2027 Manual Nismo-Motortrend

[JWG]

No, no long-term issue, other than reduced power.

Ill see if I can get a nismo test drive at some point. My ctr test drive put that head and shoulders above my 370z.

 

[Crownleyian]

See..!? Nissan was right auto is faster!

 

[romancao]

I own a 27 with the MT. Very fun car to drive. Analog vibes. Notchy short throw shifter. With looks to match. The RZ34 is one of only a handful of current cars that looks amazing at every angle: the 911 and the Emira being the others. You cannot find an unflattering vantage point for the beautiful machine. The Z looks great today, and will look even better 20 years from now. You cannot say the same thing for the disjointed Supra. It does not look good now and will be considered a case study in bad aesthetics 20 years from now. So yes, congratulations on owning an ugly car with worse shifting engagement but marginally better performance statistics. I love the fact that I can see 100 Porsches, 20 Ferraris, and 10 Lambos in my area before I see one Z. And it makes heads turn every time with its graceful beauty.

I’ve replied to the OP explaining what extra upgrades the A90 Final Edition has over the standard A90/A91, but the OP doesn’t seem to want to reply to me, or is pretending not to see my message. I’m confused.

 

[Osage]

He's moderating a bit. Now open to a test drive. I hope he takes one, though I doubt any dealer will let him test a Nismo.

 

[JWG]

He's moderating a bit. Now open to a test drive. I hope he takes one, though I doubt any dealer will let him test a Nismo.

Ive driven the civic type r, would like to drive the nismo, for sure.

 

[JWG]

I’ve replied to the OP explaining what extra upgrades the A90 Final Edition has over the standard A90/A91, but the OP doesn’t seem to want to reply to me, or is pretending not to see my message. I’m confused.

Im just not interested in the a90 is all. You gave probably the most concise delta between the a90/Final Edition possible, its just not a csr Im interested in.

 

[ZillaZ]

I will never understand reviewers who only review the car as if it was going to be tracked to race every other brand out there and kept stock.

- Most people buying a sports call will not be tracking it.
- The ones who do track it will most likely be modding it.

Nobody is buying a Z to go race a Supra, Darkhorse and Corvette in a straight line at an abandoned runway.
The ones who track with do their best to get what they wan't out of it within their means.

Everyone else, the I would bet 85% or more owners will enjoy their comfy fun back-road weekend or even daily driver sports car.

 

[Exquisite_Red]

I will never understand reviewers who only review the car as if it was going to be tracked to race every other brand out there and kept stock.

- Most people buying a sports call will not be tracking it.
- The ones who do track it will most likely be modding it.

Nobody is buying a Z to go race a Supra, Darkhorse and Corvette in a straight line at an abandoned runway.
The ones who track with do their best to get what they wan't out of it within their means.

Everyone else, the I would bet 85% or more owners will enjoy their comfy fun back-road weekend or even daily driver sports car.

I have been duped into choosing several cars by obsessing over magazine test results. The spec sheet doesn't tell the whole story, and a car being two seconds faster around a two minute track means literally nothing on the road, where I spend 99.9999% of my time. I ended up in a ZD8 because I bought into the magazine mantra that it is the pinnacle of automotive bliss, short of a $100k Porsche. In the real world, the Z is wayyyyyy more fun (and comfortable) to drive on the street. Never gave the BRZ a second thought after I traded it in for the Z.

All that being said, there is still no way a Performance Z out traps a Nismo by 4 mph, so something is fishy here.

 

[Osage]

I have been duped into choosing several cars by obsessing over magazine test results. The spec sheet doesn't tell the whole story, and a car being two seconds faster around a two minute track means literally nothing on the road, where I spend 99.9999% of my time. I ended up in a ZD8 because I bought into the magazine mantra that it is the pinnacle of automotive bliss, short of a $100k Porsche. In the real world, the Z is wayyyyyy more fun (and comfortable) to drive on the street. Never gave the BRZ a second thought after I traded it in for the Z.

All that being said, there is still no way a Performance Z out traps a Nismo by 4 mph, so something is fishy here.

BINGO. Another case in point: Mazda MX-5. It won’t win any races against even moderate competition or put up amazing stats, but is generally regarded as a very fun car to drive that puts a smile on your face.

 

[Andz]

I wonder why that ugly BMW Supra is being discontinued?

 

[DBZinTN]

Ive driven the civic type r, would like to drive the nismo, for sure.

I will say OP, Honda was my switch from Ford & Chevy rwd vehicles. My 2 door V6 Accord was snappy as hell

 

[Dickie B]

I’ve owned all of these cars at one point in time. They are all “different” from each other and jumping into any one of them back to back to back will not set them apart to 99% of drivers in the real world. These drivers wouldn’t know the difference. And unless we had numbers to distinguish them, 100% of drivers wouldn’t know the difference either.
I would argue that my 69 SS 396 Camaro would blow them all away, but the numbers don’t lie. Whichever car makes you “feel” happier when driving it is the one for you. Imho

 

[JWG]

I’ve owned all of these cars at one point in time. They are all “different” from each other and jumping into any one of them back to back to back will not set them apart to 99% of drivers in the real world. These drivers wouldn’t know the difference. And unless we had numbers to distinguish them, 100% of drivers wouldn’t know the difference either.
I would argue that my 69 SS 396 Camaro would blow them all away, but the numbers don’t lie. Whichever car makes you “feel” happier when driving it is the one for you. Imho

You're not wrong.
A friend of mine had a 68 RS Camaro. Built engine. Guessed around 375 to 400whp. Took me for a ride in it and it lit the tires up like crazy. Loud. Smoky. Fast af.

