. Unlike the regular Z, all of its added performance features make it a worse daily driver, so it’s a less versatile option at a much steeper price. Nissan being able to transform the somewhat deficient regular Z into this firecracker gives me hope that folks will be able to at least partially replicate this in the aftermarket, and perhaps even do so on a manual transmission-equipped car. From where the Z Performance stands to the Nismo is a massive gulf of performance, drama and sheer driving joy. I can only truly recommend the Nissan or Japanese sports car enthusiast buy it as a weekend or track day toy. And if you drove a Z and found it lacking before, but were holding out hope for an improved variant, I can promise the better one is officially here. Go give the Nismo the full chance it deserves.