Byron Glover from Drive 615 had the opportunity of checking out the all-new Z in two configurations, one with the six-speed manual and the other with the nine-speed automatic produced by Nissan under license from Mercedes. The Boulder Gray-painted car is a Z Performance with Bridgestone Potenza S007 performance tires, while the Passion Red TriCoat-painted car is the lesser Z Sport that gets Yokohama Advans.
First things first, let’s go through what you’re getting with each trim level. The Z Sport rides on 18-inch Rays dark-painted alloys, and standard goodies further include black woven cloth seats with an eight-way manual driver seat and a four-way manual passenger seat.
The Z Performance sweetens the deal with a mechanical clutch-type LSD regardless of transmission choice, 19-inch Rays forged alloys, a rear spoiler that mitigates lift, leather-appointed heated seats with four-way power adjustments for the driver and passenger, 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment with Navigation and NissanConnect Services, Wi-Fi hotspot, and eight-speaker Bose audio with Active Noise Cancellation.
Customers of the manual-equipped Z Performance, which promises to be the most fun of the lot until the NISMO shows up, can look forward to an advanced launch assist control system. Of course, automatic models also receive launch control. Manual-equipped Zs feature a carbon-fiber driveshaft, whereas Performance Zs level up to the SynchoRev Match that frankly shouldn’t exist in the first place. As Jason Cammisa once said in a review for the Porsche 911R, you shouldn’t be driving a 911 if you intend to use the rev-matching function rather than doing it the old-school way.
The videos uploaded by the gentleman behind Drive 615 also include ride-alongs, which are reassuringly loud even though we’re dealing with a force-fed V6. From a displacement of 3.0 liters, the VR30DDTT produces a very respectable 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) of torque. The BMW B58-engined Toyota GR Supra may be torquier, but on the other hand, there’s no manual to speak of. At least not for the time being…
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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