2023 Nissan Z vs Toyota Supra: Hot coupes compared

With Nissan officially unveiling the new Z coupe, the question on everyone's lips is how will it stack up against the Toyota Supra?

Both cars are from rival Japanese manufacturers, both feature 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbo engines, two seats and similar dimensions so how can we split them?

Let us run you through the key specs of the two cars to see how they compare on paper.

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Dimensions

You might be surprised to learn the Z and Supra have more in common than just being two-door, two-seat, rear-wheel drive coupes.

Having a look at the exterior dimensions, they actually share the same body length at 4379mm, an uncanny similarity although the Z's longer wheelbase means it has shorter overhangs – measuring up at 2550mm wheel-to-wheel compared to the Supra's 2470mm.

Width and height are also extremely close, with the Supra's hips resulting in it sitting 10mm wider than the Z at 1854mm, while the Z is slightly taller at 1316mm versus the 1299mm high Supra.

Around the same ballpark as the 1505kg Supra, the Nissan Z has a tare weight of 1561kg locally.

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Engine/drivetrain

Despite both featuring 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engines, Nissan and Toyota have gone about achieving power and torque in different ways.

For the Z, it adopts the VR30DDTT from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60, a V6 unit with twin-turbochargers which helps it punch out 298kW at 6400rpm and 475Nm between 1600 to 5600rpm.

In the Supra you'll find the BMW Z4's B58 straight-six, single turbo engine, a powerplant more than capable of producing 285kW at 6500rpm and 500Nm from 1800 to 5000rpm.

Since the Supra's reveal, fans of the nameplate have been crying out for a manual transmission, having to make do with the ZF eight-speed torque converter box which can still help the car achieve 0-100km/h sprint times of 4.1 seconds.

The brand has listened to these calls by confirming a six-speed manual Supra is set to go on sale globally, including Australia, later this year.

Nissan has seemingly been listening to the purists' prayers, offering the Z as either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed torque converter auto – borrowed from Mercedes-Benz and also used in the North American Titan and Frontier models.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the drivetrain lies in how the power is sent to the rear wheels through the differential. In the case of the Supra and the Z Sport variant, power distribution is controlled through an electronically controlled diff, while the Z Performance scores a mechanical limited-slip diff – a more traditional way of balancing torque distribution.

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Wheels, tyres and brakes

As the old saying goes, power is nothing without control and it seems Nissan and Toyota have adopted similar methodology to keep their cars on the tarmac.

While entry-level Sport versions of Z ride on 18x9-inch wheels all round wrapped in 245/48R18 Yokohama Advan Sport tyres overseas, Australian variants receive the Performance package as standard.

This provides an upgrade to 19x9.5 and 19x10-inch wheels front and back, shod in 255/40R19 and 275/35R19 Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber respectively.

For the Supra, the base GT is equipped with 18x9 and 18x10-inch wheels on the front and rear, as the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres measure up at 255/40R18 and 275/40R18 respectively. For the range-topping GTS, width remains the same, but diameter is increased to 19-inches, with the Pilot Super Sports now 255/35R19 on the front and 275/35R19 at the rear.

While the Supra retains the same brakes across its two variants – 348mm rotors, four-piston calipers up front, 345mm rotors and single-piston calipers out back – the Z provides different packages on the Sport and Performance.

The lower-spec Sport utilises 320mm rotors and two-piston calipers on the front corners, with 307mm rotors and single-piston calipers at the rear. However, the Performance beefs up the stoppers to 355mm and four-piston calipers as the front set-up, with 350mm rotors and two-piston calipers on the rear axle.

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Price

Nissan has confirmed the Z will be priced from $73,300 before on-road costs in Australia, replacing the previous 370Z that topped out at $64,490 in Nismo trim.

Available in a single, highly-specified variant, the price is identical for the six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic transmissions.

The limited-edition Z Proto Spec is listed at $80,700.

For the Supra, Toyota's flagship performance model is available from $87,000 in GT trim or an extra $10,000 for the GTS, with both prices excluding on-road costs.

These prices relate to the outgoing 2022 model with its eight-speed automatic transmission. Toyota is yet to confirm pricing and specification details for the updated 2023 Supra, which will include a manual gearbox option.