{"id":29636,"date":"2022-08-11T08:29:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T12:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29636"},"modified":"2022-08-12T08:30:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T12:30:02","slug":"payne-a-nissan-z-worthy-of-the-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/payne-a-nissan-z-worthy-of-the-letter","title":{"rendered":"Payne: A Nissan Z worthy of the letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elmira<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 One of the first sports cars I rode shotgun in as a kid was the 1970 Datsun 240Z. On a race track. Red. Fat tires. Manual shifter. Inline 6-cylinder engine. Bubble headlights. Two-door fastback. Hood that went on forever. Ooooh, I loved that car. No generation of Z has measured up since.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

The redesigned\u00a0seventh-generation Z sitting in my driveway is a stunner. Perhaps because it\u2019s inspired by the original \u201970. Red. Fat tires. Manual shifter. V-6 engine. Bubble headlights. Two-door fastback. Long hood. Like Mustang returning to its design roots with the fifth-gen\u00a02005 pony car, the Z updates the original 240Z design for the 21st century. Since photos of the sleek \u201cZ Proto\u201d concept car first appeared in 2020, anticipation has run high, and the production car doesn\u2019t disappoint. When I drove it north to Lake Charlevoix for a weekend, it turned heads wherever it went.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I would definitely take that over the Supra,\u201d said one male admirer, referring to Z\u2019s Toyota arch-enemy and its polarizing nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cTHAT is a gorgeous car,\u201d said a female pal.<\/p>\n

\u201cCool, looks like the original 240Z,\u201d said a racing buddy.<\/p>\n

Walk around the sleek coupe and it\u2019s apparent why Nissan decided to call it simply Z. This is a car in search of its roots. \u201cThe original 240Z was built to bring the joy and excitement of sports car ownership,\u201d says Nissan\u2019s media materials. \u201cThat spirit and heritage continue today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though it sits on the same ol\u2019 chassis as the last-gen, Z reaches back to the lean looks of its famous ancestor. The design is simple, purposeful. The bubble headlight theme is repeated in the door handles and fuel door.<\/p>\n

Nissan Z is more than a pretty dress.<\/p>\n

Below decks is a modern interior strapped to a rocket of an engine. The old nail\u00a03.7-liter V-6 has been tossed for a glorious\u00a0twin-turbo, 3.0-liter mill putting out 400 horses and 350 pound feet of torque. That\u2019s a gain of 20% and 30% respectively. Mmmm, Z-esty.<\/p>\n

\"All<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Pulling onto M-32 east of Elmira \u2014 my favorite northern, twisty road \u2014 I downshifted Z into third, then blitzed a series of S turns, emerging onto a short straightway with the six howling.<\/p>\n

The twin turbos (assisted by a lightweight, carbon-fiber driveshaft) do their job, providing the engine with good low-end torque \u2014 but it doesn\u2019t stop there. WHAP! The tach hits the 7,000 RPM redline before I can shift into fourth, pulling strong across the rev range. The V-6 roar encourages high revs even if it\u2019s not as distinctive as other songbirds in its class: Camaro-Mustang-Corvette V8s, Supra inline-6, Porsche Cayman GTS flat-6.<\/p>\n

Pushing hard along M-32, I\u2019m aware this is a 3,536-pound sled. It lacks the knife-edge precision of the class standard, 3,200-pound Cayman GTS \u2014 but it also costs, ahem, $45K\u00a0less. Handling is predictable with welcome push at the limit.<\/p>\n

Returning home along M-32, a downpour swept in from Lake Michigan. Wet roads are tricky for rear-wheel-drive sports cars, but Z was unruffled. The electronics provided\u00a0welcome stability even when I tried to fluster the car\u00a0with excess throttle.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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In dry conditions at M1 Concourse\u2019s Champion Motor Speedway in Pontiac, Z\u2019s neutral handling was an unexpected delight. It was poised through Turn 10\u2019s difficult\u00a0off-camber sweeper. But its Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires and brakes hold it back. Coming out of the Turn 5 hairpin onto the back straight, traction was limited, and after a few laps the brakes got squishy under hard braking.<\/p>\n

