2025 Nissan Z NISMO | Car Review

Back in 2023, Alistair reviewed the new Nissan Z and said, “The Nissan Z is a modern interpretation of an old-school sports coupe. It’s a potent and playful formula, with a chassis which feels connected and nimble, and a turbocharged V6 pumps out oodles of power. Sure, it mightn’t be the most precise handling instrument for the track, but instead, the Z serves a driver that wants to connect with their inner hooligan”. That begs the question, does the NISMO variant, tick all these missing boxes?

The main differences between the Nissan Z Coupe and the Nissan Z NISMO is the price; it’s $18,510 more than the standard coupe. Will it deliver enough to justify the big jump in price? I spent a week behind the wheel to find out.

What We Like and Dislike About The 2025 Nissan Z NISMO

What we likeWhat we don’t likeExterior stylingPerformanceHandlingSpec levelBoot space/coverFuel cover flapEngine noise at low speedsPriceShould look more crazy, big wing etc

What’s In The 2025 Nissan Z Range?

The range available in New Zealand is the Nissan Z Coupe and the Nissan Z NISMO. Both cars share the same engine and the base spec level, which comes with 19” dark metallic forged alloy wheels, 8” display audio touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, heated front seats with a leather-accented trim, 12.3″ full digital TFT meter display with multiple modes, Active Noise Cancellation and Active Sound Enhancement, rear camera and front/rear parking sensors.

The core of this difference is the price and the fact that you can’t get the NISMO as a manual. It also gets NISMO Tuned Powertrain, suspension & chassis, 19” NISMO forged alloy wheels, NISMO Drive Model “Sports+”, NISMO Tuned Launch Control, NISMO VDC “Traction Model”, black interior with NISMO steering wheel and RECARO seats.

The NISMO gets an extra 11kW of power and 45Nm of torque over the standard coupe, which on paper doesn’t seem like a lot. The standard tyres on the NISMO are upgraded to Dunlop SP Sport MAXX GT600, front and rear. Overall weight is also up on the coupe from 1,594kg to 1,679kg which leaves me again asking if these changes are really worth it or justified.

2025 Nissan Z NISMO Colour Range

The NISMO addition Z only comes available in 4 different colour combinations:

Brilliant silver with super black roof
Everest White with super black roof
Slate Grey with super black roof (Our review vehicle)
Black Diamond with super black roof

Our review vehicle did not have any optional extras, therefore its retail price is $109,100.

For a full list of specs and options available for the 2025 Nissan Z NISMO, head on over to Nissan New Zealand’s website.

How Does The 2025 Nissan Z NISMO Compare To Its Competition?

The performance coupe market is shrinking bit by bit, even more so when you focus on pure 2-seater models. The market is moving away from the singular focused toy, in favour of multi functional toys.

The concept is great, but the result is generally not. What you end up with is a product that’s good at a few things and great at nothing – where a car that’s developed and built to be a driver-focused machine should be great at that singular thing.

Make/ ModelEnginePower/TorquekW/Nm0-100km/h,secondsFuelL/100kmBootSpace, litresPriceBMW M240i3.0-litre turbocharged inline-6285/5004.38.0390$114,290Nissan Z NISMO3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol309/5204.211.6241$108,500Toyota GR Supra3.0-litre turbocharged inline-6285/5004.19.9290$96,990Nissan Z3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol298/4754.710.9241$89,990

Please note that DriveLife does its best to ensure the information above is correct at the time of publication, however, prices, specifications and models can change over time. Please bear that in mind when comparing models in the comparison table.

First Impressions Of The 2025 Nissan Z NISMO

I have to admit, I expected more. The NISMO edition Z looked pretty much the same as the regular coupe. The only real difference or indication it’s a NISMO edition are a few small badges around the body. Considering the visual difference between the Nissan GT-R and the NISMO edition, it should be a bit more in your face, with a big wing, and more aggressive aero features. The only thing that was huge and aggressive is the massive fuel filler cap, which felt more like a manhole cover than a fuel flap.

To sum this up from a car guy’s perspective, if you have to explain to someone the differences, and that your model is more extreme, but still looks the same to everyone else, then it’s not extreme enough for something like the NISMO badge. I hoped for more and just didn’t get it.

What’s The Interior Like In The 2025 Nissan Z NISMO?

The 2025 Nissan Z NISMO elevates the standard Z’s interior from a blend of modern tech and nostalgic charm into a more aggressively focused, track-ready cockpit. While the foundational layout and many core features are shared across both variants, the NISMO introduces specific enhancements that underscore its performance-driven identity.

This NISMO model is unique due to its exclusive trims. One of the differences is NISMO’s Recaro sport seats. As with any racing chair, they come with aggressive padding that is meant to keep the driver and passenger in a tight position during high G-force track steering. They scream performance, especially considering the NISMO signature red stitching on the leather and Alcantara mix. A notable compromise with these seats is the loss of heating and reclining features, which are all manual controls.

Drivers are greeted by a prominent 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, that is customisable and provides essential driving information. A 9-inch infotainment touchscreen serves as the central hub for media, phone connectivity, and vehicle settings, offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Nissan retains physical knobs and buttons for critical functions like climate control and basic audio. A classic Z homage is the trio of analogue gauges perched atop the dashboard, displaying boost pressure, turbo speed, and battery voltage.

