Nissan Z review

Hmm. It’s a bit fatter than even the 370Z, even though it looks lighter. Does it have the go to match the show?

To be honest, spec for spec, the Z is probably only 30kg heavier than the 370Z (the doors, bonnet and tailgate are aluminium to help), and has another 60-odd bhp, plus more torque, so it more than offsets that slight incremental pudge. It’s faster off the mark, faster through the gears and almost more importantly, feels more lively changing direction and on the brakes. The V6 spins sweetly enough, the turbos spool up relatively early somewhere under 2,500rpm, and the boost is well managed - there’s no big head-snapper of a rush, but muscular pull all the way through to the 6,800rpm redline. That’s actually a good way to describe this car - it’s muscular rather than muscle-bound. Probably the most useful aspect is running some medium-speed in-gear pulls; there’s a lovely mid-range band of power that you can play in without constantly wringing the guts out of the engine, and it makes for safe, secure overtakes or happy cross-country pace. There’s rarely a ‘wrong’ gear, and it definitely suited the swoopy American backroads on which TG tested.

Does that mean it wouldn’t suit a UK B-road?

At medium pace it would be grand, but start changing direction hard and the Z would probably feel a little lazy to European tastes. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way that it goes about things, but there’s a tendency to have to let it set the suspension as you progress through a corner, and it likes to lean on the outside front wheel as it passes over its own diagonal. Once settled, it has lots of easy-feeling grip and good communication, so there’s nothing worrying here - just that the US set-up has obviously threaded some ride quality and steering softness into the mix. But that makes it a very easy cruiser, so the compromise is the right way for the USA. Rapid transit on flowing Nevadan backroads was stand-out fun, even though you do get up to slightly antisocial speeds if you’re not careful. It’s still got 400bhp.

It sounds like a fun car.

Bluntly, it is. One thing that stands out is that you really can make the car dive around a little without threatening yourself or anyone else. Stand on the brakes and the car gives you a generous tip forwards - something that’s quite good for feedback - and if you commit and turn while still under load, the car will present you with on-demand oversteer. Best bit? It’s easy, controllable and fun, and yet the car has the power to keep things going if you feel like it. It’s also got enough steering lock to pivot you out of quite large angles if you manage to get too cocky on middle-of-nowhere dirt desert backroads. Allegedly.

The Manual ‘box is sweet and short, the auto deft and easy, and there’s launch control for both, and rev-matching for the manual. Pity TG spent a long time mastering the art of heel’n’toe, because it does well. As a car to be involved in - though possibly not quite as fast as the automatic - the manual is the one to have. Unless you’re doing a large proportion of traffic, it’s just a little bit more involving, and the clutch is light enough for it not to be too intrusive. The one thing that the Z really needs is a bit more noise. Some turbo chuff, a bit more heavy-metal for the exhaust - just something to make it a little bit more angry. Nissan already knows it: we noticed that one of the test cars on the launch already had a louder, harder-edged ‘prototype’ sports exhaust… they’re not daft, these people.