Thirteen years after the 370Z first went into production, Nissan has finally introduced its successor. Behold the 2023 Nissan Z, which thankfully doesn’t look a whole lot different from the Nissan Z Proto concept we saw last year. The sports car will be available in two trims levels at launch: Sport and Performance. A special Proto Spec option will also be available on the range-topping version, which will add additional styling elements directly inspired by last year’s concept model.
Starting with the design of the new Nissan Z, the silhouette of the sports car pays tribute to the original Z, while the headlights are inspired by the 240Z. The rectangular front grille design has also been carried over from the Proto concept, but the styling has been slightly modified. Instead of a single blacked-out piece, the grille in the production model is split into two sections with brightly colored mesh at the top and a blacked-out portion right below it. The rear end is mostly unchanged from the concept. A black panel runs the entire length of the rear, which also had the LED taillights integrated into it. It is complemented with a glossy diffuser, while the Performance model gets a lip spoiler.
The base Sport model rides on 18-inch wheels and the Performance trim borrows its 19-inch rims from the Z Proto concept. The Proto Spec adds bronze 19-inch RAYS wheels, along with yellow-colored brake calipers and a few unique elements inside the cabin. Nissan will offer nine exterior color options for the Z, which include six two-tone paints, each with a contrasting black roof, and three single-tone paint options.
The cabin of the 2023 Nissan Z is minimalistic – exactly the way a sports car should be – and gets plenty of the styling elements that pay tribute to celebrated Nissan performance cars. The analog gauges on the dash are inspired by the 240Z, with readouts for turbocharger boost, turbocharger turbine speed, and a voltmeter, which sit on top of a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that comes as standard. The touchscreen infotainment display gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and measures 8-inch in the standard trim, while the upmarket Performance model comes with a nine-inch unit with eight-speaker Bose audio and active noise cancellation.
Under the hood is Nissan’s 3.0-liter VR30DDTT twin-turbo V6 that churns out 400 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 68 hp and 80 lb-ft over the outgoing 370Z. the engine is married to a six-speed manual that sends the power to the rear wheels. The sports car by Nissan can also be optioned with a nine-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. Nissan hasn’t revealed the official performance figures but has claimed the new version should be 15 percent quicker to 60mph than the car it replaces. Nissan says the 2023 Z will start at around $40,000 and will go on sale sometime early in 2022.
[Via: Motor 1]
