It could be said that there has never been a better time to be in the performance car market in the Philippines. You’ve got fun small coupes and roadsters, convertibles, hot hatchbacks, muscle cars, and sports cars from different manufacturers these days. The variety of today was unimaginable 15 years ago, so we're thankful that automakers aren’t holding back as much when it comes to the fun stuff.
We’re fresh off the surprise launch of the new Nissan Z. On paper, there’s a lot of good things about it. But what’s even more surprising is its price. With that, is the new Z the country’s sports car bargain of the year? Let’s take a closer look.
The Nissan Z: A quick background
The new Nissan Z is the seventh-generation iteration of the long-running Z-Car line. It replaces the (very) long in the tooth Z34 model (sixth-generation), and is now internally called, the RZ34. That internal code will come in very handy in our explanation later on.
Locally, the new Z is the third generation we’re getting here through official dealers. Believe it or not, there were a handful of 350Z models sold through local channels in the mid-’00s. However, it would be a long wait before the Philippines officially got its hands on the 370Z...11 years after its global debut. Thankfully, that’s not the case this time around. We only had to wait a little over a year following its world premiere for the local debut.
It’s got a whopper under the hood
There were definitely no complaints in the power department for the old 370Z. Its 3.7-liter V6 was good for 331hp and 365Nm of torque, so we wouldn’t call it underpowered by any measure. The new Z has ditched that engine and replaced it with a smaller 3.0-liter V6. Don’t fret, though, as Nissan strapped a pair of turbochargers to it.
The result is 400hp and meaty torque figure of 475Nm. It’s comparable to another similarly-sized, turbocharged Japanese coupe, the Toyota Supra. Like the Nissan, the Supra uses a 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine, and it makes 382hp and 500Nm of torque. The Nissan pips the Toyota in terms of horsepower, but the Toyota fights back with torque. In the real world, it should be a close match.
Still, the fact that we’re comparing the Z to the Supra is already speaking volumes.
A whiff of old-school...and we like it
The past two generations of the Z-Car have followed the form of the original 240Z. The new one is no different, and it’s even more retro when you head to the back. The nod to the 240Z is more evident this time around, but it also incorporates some elements from the 300ZX made from 1989 to 2000. We like the fact that the new car has more subtle hat tips to more Zs from the past.
Inside, it’s a nice blend of ’70s and ’80s design that’s blended together to make a retro-futuristic look. The squared-off center stack reminds us of the 1985 300ZX, so too does the digital instrument cluster. We like the fact that it still has the three hooded dials, a signature of the Z from day one. Oh, and that mechanical handbrake makes us very happy.
#Savethemanuals
Nissan really knows how to please the enthusiast crowd. While it’s good to know that the 2024 Z has a new nine-speed automatic, we’re delighted to report that it still has an honest to goodness six-speed manual transmission. Yes, modern automatics have made manuals a relic of the past, but there’s no denying the involvement and satisfaction that three pedals and a stick shift provide.
Nissan could’ve ditched the manual to save costs and streamline production, but we’re glad they didn’t.
A performance bargain
Twin-turbocharged, 400hp, rear-wheel drive, and available with a manual. The new Z ticks all the performance car boxes, but what really stood out was the price. It starts at P3.888 million, regardless of transmission choice. Okay, P3.888M doesn’t make the Z a mass market car, but numbers it makes for that price makes you say ‘hey, not bad at all’.
That puts it within the same price bracket of cars such as the Honda Civic Type R and Ford Mustang GT Coupe. At the same time, it massively undercuts the Toyota GR Supra. For comparison, the Toyota retails for P5,396,000 and offers near identical performance stats. One could say that the Z, along with the Mustang, are performance bargains relative to their respective power outputs. That then begs the question...
How did Nissan get prices that low?
Well, it’s simple: It’s not totally all-new. Remember when we mentioned the internal codes several paragraphs ago? Z34 and RZ34 sound similar because the latter is a modified version of the previous model. Now, don’t let that put you off because Nissan says the old platform was extensively re-engineered. We’ll let the Z’s chief product engineer, Hiroshi Tamura, explain:
"To be honest, [for] around 80% of the body we changed the parts. [However], carryover of parts is very important for us, and carryover means reality of affordability so you will be able to enjoy some affordability."
That’s what Tamura told Australian publication CarExpert when asked how new the car really was. With that, it could be said that Tamura’s goal was to pack in as much performance possible at a price that’s still attainable and realistic. We say mission accomplished, Tamura-san, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one.
