The 2024 Nissan Z is a blast from the past and a pure fun machine

We made several passes through Tennessee’s Tail of the Dragon in a new Z with the 6-speed manual. Oh, momma: 400 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, and sufficient agility to make a gazelle (and a car reviewer) weep, the Z is a driver’s car, pure and simple.

2024 Nissan Z pricing

The 2024 Nissan Z starts at $42,210. That may sound like a lot for a small sports coupe, but when you consider the package and the thrills it delivers, it’s a bargain. The Toyota
TM,
+1.51%
GR Supra starts closer to $45K, while the smaller Subaru
FUJHY,
-1.39%
BRZ, Toyota GR 86 and Mazda MX-5 Miata all kick off closer to $30K. As evidenced by the limited company it keeps, the Z is a rare bird, indeed. Of course, if you hunger for even more thrills from a Nissan nameplate, there’s always the $120,990 GT-R.

See: The 2024 Toyota GR Supra review: An enthusiast’s machine with plenty of muscle, speed and agility

Nissan offers the 2024 Z in three trim levels: Z Sport, Z Performance, and Z Nismo. For the extra $10,000 commanded by the Performance model, you get goodies like a limited-slip differential, bigger wheels, larger brakes, and a performance-tuned exhaust. Starting at $64,990, the Nismo model turns up the heat further as a more track-focused sports car with the aesthetics to match.

The cost of the manual and automatic transmission are the same for the Sport and Performance trims.

You may also be able to find a 2023 Nissan Z Proto Spec model on a dealer’s lot. It was a limited-edition model for the Z’s launch. If so, it will set you back about $54,000.

These estimates are for the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices and don’t include the $1,095 factory-to-dealer delivery fee (destination charge).

Before buying the Z, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

What’s new for 2024?

The big news for the 2024 Nissan Z is the arrival of the Z Nismo. This trim level adds 20 horsepower (to 420) and 34 lb-ft of torque (totaling 384). Its 9-speed automatic — the only transmission available for the Nismo — has been retuned for track use and shifts in half the time of the Z Performance. The oil cooler, brakes, suspension, tires, and body rigidity also boast track-oriented enhancements. Exterior styling tweaks include a Nismo-specific front fascia, while the interior features leather and Alcantara Recaro seats with red inserts, plus a new steering wheel. In addition, for 2024, Amazon
AMZN,
+2.11%
Alexa is standard on the Z Performance and Z Nismo.

Power, ride, and handling

The Z draws its zoom from a 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6. We don’t perform 0-60 mph acceleration tests, but those that do peg the Z’s sprint to 60 miles per hour at under 5.0 seconds. If accurate, it translates into a time at least half a tick slower than Toyota’s claim for the 6-cylinder GR Supra. It also makes it about one tick quicker than the Subaru BRZ. However, acceleration isn’t everything, right? In the Z, Nissan engineers have locked in a degree of nimbleness and agility that demands visits to mountain country roads. On one cool November morning, we had Tennessee’s famed Tail of the Dragon and its 318 curves almost to ourselves. We made at least a half dozen round-trip passes back and forth across the mountain in a Z with the 6-speed manual, enjoying all 1,800+ turns and the straight bits between them.

Despite its performance chops, the Z is well suited for around-town jaunts, too. However, you’ll lean on its backup camera and rear cross-traffic alert when backing out of a parking spot or driveway.

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Fuel economy

With the 9-speed automatic transmission, the two lower trims of the Z deliver 22 miles per gallon in mixed driving. The Nismo trim drops that number to 19 mpg. This is measurably less than the Toyota GR Supra’s 26 mpg with its turbocharged 6-cylinder mill and 8-speed automatic transmission. The Mazda
MZDAY,
-0.45%
MX-5 Miata does better at 29 mpg. When comparing the mileage between the Z and Supra with manual transmissions, the contest is neck and neck with the Z’s 20 mpg and Supra’s 21 mpg.

Check out: The 2023 Mazda MX-5 Miata: The little sports car with big capacity for fun

It’s a cockpit

Once we shoehorned ourselves into the driver’s seat, we could easily imagine the feeling of command a fighter pilot must get. The cabin is comfortable, albeit a bit tight in width. However, six-footers will find adequate legroom. In fact, at 42.9 inches, it has a bit more legroom than the Toyota GR Supra (42.2 inches). Headroom is about the same with the Supra claiming a 0.1-inch advantage. The Subaru BRZ has roughly 1.2 inches less headroom than the Z. Surprisingly, the Z’s 6.9 cubic feet (roughly seven basketballs) of trunk space outshines the Mazda MX-Miata and BRZ; however, the Supra offers more.

Blast from the past

Nissan didn’t stray far from the styling roots of the original 1969 240Z. The latest interpretation is rounder, but the general shape remains.

Our favorite features and tech

Available 6-speed manual
Performance cars increasingly rely on dual-clutch automatic transmissions as the sole gearbox choice. While they retain a manual sequential shift capability through paddles, some enthusiasts prefer an old-fashioned gear selector with a manual clutch. Nissan recognizes how important the manual is to these buyers, and that’s why one is available in the Z at no additional cost.

Power On Shift
Available with the 6-speed manual transmission, Power On Shift allows the driver to keep the gas pedal floored during shifts. This makes for smoother, quicker shifting.

Twin-turbo V6
Providing the Z with its power creds is a 400-horsepower V6 that also produces 350 lb-ft of torque.

Iconic styling
The 2023 Nissan Z retains the long hood with short front and rear overhangs that have defined Nissan’s sports car since the first 240Z arrived in 1969. Designers included a nod to the 1990s-era 300ZX with the Z’s sleek 3-D signature LED taillights.

Driver-assist tech
Every Z comes with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Adaptive cruise control
Once you have engaged the system and set the speed, it will maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front, braking and accelerating as needed. Nice for relaxing a bit on the way home from the track.

You might like: Toyota shows off fully electric GR-type sports coupe concept

Twin-turbo V6

So confident is Nissan in the Z’s twin-turbo V6 that it’s the only engine it offers in the Z. That’s high praise, indeed. It doesn’t deliver the quickest sprints to 60 mph or provide the best fuel economy in the segment, but it does provide all the thrust most of us will ever want. One caveat we have is the lack of an all-wheel-drive option to make better use of the Z’s power. However, there is something to be said for not adding the extra weight.

Twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6
400 horsepower
350 lb-ft of torque
EPA combined fuel economy: 22 mpg with the 9-speed automatic (19 city, 28 highway), 20 mpg with the 6-speed manual (18 city, 24 highway)

Safety ratings

Standard safety features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, plus lane-departure and blind-spot warning. Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has safety tested the Z.

Read next: The 2024 Nissan GT-R review: An old-school sports car that delivers high-performance thrills

3-year/36,000-mile warranty

The Nissan Z’s basic new car warranty is for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The powertrain warranty is for five years or 60,000 miles. This is typical for the segment.

KBB’s car review  methodology.

This story originally ran on KBB.com.