New NISSAN Z First Drive! Does the $40,000 Sportscar LIVE UP to the Hype?

This is the brand new Nissan Z! Let's find out if it lives up to the hype. In Sports trim it starts at under $40,000 (dealer markups excluded) with an all new car, new engine, and probably the cheapest price per horsepower of any sports car out there. Join me for a first drive!
Thanks to Sean from Purist, I've got a few minutes behind the wheel of this early car, chassis #10, to get a feel for what the new Nissan Z is about. While it's not a car we get over in Europe, it is certainly one that has been making headlines recently with huge amounts of hype around it. With styling that gives a retro throwback, and even design elements taken from the likes of the 240Z and 300ZX, but also with a brand new engine versus the 350Z and 370Z. This time around it's a 3.0l twin turbo V6 that makes 400 horsepower and can be had with either the 6 speed manual as in the case of this car, or also with a 9 speed automatic.
After a quick tour, it's straight onto the canyon roads to put it through its paces. While the Sport spec carries the incredibly low entry price, the Performance car is probably the right option for those who want it out of the box; with adjustable suspension, bigger wheels, and an upgraded interior. However, fancy making all those mods yourself, then having the base entry version is certainly the way to go!
Thanks to Sean and Nissan USA for the drive in the new Z!
Thanks for watching, Tim
Chapter
00:00 Intro
01:09 Walkaround
03:37 Interior Tour
04:42 First Drive
14:08 Dashboard and Displays
18:00 Final Thoughts
19:50 Wrap Up
#Nissan #NissanZ #FirstDrive
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[@futeditzs2482]

I'm glad Nissan continues to make cars like this, too bad it doesn't come to Europe

[@Shmee150]

Also glad it exists!

[@y-rokenjnr6157]

I can imagine it's because it'll be way more expensive over here cause of all the rules

[@casual9982]

@@y-rokenjnr6157 my thoughts as well.

[@Jon-mo9ks]

Now you know how us Yanks feel xD

[@naturalgainzzz7005]

As an American I'm sorry about that I wish you could get these over there I genuinely feel bad but there's a few cars here we can't get either. IN Australian there's a car called the Ford Falcon that we can't get here..and for years alot of the Skylines aswell we couldn't import until recently...crazy thing is the Ford is a supercharged v8 how could we not get that here!!! Lol

[@xXDoUbLeDDXx38]

Nissan did such a good job on these things they look beautiful, tons of HP and lots of retro throwbacks

[@Shmee150]

All round super cool car

[@Shmee150]

IMPORTANT NOTE! There is a KZbin glitch that is currently causing the audio to go out of sync during the video; this is down to the processing on KZbin following a last minute update. We hope that it will be automatically resolved very shortly but if not then hopefully a new plan comes to mind.

[@Alvaro-hp4qv]

👍

[@KLIIIING]

Im on mobile, 5min in and it’s fully synced on my end so far ☺️

[@Wiggy321]

It never sync'd up. I say redo the video 😉

[@youngpunches]

same thing happened to Jay Leno's review of the Z. Strange coincidence.

[@TamagoHead]

You Tube needs to clean up the bots that spam.

[@JohnnyB.]

I've been waiting for this video from you Shmee!! Super excited to get behind the wheel of this thing someday. I think the styling, sound, and interior design is spot on, Nissan did a great job!!

[@JohnnyB.]

Also, I'm excited to see the Nismo version, heard there might be some extra power under the hood!! Hopefully we'll find out soon!!

[@reruedamotor7514]

I LOVE this Nissan sportscars!!! Thank you very much for bringing it to your channel!

[@hiibuddiie]

It’s such a purist design! Absolutely stunning motor with such a simple design language and you actually get a lot for your money!

[@sparkeyjames]

Glad to the Z still going. I remember driving one back in the early 1980's. The first turbo charged version. It was fun to drive.

[@R19Robbin]

Can't wait to see what tuners can do with this car 🔥🔥

[@okieg8960]

If people can afford them, the us prices are stupidly overpriced

[@mavfan1]

@@okieg8960 It's hardly even out yet, the stupid overpricing is for the special proto spec version

[@met00meno65]

Too slow to beat decent sport cars

[@craigfleming8849]

Love your accent Scheme, really cool. Your enthusiasm is wonderful!!!

[@M_IkeLeBlanc]

Great video Tim!

[@JustAutoChannel]

Great car and great review from one of the best in the automotive industry, I am considering getting one of this.

