[NEWS] Nissan Z gets a facelift, minor spec update, and manual Nismo

The split grille design was available before on a special edition 
model, but is now going to be standard.

Now they just need to get rid of the three ugly and pointless dials on 
top of the dshboard, or at least make them an *optional* extra - most 
people will never use them anyway.


    Nissan Pulls At Your Nostalgic Heartstrings Even Harder
    With Refreshed Fairlady Z
    -------------------------------------------------------

    Photo:
    
<https://www.jalopnik.com/img/gallery/nissan-pulls-at-your-nostalgic-heartstrings-even-harder-with-refreshed-fairlady-z/intro-1767984945.jpg> 


    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.

    Photo:
    <https://www.jalopnik.com/img/uploads/embed/it-DSh2nt-1767984294.jpg>

    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.

    Photo:
    <https://www.jalopnik.com/2071894/nissan-fairlady-z-refresh-japan-reveal/>

    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.

    Photo:
    <https://www.jalopnik.com/img/uploads/embed/it-jHoF0z-1767984338.jpg>

    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.

    Photo:
    <https://www.jalopnik.com/img/uploads/embed/it-uXUE6P-1767984362.jpg>


    <https://www.jalopnik.com/2071894/nissan-fairlady-z-refresh-japan-reveal/>