Then we went to the strip and clicked off multiple low 15 second@91-93mph passes and we learned the engine wasn't built. Damn it used to be fast before we knew!

 

[DiZZ1]

I’m enjoying my 24 Nismo and it’s the 9sp automatic of course. My Mustang 6sp whipple a bit unpredictable with that much power not always enjoyable. The C8 z51 boring but better engineered for occasional track use. I was looking for another Porsche when I came across this Nismo and this car has so much old school character and I love it. For the money you can’t be it and people seem to miss the point that Nissan put this car together at a time of financial distress. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

 

[JWG]

With the new additions to the CTR (heated seats, Gemini and Google maps, suede type dash material, etc), I'm writing the Nismo Z off. I'll drive one if I can, but I am not reading anything that appeals to me about it. The reviews are rife with things like:

Even so, this is the quickest manual Z we’ve tested, matching the best 370Zs and comfortably beating the 350Zs we tested.

---Seriously? So it's basically about as fast as my 2012 with a Berk CBE is what I'm hearing. Cool and all, but the hell if I'm going to deal with two turbos and trying to find 93 octane for nothing.

Getting the Z NISMO moving quickly is another matter. Launch control holds the engine at 3,000 rpm, but it requires a carefully modulated clutch release rather than simply dropping the pedal. Finding the right balance is difficult, and the car can bog. Bypassing launch control doesn’t completely solve the problem, as the engine’s revs are still limited. The 1–2 shift also requires a slower, more deliberate clutch release than expected. Other editors found the launch procedure frustrating, and some found the shifter difficult to work quickly and accurately, even though the gearbox feels sturdy and mechanical.

---Yeah, I bet the FWD CTR doesn't launch any better, but it sounds like it won't be worse at least.

The NISMO-specific shifter is shorter than the standard Z’s, but its throws aren’t especially remarkable. More noticeable is the effort required to move the lever between gates. Its action is stiff and deliberate, and shifting quickly can feel sticky or imprecise. The clutch is similarly demanding, with a bite point that can be difficult to judge. That’s a departure from our experience with the regular manual Z, whose gearbox was generally satisfying despite longer throws and a long-stroke clutch.

---I want a manual that feels inspired. Like a CTR, Porsche, etc.

The trade-off is that the Z NISMO doesn’t feel especially light or playful. It tends toward moderate understeer when pushed hard and doesn’t eagerly rotate or oversteer.

The NISMO is quick, capable, and more balanced than the standard Z, yet it's still heavy, stiff-riding, noisy, and burdened by dated details. It feels less like a modern sports car than a highly developed old-school tuner.

---It's not fast, either, so...unless it's a nostalgia purchase, what DOES it do well?


https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/first-test-2027-nissan-z-nismo-manual


Literally nothing in these reviews makes me want to own this car. I like it for the looks and the nostalgia, but it just seems incredibly bad at its job, despite its paper qualifications. I guess I am disappointed because I really wanted to like the Z. Motor Trend seemed to really not be into the new Z, summing it up in this manner:

The Mustang is the more polished, precise, and complete performance machine, but the Z NISMO is still a major step forward from the standard Z and the most convincing version of this generation to date. It’s capable, charismatic, and genuinely fun—especially on a track—but its appeal comes from old-school character more than modern sports car excellence. The manual Z NISMO is finally the car Nissan should have built from the start, but after all these years, it still feels like an unusually well-sorted version of an old car.

Meanwhile this was the feeling the CTR left them (and me, on my test drive) with:

You will feel Honda's more serious intent in the immediacy of the front tires' turn-in bite, the overwhelming stability of the chassis, the reduced brake fade, and the slightly more ferocious power delivery while on the move. Go ahead, adjust your cornering line using either the throttle or a dab of brakes to rotate the rear end around through tighter bends—it's easy and the tail's motions are telegraphed and predictable. And when the digital gauge cluster's bar-graph tachometer shoots toward redline in R+ mode (and this engine feels revvier, thanks to a lighter flywheel) and the tri-color band of shift lights above it blink and a Gran Turismo-like beeping tone tells you it's time to upshift, the racing driver within will giggle with joy. You can't slap an objective number on the sensations this car offers through the steering wheel, the excellently supportive seat, the aluminum-knobbed shift lever, or that fantastic shift bleeping. Better to just TYPE IN ALL-CAPITAL, EXCLAMATORY LETTERS HOW MIND-BENDINGLY GREAT THIS CAR TRULY IS.

https://www.motortrend.com/features/2023-honda-civic-type-r-first-test-review


I'd love to hear from someone who has a CTR and a Z, if someone does.