[@piazzastudios4251]

It's always a nice surprise seeing you behind Japanese cars Shmee.. we want more. I wish Yoshihiko Matsuo was here to see this 🙌

[@fdapro1975]

Shmee, a true man of the people. Great review of an attainable ride.

[@gaijin5]

Good review! Thanks!

[@BigSeane012]

Anyone else have the audio go out of sync? Otherwise, great review. Pretty much the feelings of every car reviewer who’s driven it. I think it’ll be an upgrade car… one that gets better with the aftermarket…. like Jeeps.

[@tonymaddison]

yes, audio is out of sync

[@tunes4life]

Yeah,thought was just me,since i've ran out of limited data,and using 1mb download speed,lol but glad it isn't just me.

[@TruthSerum525]

Not his first video, where audio is out of sync.

[@bwest6275]

No issues on my playback, strange. I'm on Linux though.

[@dipstickjamming5532]

KZbin processing upload can do that from time to time

[@scalecrawlnl]

Cool, spontaneous review! The local area is awesome, I looked up 17-mile drive from the Mercedes video, a road to visit somewhere in the future. And talking about surprise actions, any fun in a visit to ICON 4X4? A Shmee150 review of a "Thriftmaster", now that would be something :) Thank you as always Shmee.

[@seanlee2642]

Great review and thanks for a honest review of the new z. 🙏🙏🙏

[@Toopa88]

I love everything about this car's design, and that happens very rarely with me.

[@peterf5318]

This review is as awesome as the car! I’m getting one when they come to England!

[@sportzntouring]

Such a tragedy that these aren't coming to the UK! I'm on my 3rd Z and I'd definitely have got one. But, the UK emissions regulations combined with low sales of sports cars meant the R&D for homologation here just wasn't justifiable... Such a shame! Thanks for sharing this with us Tim.

[@artureff3046]

such regulations are a shame and a sin

[@blademanx]

Not really...Its a 370 underneath 😂...You can drop a VR30 in the 370 for cheaper. Unless you want to pay 20-40k markup to get it early

[@sportzntouring]

@@blademanx Yes & No... While it's based on the same platform, there have been several changes. Nothing drastic but still worthy. If I got one ever, it would be as well as, not instead of... I like my 370Z Nismo as it is.

[@Joolz1982]

I’m sure we have decent Sports car sales in the U.K, that was just an excuse from Nissan.

[@Joolz1982]

@@blademanx you should watch Savagegeese video he explains exactly what it is. Bit different from 370Z steering wise too.

[@Johnny-lr5jt]

Great combination of retro/modern styling. Well done, Nissan.

[@lloydbellis7360]

Very cool, good car for the money. Thank you for showing us 👍👍👍👍

[@jamesrapp9778]

Nice... cheers for the video mate

[@toussantlbisso]

Had a hat The Shmee at the intro of the Ford GT ! But this us thee First time. I've Seen his vids Audio out of sync ! Great, Informative vid as usual !

[@lastname-Nm]

I’m really happy someone has shown off the base model, nice

[@joestrickland5153]

Thanks for covering everything from the exotic to the affordable attainable a working mans sports car

[@ANathan123]

Nice to actually see the base model finally.

[@GURLALS]

The fact that it’s not available in the UK hurts my soul

[@Shmee150]

I know the feeling

[@IMTHEBIGGESTCUNT]

The 370 Nismo is a VERY good option!

[@perfectlybalanced8995]

Welcome to the situation America constantly has to face

[@Ven100]

You know a company will eventually offer it for import like they do for other vehicles.

[@sportzntouring]

Likewise 😔

[@greggtoney8163]

Hard to beat the fun/price ratio with the Z-car. A most enjoyable review Tim.

[@Shmee150]

Thanks for watching

[@Scubaskot]

its not hard to beat, there are Mazda Mx5 and GR86 which both are sports cars with genuinely sports cars platforms, unlike Nissan Z which is based on a sedan and more expensive

[@Insetta]

@@Scubaskot those 2 cars are slow af compared to this for the price point

[@rustler08]

​@@Scubaskot Those aren't even close to comparable, and they're not sport cars. A Corvette is a sports car. Those are dinky little two-seaters for 18 year olds and boomers. That being said, the track performance of this thing is pretty horrific considering a GR86 out-lapped one, but let's not insult real sports cars by calling a GR86 or a Miata a sports car.

[@raufwarith2197]

@@rustler08 they're both are sports cars if you are like it or not, just because they have low hp doesnt mean it was not

[@tonymoreton7166]

Gotta say, I like it. Really clean sculptured lines but the grill gives a real contrasting edge. Looks good with nice clean lines inside as well.

