Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
As the Spring days are warming up, I received the 2024 Z Nismo by Nissan for an adrenaline filled week in this sports car. In the sports car class, Nissan offers the Z and the GT-R. The Nismo version that we received added a bit more excitement to the review period.
The Nissan Z-series is a model series of sports cars manufactured by Nissan since 1969. The original Z was first sold on October of 1969 in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z. Nissan has manufactured seven generations of Z-cars. Nissan Motorsports International abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan.
Upon first look you notice that the exterior of the Z Nismo has a sporty design that pops with the Black Diamond Pearl hue that our review model came with. You will notice LED lights all around, NISMO exclusive grille, front and rear fascia and side sills. Adding to the sporty design is the rear spoiler, dual exhaust with stainless steel finisher and red brake calipers. The front wheels come in at 19 x 10” in diameter and the wider rear 19 x 10.5 wheels wrapped in Dunlop® SP SPORT MAXX GT600 tires. These tires are super sticky and also used on GT-R. The purpose of these tires is to raise the Z NISMO’s handling limits.
Having been invited to speak at a Career Day event for local kids, showing off the 2024 Z NISMO was a treat. Hearing them point out the Exterior and Interior features surely brought about some new young fans into the Z generation.
The Z has seating for two people. The interior has enhancements that include red engine start and drive mode buttons, Graphite and Red leather Recaro seats and a leather and Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel. Giving the Z that track style race car feel, are three gauges that sit atop the dash.
The infotainment system in the Z Nismo comes with a lot of cool features such as a 9” HD color touch-screen display, Bluetooth connectivity, Siri Eyes Free and USB ports. The Nissan Connect infotainment system also comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio and a Bose premium audio sound system that helped pass the time as we were making our way around town. There is also a 12.3” NISMO gauge cluster.
The Z Nismo is a powerful vehicle with a twin-turbo engine kicking out 420 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque with 9-speed automatic transmission that has shift paddles. There is also unique stabilizer bars and a stiffer spring rate. Driving the Z around town was fun and exhilarating. It got up to speed quick and handled corners aggressively. This could also be used as commuter vehicle, just as long as you are not in Sport or Sport+ mode. The 2024 Z Nismo is a great sports vehicle with decent fuel economy coming in at 17 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg combined.
Nissan makes safety a priority giving the Z a range of standard driver assistance and safety technologies, including Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, High Beam Assist and Intelligent Forward Collision Warning.
The Z Nismo sits in a competitive car class going up against the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Supra GR 3.0, BMW M2, Subaru BRZ and the Toyota 86. The 2024 Z Nismo that we reviewed comes in at $66,985. Nissan offers a decent warranty package including a Bumper to Bumper warranty that covers three years or 36,000 miles, a Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles and Roadside assistance is included for three years/36,000 miles. The Z Nismo has a nimble feel and definitely an adrenaline filled ride. Please enjoy the photo gallery.
