That’s not how I remember the Nissan Skyline.
Yeah, let’s get that out the way first. The Skyline name has a much broader meaning in its domestic Japanese market than to most of us Europeans. It dates back to 1957 and the rather American-influenced Prince Skyline sedan. Another decade passed before Prince and Nissan merged and the car began to resemble the Skyline that we millennials (and beyond) will recognize from numerous gaming franchises.
The first GT-R—nicknamed Hakosuka—landed in 1969 while the two-door turbo coupe most of our brains associate with the Skyline badge arrived in 1989. That was the R32-gen car that earned the infamous Godzilla nickname during its demolition of Australian touring car racing.
So what happened next?
The intervening years have seen the Skyline and GT-R badges diverge, leaving the former stuck to the kind of trunk lids it originally occupied—those of a luxe four-door rather than a leviathan of motorsport. This 13th-generation Skyline launched in 2014 and was marketed for a while in Europe as the Infiniti Q50. That included a hotter Q50 S using the ‘VR30DDTT’ 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 you’ll now find in the Z Nismo sports car. No prizes for guessing that it’s also present up front here, driving the rear wheels alone through a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
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Slicing this car through Yokohama traffic toward the iconic Daikoku parking lot, it does feel like I’m driving something a little past its best-before date. From the foot-operated parking brake to its curious twin central screens and their fonts reminiscent of the menus of a classic Gran Turismo installment, it feels not of this era. Our qualms with the Q50’s interior a decade ago are unchanged; idiosyncrasy rules and it’s clear why Infiniti’s fight with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz didn’t earn itself a Hollywood ending. And yet. And yet…
In the context of its domestic market, and with the knowledge that the sports-sedan market in Europe becomes less diverse by the year, its richer strands of character come to the fore. This engine felt keen in the Q50 S and remains so here, revving keenly with the crisp sound unique to a hard-worked V6 as your reward for selecting its sportier modes and hanging onto its lower gears. And behold the red-trimmed analog rev-counter that helps you along your way.
Only two-wheel-drive, too.
The car beneath drives with a reassuring purity as a result. The steering doesn’t drip with feel, but turns with reassuring weight. As well as a sharper gearbox tune and some fettled suspension, Nismo spec brings 19-inch Enkei wheels with 20mm-wider rear tires, improving your chances of getting its punchier 414hp peak output (the same as the Z Nismo) to the road and achieving its sub-5sec 0-100kph sprint.
Getting close to extracting it all means muddling your way through a transmission that sometimes stutters its shifts—the nine-speeder in the new Z is much sharper—but on the whole, this is a pleasant car to operate and one with a strong enough dollop of comfort that an M340i or a C43 might feel overwrought if you ever got them all together.
You know immediately you’re in a front-engined, rear-driven car with a traditionally muscular powertrain—and without any electrification or meddling chassis tech to get in the way. It’s not the last word in intensity or thrills, but you probably knew that going in. Nismo still sells a GT-R in Japan, and this Skyline doesn’t need to tread on its toes.
Do people buy it?
Nissan says 70% of Skyline buyers now go for the Nismo, which is limited to 1,000 units. On today’s evidence, they end up with a car not lacking charm. A trait that’s also abundant in the Jaguar XE and the Alfa Romeo Giulia—handsome sedans with a rare ride and handling balance—that have sold just a small percentage of their German counterparts.
Alas, charm doesn’t guarantee sales, and a car that struggled as an Infiniti would do little better badged as a Skyline, I’m sure. Despite its clearly advanced years and a name that’s in danger of overpromising and underdelivering to a whole generation of car lovers, I think that’s a shame.
All right, versus newer sports sedans, this Skyline lags behind in crucial areas, and a lack of hybrid tech would make it hopeless as a company-car proposition. But suckers for nostalgia and legendary automotive names—look at those Recaros!—will discover plenty to warm their cockles in this car. Let’s hope a little of its heart can be found in future Nismo models.
More photos of the Nissan Skyline Nismo:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
