#14 - From A-Z - 2023 NISSAN Z MANUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW
2023 Nissan Z Performance - Everest White Pearl TriCoat
Modern.Manual.400hp.RWD.Twin-turbo.Coupe.The list goes on!
FROM A-Z—2023 NISSAN Z MANUAL PERFORMANCE CAR REVIEW
1: HOW THINGS STARTED —— While sportscars continue to fight for a spot on the assembly line, Nissan has provided more food for the enthusiast community. Here in the form of a 2023 Z Performance model, boasting 400hp, 350 lb-ft of torque, rear-wheel drive, twin-turbocharged VR30DDTT V6, and SynchroRev Match tech in the manual option. Credit to Nissan offering a manual out of the gate with these (first year) 2023 models and forcing Toyota's hand with the Supra. The rental fleet neighbor came through again with a modern sportscar to ponder over. It had 30k miles during the first drive in July of 2025 and 36k on the second go in December. A recent (April 26') third drive left the mileage at 43,000.
On May 28th, 2020, Nissan announced the RZ34, 7th generation Z would be going into production. Supply chain issues during COVID caused vehicle shortages, which lead to increased dealership mark-ups, further stifling the Z's initial sales. Minus COVID, there's ongoing mark-up issue with many desirable vehicles in the USA. Additionally, the Z faces buyer competition from the Mkv Supra, Civic Type R, Miata, GR86, WRX, Integra, Lexus RC and a variety of muscle cars. When enthusiast talk about the Z, one of the most common mentions is they are not often seen on the road. When new, it was exciting to see Sean Lee (Purist Group), Cody Walker, and another driver carving up Angeles Crest Highway. After this, they became a rare sighting. More and more seem to be appearing nowadays. Current [2026] online searches show fair pricing. Nissan are facing potential bankruptcy while showing determination to survive, or at least go out with a bang.
2: ENTER THE Z----------------
2a: INTERIOR - The interior was filled with pleasant surprises. It comes with an all-time great set of floor mats that exuding comfort and a feeling of being at home. The inside is built in a way that’s unique yet easy to adapt to. The photos do well to illustrate these examples, like the style of seat adjustment buttons and their positioning. The traction control button hides in plain sight behind the steering wheel. The center console defaults to one cup holder with a second perfectly hidden away. It has more unexpected features throughout while still coming across as intuitive. Some people consider Nissan interiors cheap, but they do basic interiors well. The combination of special to average trim was satisfactory. Not every car model is meant to be luxury.
There's a lot of Z badging, but it's well laid out, and translates to the care they put into the model. The missing badging on the Mkv Supra steering wheel stood out as the perfect chance to reminder the driver they are in something special. The steering wheel has a nice fit and finish. The sizing and thickness are just right and leather feels nice to the touch. The plastic buttons on each side may be the parts people are critical of. With minimal use for these functions the visual alone doesn't create a stir. The plastic bits look nice and flush across the center dash and on the steering wheel.
The center screen and digital cluster functioned well and were visually pleasing. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto options are there to make life easier. Showing a buddy Jimmy (Sociology of Cars) the ride he quickly pointed out the UI response time is slow. If you're a more minimalist driver, its an after-thought and should do the job when needed. Did not test the Bose speakers. Sportscars should be listened to, not the radio! With road trips being the main exception. Online, people don't sound excited about the speakers.
Besides being functional, the rear strut brace looks cool while helping to secure items in the boot. The trunk space is satisfactory with access from inside the cabin as an added bonus. From the most recent, third drive, a great discovery was made. There's additional storage behind each seat and it perfectly secured our Canon with a telephoto lens attached. The Z manual booklet filling in the remaining space was the cherry on top. When giving Jimmy a ride, each backpack fit behind the seats, avoiding sliding around in the boot. Practicality check.
The seats feel great, with a nice blend of suede and leather trim. The bolstering does well to hold you down while hardly feeling present. Would consider it road trip worthy, grand tourer-esque while lacking the interior luxury standards to fulfill this title.
The visibility is good. There's a blind spot behind the driver side with an orange indicator brilliantly built into the A-frame to warn of looming danger. Back on the traction-control-off button; many models require it to be held down for some time to stay engaged, or at least activated at lower speeds. This one turned off each time with a simple press... even at speeds in the fifties! Credit to Nissan there for putting control in the drivers hands. Forgot to turn it off for a 40 mile drive to San Dimas. The ride and handling felt great with the difference only noticed towards the end because the indicator light off. The Miata is another ride that passes the test while turned on. Many rides like my Audi A4 and previous Saab 9-3 are compromised with it on and therefore only used in adverse conditions. With the recommendation of TCS being altered at the driver's discretion.