[@xero256]

I am very happy that the Z is still kicking. It started out as a "bargain" sports car. Something super obtainable, enough quality to keep running about for years, and fun. All of the fun! Do you have one in your future, @Shmee150?

[@Nismo331]

As the owner of a 2011 Nismo and 6 other z cars over thirty years I gotta say that looks beautiful!

[@AmeerHamza-nv2ei]

Hi shmee! Great video mate! Any updates on when the Gt500 will arrive? Also this could very well be a future sHmeemobile!!!???!!!

[@Shmee150]

The GT500 ship has been super delayed, I'm hoping for late September at the moment but let's see

[@gen1c8rs88]

@@Shmee150 How soon to be is the C8 Z06 review and how soon will I be able to watch your 992.1 GT3 RS review. Including with you driving with complete driving dynmics on road and on track critique, preferably with a US exhaust system, especially the C8 Z06 as the 4L 991.2+ Flat-6 is known quantity. Also a F150 Raptor R road and off road review would be cool.

[@benlecluyse]

Awesome Nissan Shmee ! Love it !!

[@farinasportcars]

Awesome car to be featured in your channel Tim! If a Nismo variant comes out would you consider it for your collection or would you go german or american for that price range?

[@michaelteh7002]

This might be one of the best starter's options on their first car as well as another JDM legend!

[@willkeen5010]

Tim driving a car I can actually afford, now that’s a switch hahaha. Thank you for this great review 🙏

[@TamagoHead]

Tim is great at reviewing cars. I would have to get used to right-hand shifting.

[@UW18Manan]

Tim i guess the audio for this video is very delayed and would recommend for you to check it resolve it . the video was quite nice , always enjoy your content . cheers!!!!!

[@tonymaddison]

i had to stop, i couldnt watch it

[@mareewalker1096]

It was perfect for me! No delay at all! Must be your internet playing up!!

[@tonymaddison]

@@mareewalker1096 no, not mine....see Tims pinned post

[@MrTimeless101]

The new Z looks like its going to be a excellent platform for modifications. I'm just happy Nissan decided to make it, now lets get that R36 GT-R as well.

[@KUROSHURA]

Yeaaaaah a cleaned up Ken-Meri GTR would be sweet

[@sirremusrobinson1070]

Nice review Tim! The one thing for me, yes, the car has a lot of throw back cues in it to the previous cars, but do you remember the 1990 300 ZX TT. That was the real car! Design was ahead of everything else ,to the point Lamborghini used parts of it in its own cars. I've seen one at the car show in NY. But following the 3Z has been a hard thing to do for years. Glad they gave you the chance to try one out. But that 300 ZX was just everything.

[@danielthomas8507]

had one..awesome car

[@mareewalker1096]

Yep beautiful car my friend has one sitting in his garage! Collector! They were so far ahead of time in looks ! Great car!

[@prashantchutke5521]

Z32… the best Z ever ! I had 2 of those . My new 1990, 300ZX TT should be arriving next week . I could have got the new Z , but honestly I don’t like it as much inspite of all the hype .

[@orangegrove4337]

I agree! The 300ZX TT is my favorite Z of all time!

[@dallas6847]

Nice one Boss.....😎

[@WimTheInstigator]

Pound foot of torque? How much normal torque is that? 😀 Nice video btw and thanks for upload!

[@khalidalali186]

I had sent this to my dad yesterday, and he said that the back was very retro. He liked it. He’s 58, and it reminded him of his Datsun 1978 Red 280 Z from back in the day, one that he drove throughout his college years from 1982-1986. A job well done by Nissan. We even have a few photographs of it, parked next to Pearl white Lamborghini Countach owned by a Sheikh, a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family, who attended the same local university as he did in AlAin, UAE during the 80s. They only had one 1km drag race, and all he remembers, was that the Lambo disappeared within seconds 😂

[@allancarr2358]

Great video, shame they didn’t reintroduce the Targa roof, which my dads old 280z had in the early ‘80s

[@richtaylor2129]

Looks great!

[@Shmee150]

It does!

[@terrymoran8383]

What a beautiful looking car

[@tyronebricksyt]

a legend reborn

[@neilstothard]

Could this be an option for the next US Shmee transport? Certainly looks like you had some fun on the drive.

