The 2023 Nissan Z Has Arrived. Here’s Everything You Need to Know

The Nissan Z is all-new — and packing 400 horsepower.

Published March 1, 2022

Updated May 16, 2022

It’s been a long, long, loooooooong time coming, but the replacement for the aged Nissan 370Z has, at long last, been revealed ahead of its spring 2022 debut.

UPDATE: We just drove the all-new 2023 Nissan Z. Read the full review.

The Nissan 400Z is really just the Nissan Z

First off, the name. The car we thought would be called the 2022 Nissan 400Z is, in fact, known as the 2023 Nissan Z — a more open-ended name for a new generation of the sports car.

Still, the 400Z name would have been fairly appropriate, as this new Nissan whips up a cool 400 horsepower from its twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 — the same engine found in the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport. Much like the Infiniti, it also spits out 350 lb-ft of torque, stretching across a wide plateau from 1,600 to 5,600 rpm.

When will you be able to buy a new Nissan Z?

A user on the New Nissan Z forum posted what purports to be the Nissan Z launch timeline leaked from a Nissan dealership. If that document is accurate, Nissan will begin Z production in March 2022. First media drives will happen in April, and Nissan will begin sales in June 2022.

Yes, the new Z still offers a stick shift

Unlike the Infiniti, however, which only offers a nine-speed automatic gearbox, buyers of the 2023 Z will be faced with a choice of transmission: that nine-speed slushbox (with paddle shifters, of course) or a six-speed manual gearbox with a high-performance clutch. Either way, however, you’ll be able to execute sweet hole shots on command, as both gearboxes offer launch control functionality.

The new Z comes in two additional flavors beyond manual or automatic: Sport and Performance. (Yes, those sound pretty similar.) Sport is the base model, packing 18-inch wheels and 2-piston front / single-piston rear brakes; Performance cars boast 19-inch wheels with more performance-oriented tires, larger brake disks and floating four-piston front / two-piston rear calipers. Performance cars also boast a dual exhaust.

The 2023 Nissan Z’s interior is a big leap forward

Every 2023 Nissan Z represents a massive leap up from its predecessor inside, however. While the 2020 370Z’s guts still looked straight out of the early Obama years, the all-new car boasts tech that feels very much of the modern era — though without ditching the style of the old version entirely. A 12.3-inch digital instrument panel comes standard, although analog gauge pods for boost, turbo speed and voltage still lie alongside.

The seats — cloth in the Sport, heated leather in the Performance — were inspired by those of the GT-R. Sport models score an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a six-speaker stereo, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; Performance versions get a 9.0-inch screen with an eight-speaker Bose stereo, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Nissan added a ton of Z-car design details

Nissan

Nissan designers had a 50-year heritage to work with designing the new Nissan Z, and they made the most of it by incorporating elements from several of the brand’s iconic cars. Nearly every part of the car contains some reference to Z-car design whether it’s the “Z bulge” on the hood, the headlights that evoke the 1970s-era 240ZG or the retro Z logo located in the same place as it was in the original S30 Z.

How much will the new Nissan Z cost?

Well, that remains to be seen. As of press time, Nissan hadn’t announced pricing for the new car. (The company’s COO mentioned in an interview that he expected it to start around $40,000, but there’s a lot of wiggle room there.) Still, with the 2023 Z not expected to reach showrooms until spring of 2022, Nissan has plenty of time to sort that out…and hopefully, it’ll actually start near the outgoing model’s $30,090 base price.