2b: EXTERIOR - Solid exterior look. Sharp face, with rounded headlights that harken back to the good old days while giving contemporary pop. The taillight configuration can induce hunger with its heated grill look. This feature does not look as good on the front grille, but I don't hate it. Fortunately they have more options now and the latest 2027 model looks the cleanest so far. The sharp hood angles meld nicely with the front bumper.
The piano scheme works here. Great choice to offer a two-tone option of Super Black paint on the roof, pillars, and decklid over Everest White Pearl. Red "Z" labeled calipers and the rear taillights illuminate to activate the whole ride. This looks good enough to rock long-term and white leaves a nice canvas if customization is wanted. Positive use of darker wheels as they get attention from contrasting the white base with shades of grey, blue, and black in these 19” Forged Rays Eng.
All the unique parts of this car being easy to adapt to was most impressive. Things that are not typical like the trunk release button integrated into an open space in the rear logo while still easy to find. The mitten door handles blend with the body nicely, are easily identifiable, yet look like no others. Good on Nissan leaning into retro styling and keeping those looks intact.
3: PERFORMANCE & CANYON RUNS
The squat was a standout characteristic. With the seating position near the rear-wheel drive system, stock negative camber, rear tire offset, considerable lbs(3,550lb average curb weight) and its overall round body.
The V6 motor produces a rumble but it sounds muted. Like a muffled version of the small-block V8 Chevy LT3 in the C8s. Nonetheless, it was exciting to anticipate the next chance to rev it up and release the 400 ponies. A modified exhaust wont fix the motor sound but the experience will be better. The power comes on in a linear way, and without any noise detected, you would hardly know there's two snails under the hood. The power FEEL indicates there's more than just a V6 motor working. Fine stability while accelerating. Feeling capable of more power from stock, citing things like no torque steer, so I'd plan for upgrades. The limited-slip differential was not apparent until the second day, so while it engaged more later, the numbness kept us conservative to push its limit. With precise steering input and a LSD they are easy to slide when desire. Driving over the initial two day rental added about 135 miles to the Z. With roughly 500 total miles from July 2025 until this writing.
In the canyons the grip limit did not seem necessary to find. Without tire noise and traction control off it did exactly what we wanted in every turn. It absolutely got down and handled each curve with Japanese precision. It balances right between being capable and challenging the driver to do more. On the third drive there was an Angeles Crest Highway moment of under-steer in the GP Section that had us nervous. This was survived and besides some driver error it was on-point for the duration.
On our latest drive with the Z it was a pleasant surprise to run into Jimmy (@sociology_of_cars) on a Saturday in the mountains. Usually we see each other there on Good Vibes Breakfast Club Fridays. He liked the retro styling. Saw it as more of a Dad car while complimenting its capabilities in the canyons on a passenger ride. Jimmy was quick to point out the central UI was laggy, but for minimalist like myself, that stuff just needs to get the job done when needed. The boost PSI and RPM gauges look great but that's ultimately not where my attention goes. Would say more tricks for your passenger to enjoy but they are driver oriented. Without knowing more, maybe they are truly useful depending on what you're looking to get out of the car. I won't include as many negative marks for stuff like a weak Bose stereo or slow UI with this setup as a whole.
The SynchroRev technology was tested during a traffic jam and it works as desired. Predicting your shift patterns to add ease while you row through the gears. A clutch feature to help save the manuals.
From the rear 3/4 view specifically, the car looks even sleeker than it feels from the inside with a manual. This is a fair time to mention an automatic comparison would be nice. Unpopular enthusiast opinion but generally a fan of automatics too. Would like to see how much more tame the driving experience may be while likely heating up as the car and drive modes do. Manual option saves roughly 100lbs which is crucial here at the heavier end for sportscars.
It comes with an ideal ride height. Comparable to the C8 Corvette, it's lower with reasonable clearance. Crazy rocks on ACH recently reminded me why lowering the A4 would be the final mod and likely about 0.5" at this point. Recently driving Florida roads impressed more for that setup. Cleaner with way less pothole and construction mess. More elevation change and sweeper turns than given credit for.
