Spent weekend with the new Z (Sport AT) -- my impressions / review

[Valaroth]

Had a chance to drive the one and only 2023 Nissan Z on Big Island (HI) via Turo.

Some things were far better than I expected, some far worse. Here are my personal, subjective thoughts:

Pros:
+ Incredibly quick. Faster than I thought it would be.
+ Excellent steering, handling, driving dynamics. So fun to drive. Not too sharp, not too soft. Very drivable as a daily.
+ Surprisingly comfortable ride quality and quiet cabin. Again, very livable.
+ Looks amazing in person. Every angle. Pictures don’t do it justice. Draws a LOT of attention.
+ Instrument cluster (and all three customizable displays) is excellent. Everything you’d want in a modern sports car!
+ Interior Design is excellent!… but the execution? Not so much… covered in:

Cons:
- Interior materials, buttons, switches and plastic is… ancient. Feels like it’s a few generations old, depending on where you look/touch.
- Infotainment is unacceptable. Slow, laggy touch screen and inputs, confusing menus when not in CarPlay. Difficult to do things like adjust the screen’s brightness without being very distracting.
- Back up camera is nearly unusable. For a car with parking sensors, I’m shocked by how low the resolution is, and how little light and detail it picks up. This must be upgraded in 2024.
- Center console armrest suffers from a fatal flaw — the forward-most edge is a thin hard piece of plastic with zero padding beneath the cover. While 90% of the armrest is soft and comfortable, the front edge of the armrest cuts into your forearm. I cannot imagine how bad this would be after longer periods of time while driving manual.
- Being 6’4” — I do wish the seatback reclined a bit more, or that the seat cushion tilted upwards even more than it does to relieve the fatigue on my knees and ankles.
- Sound system is… terrible. Full stop.

After driving this car for roughly 300 miles over an entire Saturday, I can confidently say it’s good. Very good. But I can also confidently say that I wouldn’t trade in my ‘21 Mazda3 Turbo until they fix some of the quality of life issues that I think should’ve been addressed before this hit the market at the price point it’s at. I’ve got a hi def 360 cam, HUD, heated steering wheel and seats, 12-speaker Bose sound system (shared with the Cayman) AWD, leather, and a much more comfortable, spacious, and detailed cabin for $34K.

The complete package is within Nissan’s reach. The base model is an incredibly impressive sports car for the money, and so much fun to drive. That said, they can’t afford to skimp where even economy cars from the likes of Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Mazda excel.

Happy to answer any specific questions if you have any! Happy Holidays, all.

 

[takemorepills]

Open diff, thoughts?

 

[Valaroth]

Open diff, thoughts?

I was mainly driving highway in the sun, with a decent amount of rain and mist throughout the middle of the trip. Being too spirited with the accelerator can cause some wheel spin and a loss of traction/power, as this car has a bit more power than its tires and open diff can handle if you’re really pushing it hard.

Then again, I wasn’t pushing it that hard in most situations — as I was primarily cruising and passing, along with driving jungle/volcanic roads. To be honest? Didn’t matter at all for what I was doing, and it felt absolutely planted / capable at all times. But instinct told me to take it easy in the rain.

 

[Go2ZZZ]

I believe lot of the cons are gone in the performance model. For example, the seating/leather. Sound is probably better as well as it does have Bose. Also, suspension is better on the performance.

 

[takemorepills]

Nissan "Bose" is poo.....

 

[Go2ZZZ]

Nissan "Bose" is poo.....

Of course it is but I’m sure it’s way better then the sport

 

[Valaroth]

I believe lot of the cons are gone in the performance model. For example, the seating/leather. Sound is probably better as well as it does have Bose. Also, suspension is better on the performance.

I wish this was true! I wasn’t actually complaining about the cloth seats, more about all the buttons and switches that are carried over on both trims. I think they both have the same reverse camera, the same window and mirror buttons, the same infotainment (just different sized screens) and the same armrest. Apparently the Bose system on the performance isn’t great, either.

Suspension and brakes felt great for road driving on the sport.

 

[Kbl911]

I wish this was true! I wasn’t actually complaining about the cloth seats, more about all the buttons and switches that are carried over on both trims. I think they both have the same reverse camera, the same window and mirror buttons, the same infotainment (just different sized screens) and the same armrest. Apparently the Bose system on the performance isn’t great, either.

Suspension and brakes felt great for road driving on the sport.

Yeah, a lot of that switchgear carries over from the 370, from what I can tell, so it does feel a bit low effort in that regard. Unsurprising that it has a dated feel to it, even if the design is significantly more modern and appealing. I can understand that conflict in the execution.

 

[takemorepills]

Of course it is but I’m sure it’s way better then the sport

Hopefully Nissan keeps their traditional stereo system electrical architecture they've been using for decades.

Nissan/Infiniti are one of the few OEMs whose head units typically put out a clean, non-equalized signal, which is great for scabbing on an aftermarket system that keeps the OEM head unit.

 

[bboypuertoroc]

Definitely sounds like a $40k car (at a minimum minus ADM) when you won't even move on from a Mazda3.

Come the fuck on, Nissan.

 

[takemorepills]

Definitely sounds like a $40k car (at a minimum minus ADM) when you won't even move on from a Mazda3.

Come the fuck on, Nissan.

Well, to be fair, I wouldn't even consider a modern Mazda.....

 

[indio22]

I wish this was true! I wasn’t actually complaining about the cloth seats, more about all the buttons and switches that are carried over on both trims. I think they both have the same reverse camera, the same window and mirror buttons, the same infotainment (just different sized screens) and the same armrest. Apparently the Bose system on the performance isn’t great, either.

Suspension and brakes felt great for road driving on the sport.

Thanks for the review, especially since it's a Sport version, which has gotten less press compared to the Performance.

Good to hear about the general performance and daily driving. As kind of a luddite, the interior and tech aspects aren't all that important. And I nearly always end up installing my own audio system in vehicles, it's part of the fun for me.

So I'm probably down with a Sport ... if Nissan is every able to sell me one for 40k!

 

[Valaroth]

Hey now… be nice.

 

[Valaroth]

Thanks for the review, especially since it's a Sport version, which has gotten less press compared to the Performance.

Good to hear about the general performance and daily driving. As kind of a luddite, the interior and tech aspects aren't all that important. And I nearly always end up installing my own audio system in vehicles, it's part of the fun for me.

So I'm probably down with a Sport ... if Nissan is every able to sell me one for 40k!

For sure! I think because most reviewers are comparing to the Supra, they make the Z sound like it’s soft, or imprecise. It’s an absolute riot — and especially right now, felt very special to drive. I’m so glad it exists, and hope it gets the credit it deserves. I would go out and buy one if I didn’t have to sacrifice as much as I would, right now, in the creature comforts / technology dept.

 

[trackratZ]

Good subjective review, thanks! Sure looks like a good road car with more than enough power, if that's all it can deliver in Sport trim, nothing more worth mentioning for the interior and audio. Definitely not quality on par expected in a $40K+ car, but hey it's a Nissan 'Z'. I'm not sold yet.