As with the standard Z Coupe, the NISMO has a suite of standard driver-assist features including Automated Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, and Lane Departure Warning.

Despite its sports car nature, it offers reasonable storage behind the two seats and a relatively flat boot, though a structural brace does bisect the luggage area. I also noted there was no boot cover, which means your boot contents are always on show from the rear hatch window.

I don’t agree with or like the position of the drive model selection button, off to the left of the gear selector, next to the passenger’s knee. Furthermore, I also felt that the 3 buttons below the gear shifter came from one of the previous early 2000 Z models, just making parts of the cabin feel a bit out of place and cheap. Not a great look for a nearly $110,000 vehicle.

I also found the central infotainment screen’s GUI a bit out of date. It felt old and clunky and hard to use. Maybe this is fine for the main Nissan lineup, but it does not feel at home in the NISMO Z.

Ultimately, the 2025 Nissan Z NISMO’s interior is a reflection of its purpose: to be the most track-capable and driver-focused iteration of the Z. It sheds some creature comforts for enhanced driver connection and support.

What’s The 2025 Nissan Z NISMO Like To Drive?

If you are a driving enthusiast, you will always love the sound of a V6 as it’s revved all the way out. The sounds bring waves of audible delight as the revs get higher and higher. Unfortunately, we were limited by road legal limits, not fully unleashed track freedom. So the Nissan Z NISMO had a lot of pressure to deliver, branding the NISMO badge, this is much like BMW’s M or Mercedes-Benz’s AMG, this is the best of the best they have to offer.

As for sounds, there are two parts to the sound in most cars; what it sounds like when you daily drive it, and what it sounds like when you want to send it. The really great driver’s cars sound great in either environment, like the original BMW M2. The Nissan NISMO doesn’t cost as much as the M2, but it’s a $100k car, so it has to deliver a lot. Daily driving was okay, it could have had a bit more sound when it was in lower gears, it just felt a bit too quiet or reserved for my liking. On full throttle, it sounds amazing; the roar of that V6 is so good.

Driver feel is sharp and precise, as you would expect. I loved how all you needed was a delicate touch to adjust the steering wheel to place the car exactly where you want it. The feedback through the steering wheel is great, too, even though it’s an electric power steering system.

Braking is on point as well, with a lot of feel through the full range of the pedal, allowing for small and minor adjustments when required.

Visibility around the cabin is okay, the driver has a great view around the front 180 degrees, however after that it’s not great. There is a massive blind spot in the C-pillars, which is filled in with some of the camera views. This did make for some blind spots when driving, so you have to double-check just to be sure. The view out the back is not great, thankfully you don’t need it much, and the rearview camera helps with parking.

We have to mention it, even though it shouldn’t really be something you focus on with a car like this – but the fuel economy is not bad, even considering the fact that I had been driving the car like a bit of a hoon for the best part of a week, the combined fuel consumption was 14.8 litres per 100km. It may sound bad, but it should be a lot worse, which shows how efficient these engines have become.

The steering wheel controls are clean and simple, much like the rest of the cabin. There are a few buttons on either side, the right side covers the phone and the left covers menus and cruise control. That’s it, and I really liked that, just enough for what you needed, and the rest is about driving.

Driving modes in the Z are a bit of a mystery to me, and by that I mean I am not sure why there are three modes, as two would have done nicely. The current setup on the Nissan Z NIMSO is with Standard, Sport and Sport+ driving modes. Standard is very clear, It’s how the car is set up when you start the car, and it’s not set up to push any limits. Sport should allow a bit more, over standard, but I never really felt much difference between the two. Sport + is where the car came to life, becoming a bit louder and a sharper feeling, both at the throttle and gear changes. I felt we could scrap the Sport mode and just have Standard and Sport + and the car would be simpler.

The more and more I spent behind the wheel, the more I enjoyed the car. I spend most of my time in Sport+ mode, as it just felt more like a NISMO car to me. I am sure there will be modifications that will fill in for some of the quite engine sound spots, making it feel and sound sporty even on the day-to-day. That and a massive GT wing of some sort, something obnoxious, that leaves you feeling like it’s a Hot Wheels race car. Because that’s what we all really want at the end of the day.

2025 Nissan Z NISMO – Specifications

Vehicle TypeSports carStarting Price$108,500Price as Tested$108,500Engine3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6Power, TorquekW/Nm309 / 520Transmission9-Speed Auto TransmissionSpare WheelNo, Tyre repair kitKerb Weight, Kg1,640Length x Width x Heightmm4400 x 1870 x 1315Boot Space / Cargo Capacity,Litres(seats up/seats down)241Fuel tank capacity,litres62Fuel Economy,L/100kmAdvertised Spec – Combined – 11.6Real-World Test – Combined – 14.8Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+Towing CapacityKg, unbraked/brakedN/ATurning circlemetres11Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+Warranty5 years, 150,000 kilometre factory warrantySafety informationANCAP Rating – Not testedRightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – QKM570

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