Bullish would be the one word to describe the car. The clutch sits on the heavier side. Its high revving (7k rpm redline) and aggressive from first gear to second and beyond. It has that rubber-band effect commonly associated with German transmissions from manufacturers like BMW and Audi. Personally not an issue as it adds a drama to the driving and power to boot. SynchroRev tech is available for less drama. This combined with the smooth, balanced feel from the wheels and chassis make for an engaging setup.
It makes a good sportscar from stock. From here, if done right, it can only get better. 2025 presented a nice opportunity to photograph a modified Z with OhShiftTV (Rylic Zander) and owner Chase. As an example, he's upgraded to Z1 carbon fiber intakes, Fast Intentions Cat Back exhaust and EcuTek tune by SonicTuned. Swift Springs have it sitting 1.2 inches lower. "Most people agree the stock Bridgestone's are not good," Chase states and has opted for Continential XtremeContacts, while upgrading from the stock 275 to 285 tires. The type of upgrades to consider for leveling up.
4: CONCLUSION - INCLUDING THE BAD AND INDIFFERENT
With prices now hitting as low as the 30k range, its no surprise more are popping up around Los Angeles. The newest, low mileage examples are around 50k, with the average spec at 40k. These three driving experiences would justify those prices with long-term maintenance concerns needing research. On the mentioned FL trip a whole crew (@aj.rz34, @fantaz432, @ashanhack) showed theirs off at a rad monthly show, Midflorida Cars and Grub in Sanford. Take advantage of their scarcity and reasonable prices. Nissan's had slip ups, but they are proven sportscar manufacturers, and this may be one of their last real ones. Only time will tell!
The driving was enjoyable and the subdued V6 noise plus V6TT fuel use are its biggest turnoffs. My preference is map or off mode for the central screens. Maybe a me problem, but after multiple attempts to shutdown the screen by pressing the primary button with a power symbol nothing happened; it usually works universally. Can check for the issue but it was an unsatisfying moment as it wouldn't turn off with no further clarity.
The tires became the suspected cause of the soft, numb feel. They were relatively new and planted with 275/35/19 size for all fours. 255 fronts recommended in the door jamb leading to wonder how that drive would compare. These tires are EvoLuxx Capicorn which were previously unheard of. Online, Priority Tire has them on sale for $98 USD to their regular $120. They are all season, high performance tires with 40k estimated miles and a Y-speed rating over 186+ mph. They were overall quiet but a higher quality tire probably communicates better. The rest the numbness must be down to the tire width, negative camber and suspension. Which felt good overall, with softer dampening while still maneuvering well on the slalom test.
Love and appreciation to the rental buddy but I'll complain about the tire pressures being off sometimes because that can greatly affect the experience. On the first pickup the psi was a crazy number like 40-50, so it was driving funny until corrected. I've heard of this issue before from proper car enthusiast due to misreading the electronic pump but personally haven't made this kind of mistake. The most recent drive had issues of low inflation and no time to fix it. They read about 26 cold and got to 32. Safety comes first in these situations and since those pressures are manageable I didn't make time to correct them during the weekend driving. Made it easier to break traction in a controllable way once or twice. It was still plenty capable in the canyons but overtime there was a realization that’s where that questionable rotational force came into play through turns. With more, solid tire pressure it would've been easier to rip.
From the roughly 500 miles driven in this Z Performance, there was one issue that seemed to stem from the front sensors getting confused on a foggy morning through Los Angeles, heading up to Angeles Crest Highway. To be fair, this was a unique type of sporadic fog throughout the area. It's still an example where a 2010 model like my A4 (without sensors) is not going to have the same hiccup from the weather. The See Owners Manual message came on and pressing OK would not clear it. Contacted the owner then headed to the Foothills Shell gas station to see if the low pressure reading was accurate. The oil cap was on so tight it took the Shell Mechanic coming in clutch with pliers to release it. The owner mentioned over-tightening is an issue with them sometimes -_-. It turned out to be topped off and the conclusion was a previously encountered sensor issue repeating due to weather. These warnings stayed on through ACH driving while it performed otherwise flawlessly.
The latest Z models are slated for longer wait times with little to no availability directly from dealer lots, shifting to online orders for now. Crazy times. With names like R36 Skyline GT-R, Z, Silvia, Xterra and a new sportscar Q from Infiniti mentioned for future development, it seems they are not done making history yet.
