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The 2023 Nissan Z Is a Legend Revived With a Few Drawbacks, Says Doug DeMuro

Clearly, there’s no mistaking that Nissan has just killed off the GR Supra’s base four-cylinder variant by offering six cylinders for less money. The question is, did Nissan deliver a better sports car than the Supra 3.0?
Doug DeMuro's 2023 Nissan Z review 35 photos
Photo: Doug DeMuro on YouTube
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Well, it depends on the customer’s preference. Doug DeMuro, for example, has given the all-new Z a grand total of 62 points out of a total of 100, which is a perfect match for the Supra 3.0 on the leaderboard. Only the C8 is higher with 64 points for the Stingray, the pushrod V8-engined Chevy Corvette.

The blue-painted car in the featured clip is dubbed Performance, which is the better-equipped sibling of the Sport base trim level. Priced at $49,990 excluding destination charge as opposed to $39,990 for the Sport and $43,540 for the four-pot Supra, the Performance with the six-speed manual is rocking a launch assist control system and rev-matching technology.

“Unfortunately, this powertrain doesn’t quite sound as good as the old naturally-aspirated engine,” said Doug DeMuro. Based on an evolution of the FM platform that underpinned the 370Z, the Z uses the VR30DDTT of the Infiniti Q50, Infiniti Q60, and the Japan-spec Nissan Skyline sedan.

Tuned to produce 400 horsepower at 6,400 revolutions per minute and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) of torque at 1,600 through 5,600 revolutions per minute, the 3.0-liter V6 is limited to 6,800 rpm even though the redline on the digital instrument cluster says 7,000 rpm. Doug isn’t a big fan of the manual transmission, though, describing it as too light, too rubbery, and too notchy. The springy clutch also takes away from the driving experience.

The interior could’ve been a little better as well given the plethora of carryover elements. “The Supra has a nicer interior, no question about it; certainly has better tech and better materials,” added the auto vlogger.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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.
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