We’re still waiting for Nissan to let reviewers behind the wheel of the 2023 Z coupe, but we do at least know how it sounds at full noise thanks to one YouTuber who was able to ride shotgun and record the action for us.
Byron Glover from the Drive 615 channel was able to jump into the passenger seat of a couple of different Zs as a guest of Nissan when they took some cars to a local car show in Tennessee. Those Nissans included an original 240Z, a 300ZX and a 50th Anniversary 370Z, and seeing the cars parked up together it’s easy to spot the details the Nissan cribbed from each of the previous generations to make the new one.
But the stars of the show were, of course, the 2023 Zs, which were both painted in colors we haven’t really seen much of in coverage of the new coupe. The first car is a six-speed manual painted in stealthy Boulder Gray, but which is less muted inside thanks to its two-tone red and black upholstery. The second car is an automatic, and makes a much bolder statement in its Passion Red tri-coat metallic, but pairs this with a subdued all-black interior.
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Drive 615 assigned the ride portion of each car into a separate video, but you don’t actually get to see much of the manual car on the road in the first video, which mainly focuses on the car show and how the cars look in detail when parked up. They certainly get plenty of interest, and its a testament to how much passion there is in the Z that the coupe pulls in such a crowd despite the presence of rare groove machinery like a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ.
If you’re looking for in-car action, the second video is more fun, and gets more interesting around the 7.15 mark. That’s when the car’s minder hits the gas as he takes off in pursuit of the other Zs and we get to hear the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 wail. The speed readout on the car’s digital gauge cluster is pixelated to save the driver’s blushes (and job), but from the sound, the blur at the side windows and Glover’s reaction, it’s safe to assume Nissan’s dude is making good use of the Z’s 400 hp (406 PS) and 350 lb-ft (475 Nm) of torque.
The noise strikes a nice balance between refined and raucous, which seems to be what Nissan is aiming for with the entire car. Sales are expected to start in June, but Nissan has yet to confirm either that, or the rumored $40,000 price for the base car.
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