Seems Nissan is holding something back for the rumored\u00a0track-focused NISMO edition. Add Michigan Pilot Sport Cup 2s, Brembo brakes\u00a0and stiffer shocks, and Z would make a fine track rat. For now, playful arch-rival Supra and\u00a0Mustang Mach 1 (complete with adaptive dampers) have better track tools.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

More problematic is my Performance model\u2019s six-speed stick. In a coupe that loves to be rowed, the shifter felt rubbery, especially in crucial 3-to-4 shifts. Once again, Porsche sets the bar on manual shifters, but Z also pales next to an Acura Integra.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a member of the #SaveTheManuals club, but in the case of the Z, the automatic with steering column-based paddle shifters is worth a look. On the plus side, the stick\u2019s \u201cS-Shift\u201d button enabled rev-matching for flawless manual downshifts.<\/p>\n

Not only does it sound bold, but S-Shift saves heel-and-toe\u00a0shifting on busy tracks like M1. S-Shift is part of a unique set of carry-over controls from the last-gen Z like FORWARD\/AFT buttons on the console side of the seat.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Clearing the squashed greenhouse on entry ain\u2019t easy for us six-footers. That coupe looks cool on the outside, but inside it\u2019s a pillbox with limited windshield space. Thank the mirror and front-facing camera behind it. C-pillar visibility? Fuhgeddaboudit. Happily, blind-spot assist is standard \u2014 in line with Nissan\u2019s typically generous safety packages.<\/p>\n

My reward, once folded inside, was a reworked interior with three\u00a0dash-mounted\u00a0classic analog pod gauges mixed with the latest digital display tech. I preferred the customizable\u00a0SPORT setting that rotates the tachometer so the 7,000 RPM redline is in the 12 o’clock position.<\/p>\n

The standard tech upgrades are good news for Z drivers who want to hit the road. On my long trip up I-75 to Charlevoix, Z\u2019s standard adaptive cruise control (a rare feature for manuals) made for easy highway cruising. As did the seats \u2014 not a given in a class of sports car where heavily bolstered seats can eat your kidneys. My Performance model’s red leather and Alcantara seats (also available in blue) fit like a glove.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Some shoppers will regret the lack of a rear seat (which, even in cramped \u2019Stangs and Camaros\u00a0welcome small passenger or luggage). But the rear hatchback is roomy and easily swallowed the baggage I needed for my trip north.<\/p>\n

The rear of the car is as pleasing as the retro front with its twin pipes and blacked-out light bar punctuated by horizontal corner lights. That latter is another nod to the OG Datsun \u2014 and welcome improvement from the sixth-gen car\u2019s awkward boomerang lights.\u00a0Check out my lights, do they make me look fat?<\/em>\u00a0Coming and going, the Z-exy Nissan gets noticed. And at a price that puts it at the affordable end of the mid-level sports car segment.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what attracted me to Z 50 years ago. Welcome back, Z.<\/p>\n

2023 Nissan Z<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car<\/p>\n

Price: $41,015, including $1,025 destination fee ($53,610 Performance model as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6<\/p>\n

Power: 400 horsepower, 350 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 6-speed manual (as tested), 9-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 155 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 3,536 pounds (as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA, 18 mpg city\/24 highway\/20 combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Striking looks; balanced handling<\/p>\n

Lows: Lacks tires, brakes for track duty; porky chassis<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elmira\u00a0\u2014 One of the first sports cars I rode shotgun in as a kid was the 1970 Datsun 240Z. On a race track. Red. Fat tires. Manual shifter. Inline 6-cylinder engine. Bubble headlights. Two-door fastback. Hood that went on forever. Ooooh, I loved that car. No generation of Z has measured up since. Until now. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29637,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29636\/revisions\/29637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}