2023 Nissan Z Australian pricing revealed

The 2023 Nissan Z will be priced from $73,300 in Australia, before on road costs, when it arrives in the coming months.

That means the reborn sportscar, which is the first new Z car in more than a decade, will undercut its chief rival in the Toyota Supra by a hefty margin.

Exact arrival timing for the new Nissan Z is yet to be confirmed, though Wheels understands the first shipment is due to dock in Australia imminently.

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It’s also believed the first shipment is already sold out. Nissan says it has more than 3000 expressions of interest in the reborn Nissan Z and “more than” 1000 of those have already put money down at dealerships.

Nissan executives wouldn’t confirm how many units of the Z will arrive this year due to the current unpredictability of global supply chains, but the first shipload will include a mix of regular Z coupes and limited-edition Proto Spec models.

The Proto Spec is priced at $80,700 before on-road and gains a handful of visual upgrades over the standard car, including; forged 19-inch wheels, yellow brake calipers and a two-tone colour scheme with ‘Ikazuchi’ yellow exterior paint paired with a black roof.

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Again, Nissan wouldn’t confirm how many of the limited-edition Proto Specs will be available, but did say it’s “over 100”.

Nissan’s price positioning for the seventh-gen Z sees it undercut the Toyota Supra by as much as $24,000. The Supra is priced at $87,303 for the GT variant and $97,303 for the GTS in automatic guise.

Despite the price discrepancy, the two Japanese sports cars offer similar levels of performance, with roughly 300kW and 500Nm a piece from 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engines.

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But while the Nissan seems strong value when compared with the Supra, today’s announcement is a substantial increase over the outgoing model. The previous 370Z started at $50,490, making the new model a 45 per cent increase when you compare the old and new entry-level variants.

Nissan Oceania managing director Adam Paterson defended the increase, telling Wheels the new Nissan Z is fitted with parts that are more advanced and expensive.

‘We think it’s really competitive, especially when you compare it with what’s in the market from other Japanese OEMs,” said Paterson. “Customers would like anything to start with the lowest possible number, but there’s significant updates with this new model.

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“I’d say the engine is the most significant of those. It’s a motor only offered in Nissan’s premium brand [Infiniti]… and isn’t sold in large number of Nissans or other products, so that obviously drives the price up.”

Nissan also pointed to the new Z’s tech-laden cabin and new safety systems as key factors in the price rise. An upgraded safety package now includes AEB with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert.

Aside from the limited-edition Proto Spec, Nissan will only offer one richly equipped variant of the new Z. Aussie cars are based on the higher of the two specs sold in America (known as Sport or Performance), with a few minor differences.

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Mechanically our cars score the more powerful brake package (two-piston front calipers with bigger discs) and larger 19-inch wheels wrapped in sticky Potenza S007 rubber.

Buyers will have the choice of either a six-speed manual or an optional nine-speed automatic to pair with the new VR30DETT 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6.

Unusually, Nissan won’t charge a premium if you opt for the automatic gearbox, with both versions costing the same $73,300.

Nissan expects 70 per cent of buyers to select the six-speed manual over the first year of sale, but tips that the automatic will eventually become the more popular gearbox over the sports car’s lifespan.

All Australian-delivered Zs also have a mechanical limited-slip differential and launch control as standard.

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Inside, the new Z delivers a sizeable improvement over the old car when it comes to material quality and equipment. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster now features, and the centre screen is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

One difference for Australian cars is we only get the 8.0-inch central touch screen, whereas a larger 9.0-inch unit is available in America. Nissan says the larger screen simply wasn’t available for our market.

Media drives of the new-gen Nissan Z are scheduled soon, so be sure to check out WhichCar.com.au for our full written and video reviews.

2023 Nissan Z Australian pricing

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