Peter Brock drives the 2023 Nissan Z

He said the auto was a second and a half quicker in the quarter. That's crazy

Awesome car, so happy with just about every decision they made on it.

One quibble though, the LSD is not included in the base car, you have to spring 10k for the Performance package, which includes things not everyone will want. Like bigger staggered wheels, leather, spoilers, 9 speaker bose audio, etc. Offering a RWD sports car with an open diff is near criminal, either make it standard and bump the base price a little, or offer it as a standalone option you can check. This is a big problem because the base car is quite a bit cheaper then Supra, but the Performance package version is effectively the same cost as the base 3.0 6cyl Supra.

Maybe they could offer a Track package and include the LSD and the big brakes for like 5k or something. Most enthusiasts are going to want to buy their own wheels and tires and not want the extra weight of the other luxury items that are included in the Performance package.

SupraFiend said:

Offering a RWD sports car with an open diff is near criminal

Mazda has gotten away with it for 30 some odd years with  minimal complaints. 

Counterpoint: It has way more HP than a miata

Counter-Counterpoint: It also has standard traction control, etc

Base Elise also had no LSD and is considered one of the best handling vehicles ever produced.

Is an LSD a big deal for a street car? Not really. Is an LSD worth 10 grand and other forced 'upgrades'? Not at all. Would I be voiding the warranty on a few things in short order if I were in the market for a Z? You betcha. 

Ideally it wouldn't have to be my DD, just could be so a base 6MT Type S would be the way but I've got a tickle in my noggin' that says that that combo isn't offered.

"Nice, lightweight, contemporary-looking wheels, yes, but I have this personal aversion to all-black wheels with black tires. With no circular design element separating tire from wheel, such as a simple polished rim, the dull all-black combination creates two massive dark holes in the Z’s side view that tend to disrupt the car’s visual form. "

I'm glad to hear this from a good automotive designer, it's a fad I don't like either.

Wow, a second and a half faster is a lot. Guess it makes sense on a turbo car though, no time spent building boost and tighter ratio spacing with 3 more gears.

I just watched the video for the first time - I was struck by how narrow the car looks. None of the pics I've looked at really showed a head-on shot like the videos do, and it seems like they maximized the cabin width, probably for interior space, but it spoils the bulging fender look a bit. I still like it, just needs some good concave (non black!) wheels to make it look a bit less slab sided.

In reply to gearheadE30 :

The stick has a no-lift-shift feature though.

Perhaps not gospel but the 0.5 second difference in this video between automatic and stick seems more reasonable:

https://www.carvibz.com/drag-races/2023-nissan-z-performance-drag-races-toyota-supra-3-0-and-mustang-mach-1-gets-left-behind/

Love the new Z but I just bought a new car.

You picked the wrong guy to test drive the Z.....

My appreciation for various design styles must be changing but I can't get over how bland and awkward the new Z looks. I used to love that shape, the Jaguar E-Type look that was also present on the original Z cars. The TVRs, RX7 and Supra could all be classified among the same design philopshy.

I recently saw a new Jaguar XJ and was kinda like "meh".

Alternatively, I find the homoglation-esque specials of hatchback to be really exciting. The GR Yaris and Corolla, the RS3 and RS6, heck even the Hyundia Ioniq 5 gives me really strong Delta Integral vibes. 

Are sports coupes just not aggressive enough anymore?