The Japanese automaker says it has taken Z performance to new heights - one of the Land Down Under's "most challenging — and exhilarating — hill climbs," Lake Mountain in Victoria, Australia, a well-known cross-country ski resort during the winter.
Not long ago, Nissan offered the Z Nismo online for the first time for the specification and reservation process. That initial 100-vehicle allocation sold out in a record 53 minutes, but now the most performance-focused model in the Z family is available for everyone through the Nissan Australia dealerships. Now, it has gone up one of the country's most challenging hill climbs to celebrate.
"As soon as we saw the pent-up demand for the Nissan Z Nismo and the speed at which our first allocation was exhausted, we knew there would be fans of this iconic vehicle which had missed out on securing one for themselves," says Nissan Australia Managing Director, Andrew Humberstone. "That is why I'm so thrilled we've been able to secure additional vehicles to meet that demand. The Z NISMO is now available to be ordered through our Nissan dealer network, with deliveries to begin almost immediately. The Z NISMO is a vehicle that needs to be driven to be believed, and we're so happy that even more Australians will now get the chance to do exactly that."
Lake Mountain is not only home to the same-name cross-country ski resort but is also "one of Australia's most-celebrated roads" where many automakers benchmark their cars for performance, all thanks to the wide variety and sheer number of corners spread out along just 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of road. Nissan believes the route was like 'tailor-made' for the Z Nismo as the performance sports car climbed from Marysville in Victoria to the top of the Cathedral Range State Park.
In Australia, the Z Nismo packs the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 as the regular Z but with additional oomph – now capped at 414 horsepower and 520 Nm (384 lb-ft), slightly below the US rating of 420 hp and 384 lb-ft. On the other hand, the pricing is also a tad lower – AUD 94k translates to $61,410 as opposed to a 2024 Z Nismo that starts from $65,750 in America.
The credentials, on the other hand, are mostly the same, starting with the Nismo-tuned nine-speed automatic with paddle shifters and continuing with the bespoke interior and exterior Nismo styling details, 19-inch Rays in gloss black, bigger brakes, as well all the other Nismo goodies: aerodynamic, chassis, and tire enhancements; Sport+ driving mode; launch control; Active Sound Control; and the Nismo-branded Recaro front seats.
The only downside is that heated and powered front seats are not available on the Z Nismo, but that probably doesn't matter much for Nissan enthusiasts. It would have been way better if the company compensated that with a timed lap of the Lake Mountain hill climb, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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