[@albertlopezherrera2090]

Looks beautiful this car

[@drivemax6969]

I went to look at a Proto-Spec in South Florida, and they wanted 105k for it. Amazingly good looking car though, and great video as always.

[@stuartblack9258]

Im English and i would call it the Zee as a singular but more than one there Zed cars!🙈👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 thanks for the review Tim👍

[@artmusic-mostpopularsongs1694]

Nice car Bro 😎

[@F8Tributo]

Pretty cool little car!

[@juancho_pablo_s3772]

I work at a Nissan dealership in Florida. This cars are so highly anticipated but sadly with everything going on in the world they are so behind. I am surprised that a lot of people like you shmee have enjoyed reviewing one. I hope you enjoyed it. Would you get the automatic or Manual if they where in Going to London? I read that in another dealership someone who was transporting it totaled the car.

[@Shmee150]

They are not coming to the UK unfortunately, but I think the manual suits the character of the car better

[@r0b3rt_959]

Mark 'em up and I'll see you in hell

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

@@Shmee150 Particularly when the auto is not a DCT. Where else can you get a stick shift capable sports car with 400 hp today? I believe the chassis is an evolution of the 370Z and the Infiniti G60. The engine is straight out of the Infiniti G60 Red. To me it is a beautiful fun little sports car at a great price. I hope they sell a ton of them and keep the brand strong.

[@blademanx]

People would import left hand drive if it didnt have huge markups....also theres delays

[@byrongaray869]

It doesn´t even have damn hidraulics to support the hood, and in general the car just looks unfinished compared to the other competitors at similar price range.

[@jaront4922]

Loved the review Shmee. Good to see you're doing the cheaper cars but can tell you were not too knowledgeable on the Z history :P

[@williamrogercummings277]

Very nice legacy entry level sports car. America loved the Datsun 240Z.

[@illuminatidestroyerbear2231]

Its a fantastic car at 40k, too bad Nissan dealerships aren't letting them go for under 75k.

[@saigoneze4465]

Exactly.Msrp is a literal joke on the customer

[@Steve-Cross]

What a superb looking car. It was interesting to see the current Qashqai digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen, in such a cool sports car. I think that is where Nissan have been clever. Utilising components from other makes in their lineup, will obviously keep the price down and they really don't look out of place. It is a shame we won't be getting it in the UK at the moment. Although I can see some Z enthusiast importing some. I am sure they won't be $40,000 though. Probably more like £50,000. Still a bargain for 400 HP. 😁 Thank you.

[@iainf6]

#shquad.......hi Tim, really like these cars, vastly underated .

[@duranbodasing]

Amazing

[@fromthisposition7125]

Salivating at the possibility of a Nismo version

[@WhiteTeeTurnip]

Always loved a Nissan Z

[@sportzntouring]

Yeah... But so sad we won't get them in the UK 😔

[@ShogunHull]

Hi Shmee.. You're in my old territory now, my stomping grounds for 40 years.. and you're driving on Mulholland Drive..riding the Crest of the Hollywood Hills. Right now...you're looking down over the San Fernando Valley... though, in other parts of it...you would be looking over the other side of the mountain range.. Beverly Hills, Hollywood..etc. I know every crack in the road.

[@the_wondering_noodle2761]

I think it's time for shmee to add a JDM legend to his collection. Imagine a gtr R34 in the collection.

[@Grundle_ItcH085]

Would be pretty sweet but omg they’re way overpriced!

[@uraniumcranium2613]

@@Grundle_ItcH085 Way overhyped

[@mafaka4456]

Overpriced and overhyped sadly would be a nice addition to his collection

[@stevewenners]

I appreciate your polite term "entry sports car". The Z cars here in America truly are for beginners.

[@amexcinema]

audio and video isnt synced for most of the drive, but great video anyways!

[@jayjones3254]

Hopefully you will test the all out performance model at some point!!?

[@RetroMotiveAdventures]

Finally a car the US gets and Europe doesn't. We didn't get the yaris GR and we never get cool wagons or hatchbacks.

[@josephhollingsworth9047]

My favorite is the old 280 nice to see it looks a little like that

[@Official_MikeyT]

What you actually want is a 240Z, not a 280Z. Though you certainly don't want a 280ZX, nobody wants a 280ZX 🤣

[@foreverautoenthusiast6585]

Color combo, manual trans, and wheels/tire setup is perfect. Only thing missing is the performance pack. Great Video Brother!

[@sl1ker]

The middle arm rest slides back to allow access to the second cup holder, it’s useable.

