Numbers first, because with the Nissan Z they are the story: 3.0 , 400 hp 350 lbft. Nissan built from 2022, in the decade the industry is turning electric. The shape is credited to Naoyuki Ohkoshi (exterior) / Takuya Yamashita (interior).
Where it came from
The Nissan Z, known in Japan and Indonesia as the Nissan Fairlady Z (Japanese: 日産・フェアレディZ, Hepburn: Nissan Fearedi Zetto), is the seventh generation of the Z-car line of sports cars manufactured by Nissan. The model succeeded the 370Z, using a modified and revised version of the previous generation's platform. The model also drops the numerical naming of the previous generations. The Z was introduced as a concept car in September 2020 as the Z Proto concept, and was announced as a production car form in August 2021. It featured Nissan's VR30DDTT engine and built on an evolution of Nissan FM Z34 platform, giving a model code "RZ34".
It also has two transmission options, a 6-speed manual and a 9-speed automatic transmission. Deliveries began in late 2022 and was offered with two trims, "Performance" and "Sport". More powerful and track-focused, Z Nismo was introduced in July 2023 with significant upgrades over the standard version. The Z is also involved in various motorsports, such as in Super GT and GT4 Racing. It is well received among car enthusiasts and motor publications with winning a Drive's Car of The Year award and becoming a finalist of World Car of The Year awards.
Under the skin
The engine is 3.0 the output is 400 hp 350 lbft. On the scales it comes to 1581 –. That is roughly 253 horsepower per tonne: genuine supercar pace. Drive goes through a 9-speed Jatco Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic transmission / JR913E/Mercedes-9G-Tronic automatic transmission / automatic / 6-speed FS6R31A manual transmission / manual. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. The wheelbase is 2550 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Nissan line-up the Nissan Z has a clear place: it replaced the Nissan 370Z (Z34); the factory was Kaminokawa, Tochigi (Nissan Motor Tochigi Plant), Japan. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Porsche Taycan, the Changan Automobile Avatr 11, the McLaren Artura. Nearby in the Nissan catalogue sit the Nissan N6 and the Nissan N7.
Owning one today
Buying one now means $28,300–$48,200 for a typical example, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,805–$4,542 a year. Insurance sits around $1,670–$2,490 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.