It seems the days of Nissan going a decade between facelifts is over, because after being on sale for just a few years, the Z is getting a refresh. Making its debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the Fairlady Z (known as just the Z in the U.S.) showed off its redesigned front end, lovely green paint, different wheels, new interior color, and a whole bunch of little tweaks under the skin meant to make it a better performance car.
The biggest news here, to me at least, is the new front bumper. I know some people liked the way the old Z’s grille looked, but in my opinion it was the only part of the car that never really worked. Yes, it was supposed to pay homage to the first-generation Z, but I wasn’t alive then, so what do I care? Now the gaping grille is gone, replaced with a sleeker, two-piece design with a skinny horizontal cross-bar separating the upper and lower sections. The vertical slits are gone, replaced by a more sculpted lower section. Nissan history nerds needn’t worry, either. The new grille is supposed to be reminiscent of the G-nose Fairlady Z of the early 1970s, according to Japan’s Car Watch. In my opinion, it looks a hell of a lot better, and it makes the car’s overall design more cohesive. It’s not just style for style’s sake, either. The new front end apparently gives the Z a 3.3% reduction in front-end lift and a 1% reduction in drag compared to the previous model. No one will be able to tell the difference, but better is better.
Nissan
Just in case you were getting a bit worried Nissan wasn’t doing enough to nostalgia-bait its customers, it’s also adding Unryu Green paint (paired with a tan interior) to the Fairlady Z’s color palette. It’s inspired by an old S30 color called Grand Prix Green, according to Car Watch, and I’ll admit, it does look fantastic. What can I say, I’m a sucker for green cars. Nissan also added new wheels that are supposed to be reminiscent of those that were available on the Z31 of the mid-1980s, but I don’t really see it if I’m honest. From the looks of it, every other body panel carries over.
Changes you can’t see
Nissan didn’t just slap on a new front end and some paint and call it a day. For 2027, the Fairlady Z gets new 19-inch shock absorbers with 45-mm pistons. This’ll reportedly shorten the vibration contraction time and improve responsiveness to changing road conditions. Hey, that’s never a bad thing, is it?
As we’ve reported before, the Z Nismo is also getting a six-speed manual transmission for 2027, which means buyers won’t be shoehorned into the less-than-inspiring nine-speed automatic the car was saddled with before. Nissan recalibrated the ECU, ignition timing, throttle control and engine tuning for the six-speed, Car Watch reports. Additionally, the Nismo receives retuned suspension and brakes, just to add that little bit of extra flair.
Nissan
The interior, other than adding that tan color scheme, looks largely the same as it did before. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that one of the photos has both a manual transmission and paddle shifters. This was either a rendering mistake on Nissan’s part, or the automaker put some sort of new rev-matching downshift system in. I’m inclined to go with the former.
Powertrain-wise, things are expected to remain the same. The Z will keep the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque (420 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque in the Nismo) as the current car, and power will still go to the rear wheels only through a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic transmission.
Nissan
Overall, I really like what Nissan has done with the refreshed Z. I mean, it’s not a massive overhaul by any means, but you wouldn’t really expect that from a low-volume car that only went on sale a few years ago. I know some will be sad the original grille is gone, but I think it’s a reason to celebrate — plus, there’s another green car in the world now, and who doesn’t love that? While the U.S.-spec Z refresh has yet to be announced, expect that to arrive in the coming months.
