2023 Nissan Z Full Review with LAUNCH CONTROL

Driving the new 2023 Nissan Z for the first time is a revelation.

It feels properly old-school, with the nannies keeping a respectful distance. The back-end gets tail-happy in either the manual or automatic, so give her some respect or suffer the consequences. Nisan has built a better Supra, an analogue car in a digital world, and I love it.

Launch Control is always on.

Manual gearbox:

1: Select Sport mode
2: on a flat surface depress both accelerator and clutch pedals fully
3: wait few moments for “Launch Control” to appear in driver’s display
4: dump the clutch and enjoy

Automatic Transmission:

1: Select Sport mode
2: hold both gear paddles fully, then depress both brake and accelerator pedals fully
3: wait few moments for “Launch Control” to appear in driver’s display
4: release paddles, then release brake, don’t forget to squeal with joy.

The 298kw beast can be unruly if not properly reined in. Rear wheel drive is a tough master, and in wet weather can trap the inexperienced, and that’s what makes the 2023 Nissan Z so exciting.

The Looks:

Farken-ell, whattacraker. It’s small yet powerful. The LED head lights have DTRLs celebrating the shape of the 240Z, and tail lights remind you of the sainted 300ZX. 19” wheels, black and menacing, carry fat rubber for oodles of grip.

The open grille may look unfinished, but project leader Hiroshi Tamura said that a 3cm decorative bar across the grille creates 9cms of uncooled air on the radiator, so he left it out. The care and attention to detail seeps from every pore.

This Week Review: 2023 Nissan Z First Drive and Launch Control Review

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A Proper Sports Car

Nissan Z is a real sports car, one that you drive yourself. You feel every undulation through the delightfully light steering, and sumptuous ride, even though it is a smallish 2-seater. Since the very first Datsun 240Z, the Z car has been lusty and alluring.

2023 Nissan Z comes in a 6-speed manual, and is the more exciting car to drive. The 9-speed automatic is the one most people will buy. Why? Manuals are a pain in the bum in traffic, and it really is as simple as that.

Fuel economy is better in the auto, and changes go almost unnoticed, so automatic is just better and that’s all there is to it.

Drive modes are limited to a choice of 2, with Sport mode containing the Launch Mode feature. The latter is tough on a car, even a Z car, so use it wisely.

Let’s talk about Launch mode for a moment: a drive should be enjoyed, even if only to the shops. Some drives are special, and Launch Mode events even more so. As you scamper off the start line, the Z still has your back. Even in the filthiest of weather, the rear end never tried to overtake the front end.

Mountain Passes:

Corners are a joy. Don’t give it a bootful mid-turn if you don’t want things going tits-up. Be mindful of almost 150kw to each of the back tyres, and respect the technology that keeps it connected to the tarmac.

Changes of direction are dispatched with the confidence of an F1 driver, the poise of a fashion model, and the charm of a 20’s movie star. Nissan Z is all those things.

One the way to the weekend cabin, a couple of bags in the back (soft bags if possible), you’ll drink in the Z experience. It is an old-school shot of adrenalin, mixed with a shot of single malt. There are few nods to modern aids. Although you get airbags and traction control, Nissan Z isn’t doing all the steering for you, that’s your job.

You feel the master of every switchback, and the king of every straight.

As you purr through the gears, the sound you hear inside has been enhanced by Hiroshi Tamura’s own loving hands, via the speakers. Tamura-san wants you to feel the love he has poured into every single movement. He is present on every drive. You can thank him as you clutch down to 2^nd for a tight right hander. His bosses didn’t want a manual, but he is a man with whom only the brave will trifle.

He talks about his creation like a winemaker about a vintage, or an architect about his gravity-defying edifice.

If you take nothing else from this, take the fact that this Z car is down to the enthusiasm and drive of a single Japanese enthusiast, otherwise, Z may well have died.

Tamura-san told us not to quote him saying there would could be an electric Z, so make of that what you will. Mind you, he said the same thing about another petrol Z.

The Cabin

If the sexy exterior celebrates all other Z’s, the interior is a temple to Z history without being a tacky pastiche to it.

It is simple. There is none of the ridiculous frippery you get from super-posh sports cars. It is about the drive, and there is nothing to distract you from it.

There is no woodgrain or metal. Nissan Z isn’t about what’s been put in, it is about what’s been left out, on purpose.

The entertainment system is a big makeover of the old one. They didn’t even bother with Navigation, because they know that you and I will use CarPlay. Just in case your phone is buggered, there is DAB, and a rather decent sound system

Knobs and dials are few and far between. The electric seats have buttons on the centre console side of the seat. You have to slide your hand down to feel the button for fore and aft movement and to put the seat back up, and knobs to raise and lower either the front or the back of the seat.

The driver gets a cool no-frills 12.3” display, the middle of which will shout LAUNCH CONTROL when so commanded.

Storage:

There is fark-all storage, let’s be frank. The boot is good for a couple of totes, but can stretch to diagonally placed carry-ons if pressed. There are 2 cup holders, one of which Tamura-san hid under the armrest, because he knows there will be one-up most of the time.

The glove box is bijou, and like all Z’s before it, 2023 Nissan Z wraps itself around you like a driving glove. So, don’t take anything with you that you don’t absolutely need, and everything will be tickety-boo.

The Track:

Our Launch Control experience was bigger than any track could possibly be. In true television-presenter style, we did it on a runway, a live runway. YEAH BABY. Although no planes were meant to land, there was an incoming chopper making itself felt.

Conclusion:

We’ll be doing a full review in a few months, so this will whet your whistle.

2023 Nissan Z is handsome and cheeky, but the beauty is not skin deep. The power is real and anyone who says there are not enough nannies on board should go to the naughty corner.

We’ll have more to say when we drive the manual and auto full drives later in the year. Meanwhile, the proto (launch model) has sold out, and the wait list of around 1,200 souls is going to take a bunch of time to fill. You just have to watch our video again, right?

Price: $73,300 (man or auto)
Engine: 3.0L V6 twin turbo petrol
Trans: 6-sp man/9-sp auto
Power: 298kw/475Nm
Econ 10.8L/100k man, 9.8l/100k auto

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