New Nissan Z review: It's coming from Japan with talent to save the two-seat coupe

Verdict

Nissan’s Z coupe is coming to Europe! Driving the Japanese market’s Fairlady Z Version ST model reveals a fine two-seat sports car. The new twin-turbo V6 engine packs the same hefty punch as its naturally aspirated predecessor, but sounds much smoother. The Z steers beautifully, has a taut but acceptable ride, a versatile, nine-speed auto ‘box and a modernised, well built interior. It’s too early to say which versions will make it to the UK, but expect the subtly facelifted coupe, which goes into production this summer, hopefully topped by the flagship Nismo version with a six-speed manual and 414bhp.   

The Nissan Z’s twin-turbo V6 bellows bassily as it punches past 6,000rpm, then the shift lights blink red telling me to click the right paddle to engage fourth or hit the redline. The coupe’s inside tyres are loaded up in this banked corner, yet another ludicrously fast sweeper to sail through on the 10-mile climb to the Hakone Turnpike’s summit. 

This is one of those pinch yourself moments: a sunny day, the key to a domestic market Fairlady Z, and the road known as Japan’s Nürburgring largely to myself. But the great news is these sensations can soon be felt on the North Yorkshire Moors, Southend’s seafront or Snowdonia National Park, because the Z is – finally – coming to Europe. 

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Auto Express is in Japan to hear Nissan’s vision for how it fights back from a £1-billion six-month loss, seven factory closures and the company’s isolated position after its failed merger with Honda. One strand of its Re:Nissan plan is to create more ‘heartbeat’ cars such as the Z, and sell them more widely. And Nissan Europe’s onslaught of electric cars – new Nissan Leaf, Nissan Micra and Nissan Juke – should provide the CO2-emissions headroom to import a few hundred Zees for enthusiasts.

Fans of big-engined, rear-drive two-seaters – a species on the brink of extinction – are in for a treat. This seventh-generation Z’s snug cockpit will be instantly familiar to anyone who (like me) ran a 370Z, as they snuggle into its comfy, supportive sports seats: the pedals, handbrake, circular air vents, door handles and some switches have time-warped over.  

But Nissan calculates this Z is 80 per cent new, with the drivetrain the biggest overhaul. Out goes the naturally aspirated, 3.7-litre V6, replaced by a 3.0-litre breathed on by twin turbochargers. Peak power is 399bhp, backed up by 475Nm of torque. And while you can get a six-speed manual ‘box, our test car has a nine-speed automatic transmission, with DIY over-rides. 

The old V6 was as brawny and ballistic as John Rambo; in comparison, the new one is Ethan Hunt-subtle. Along Yokohama’s three-lane boulevards, the Z’s six is way down in the mix, with the auto box shifting rapidly up to to fifth at just 30mph, suppressing noise and boosting economy. Even when revved out to the 7k red line, the new engine sounds smooth and civilised, growling rather than screaming. Do that in my old 370Z roadster and it felt like the cabin would shake to bits.

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Adding forced induction hasn’t ruined the crisp throttle response, and the automatic gearbox – often the scourge of sports cars – is a pretty intuitive accomplice; wafting around town, the changes slush away in the background. But doing 50mph on the elevated expressway heading for Mount Fuji, there’s a gap to dash into: kick down and the Z drops four gears and 2,000 revs in an instant, keys into the torque wave and surges sweetly up to UK motorway speeds. 

Cruising along, the new coupe sounds as silent as an isolation tank compared with the raucous 370Z – though admittedly it has the advantage of a tin-top. The V6 and tyres hum quietly, and there’s a lick of wind, but long journeys won’t be anything like as harrowing. Weekends away are possible thanks to the shallow, broad cargo deck beneath the rear hatch, which will just about take an airplane carry-on and a couple of soft bags.       

The passive suspension – independent double wishbones up front and a multi-link rear – always feels taut but never brutal. You hear and experience the tyres skimming bumps and expansion joints, but the sensation is springy and well damped. Occasionally the front end tramlines along grooves in the road, but a dip of the wrists fixes it.

And the steering is lovely. There’s a big, circular wheel that doesn’t quite adjust far enough for reach. The rack isn’t as physically demanding as its predecessor’s, but it still has decent heft and is very measured and accurate in its responses.  

The dash is crowned by a digital driver’s display. This relays the Z’s driver-assistance systems – blind-spot warning, lane-keeping assist, forward collision detection, tyre pressures – but offers very little variation. Toggle from Standard to Sport mode to tweak the engine and steering maps, and the display doesn’t even change colour; it merely adds a G-Force monitor and more temperature gauges to complement the physical ones atop the dash. It usefully puts a massive rev counter front and centre though.  

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The big touchscreen thankfully runs wireless Apple CarPlay to help me navigate Japan’s bewildering network of tiered roads. But even with my seat cranked back against the rear bulkhead, the windscreen’s header rail feels close. And don’t even try to look over your left shoulder to pull away: it’s the mother of all blind spots.

Less than 90 minutes south west of Yokohama lies the Hakone Turnpike, a hotbed of Japanese car culture: not so long ago it was sponsored by Mazda. In the car park beneath its raised access road I meet Ian, a British emigre who’s hired a Toyota GT86 to explore the local roads with his patient wife in tow. All the flash performance cars are juxtaposed with the neighbouring grocery store, selling fresh fish and vegetables to disinterested locals.  

The Z rolls up to the toll booth, and after paying the 900 yen fee (about £4), I press the D-Mode beside the chunky gear selector to engage Sport, and floor it. The mechanical limited slip-differential smoothly feeds power to the rear wheels, whereas the old 370Z could easily overwhelm its back end.

The private, single-lane road is a crazy rush of sensations, an endless stream of third- and fourth-gear corners as the Z hurtles over short bridges and under canopies of blossom trees. Every now and again you steam up behind a Subaru or Toyota people carrier, sightseers here for the views of Mount Fuji not an automotive adrenaline rush.

There are overtaking lanes amusingly in wide corners rather than on straights, and with the front end gripping strongly and my knee pinned against the central tunnel, the Z swoops past. Meanwhile the tractable V6 is hauling away: revving out in third, punching up to fourth and accelerating again, banging back down to third, rinse and repeat.

The roads off at the summit are much tighter, a succession of hairpins hemmed in by foliage, demanding plenty of second gear. Press the brake pedal to wipe off speed for a corner and once you’ve got past the plasticky-feeling top end, the pistons wipe off speed in a convincing and linear manner. You can then thread the nose into the corner, the Z’s nose always feeling braced, the rear end bobbing and wiggling as you accelerate out – and onwards.

After downtown’s claustrophobic roads and pedestrian-choked crossings, it’s been a delight for the Z to cut loose in the countryside. It’s a magical, old-school day in an old-school coupe, one that will be a very welcome addition to Europe’s roads, for a very select few.