[@italsounds001]

Owning a 240Z, it would have been nice to have one of these, see what the future brings on the 2nd import market, when prices have calmed down, some US dealers asking big overs on these Z’s.

[@AleksandrHalas]

very interesting car!!! We need to find what else can be bought with such power for such money HOW MUCH COST NISMO???

[@Studiosatoshi]

Tim, Random question, what brand shirts do you wear?

[@geneforte9038]

Mark ups will be insane.

[@Ven100]

Tim, one day I'd love to bring my modified US-spec 80s Nissan Z to the Shmeemuseum for you, Tom, or Brad to check out/drive. 😎

[@Victic005]

That's the trim that i would buy.

[@tonelow5]

This puts the new Toyota Supra to shame in my opinion So affordable and awesome much love !!!! I will have to wait to see what kinda recalls this vehicle gets and then I will consider buying one myself !!!! Definitely a car to have in a car collection so beautiful . The engineers did a great job on this concept Looks exactly like the 370z

[@barondugger]

Seeing the back roads (Latigo Canyon or is it Mulholland ?) makes me homesick...

[@ncarnaiz]

It's a shame the Z will not be sold here in Europe. It would be a candidate to replace my audi TT. Thanks Tim for sharing the experience

[@BBnissanZ]

Man after having a 370 for 3 years now he opened it up and I couldn't help but see so many of the same parts used:/ glad it's 400 hp stock tho:)

[@sk3Lph]

Was looking forward to the release of this car, was so disappointed it’s not available in the UK.

[@knownzero]

Just wait until the engine mods hit, the existing VR30DDTT already has a great support base and with very few changes to it in this car, they should come quick.

[@marciliojunior4919]

These are going to be modded to hell

[@07wrxtr1]

yeah look at what AMS is putting down with the VR

[@saraprva4172]

I said in comment this is the car I look forward to you driving, even owning. We all love supercars but the Z is affordable, I wasn't a big fan of 350/70s but this looks more like the 240 & even better in red. edit ...not in Europe?!! :(

[@streetboyz1096]

Performance for the price point you can get a SS 1LE instead which is pretty underrated nowadays

[@DevJMD]

I still have my Nismo 370Z (V2) and have loved every single mile. I'm tempted to import one, but the import fees are nearly double the base price of these in the US. Such a shame they didn't bring it to the UK!

[@neezduts3457]

Cant wait for dealer markups to make this a $70k car!

[@sportzntouring]

I've seen numbers from $105k - $120k being reported! 😮

[@Victic005]

That's the model I want.

[@tadhgbolen3054]

Anybody else notice completely unsynced audio?

[@Foiiiii1]

You can slide the armrest backwards to reveal the second drink holder.

[@terot8341]

Looks fun car to drive, and that road looks amazing. So sad don't have money or oportunity to travel US to drive those roads. I'll just stick with my Focus ST and local roads.

[@Shmee150]

There are a few great roads in LA, but most of it is awful!

[@danielm5405]

A modern take of the S30 Fairlady Z. Perfect reincarnation. Well done Nissan!

[@isurumw6119]

A really cool car.

[@wallyr.7854]

First of all, I want to thank Tim, for pronouncing it correctly, “zeee” and not “zed” as the nice British chaps pronounce it, much appreciated 👍🏻 And secondly, I think it’s humbling that Tim actually took the time to review a car that is made for us mere mortals, very cool 😉

[@Shmee150]

Well I've slightly gone both ways in this video! Fighting the inner instinct to say it the wrong way around. Thanks for checking out the video

[@michaelsummerell8618]

Zee is not "correct" - it's American. And the American language is English. Therefore Zed is correct and Zee is incorrect.

[@Life_42]

"Zee" when he's in the States and Zed any other time sounds fair to me.

[@wallyr.7854]

@@Shmee150 You can pronounce it any way, we’ll still love you 👍🏻 Fantastic KZbin channel 🏆 🙇🏻‍♂️

[@wallyr.7854]

@@michaelsummerell8618 As Jeremy Clarkson use to refer to us, “The Colonies🤣.”

[@TronTonics]

the rear of this car is So GOOD

[@jdc3636]

Crazy deal for that base price

[@funkyfurballs1078]

Can the clutch engagement be adjusted?

[@moedetermined8608]

Them seats & trunk brace look mighty familiar = ) Lol, if I'm not mistaken aren't those the same exact seats from the 370z ! kind of disappointed in that, everything else is cool

[@artmusic-mostpopularsongs1694]

Mega car 🔥🔥🔥