2021 Nissan 400Z Confirmed to Have Manual Transmission!
Nissan continues to tease its upcoming Z car, and the latest leak shows off some crucial information.
After entirely too long, Nissan is finally bringing forth a successor to its long in the tooth 370Z sports car, and all signs, thus far, look promising, as seen in the most recent teaser video put out by the company.
This new model, which has been dubbed 400Z by the fans, appears to be a revolutionary take on the Z car, unlike the evolutionary step between the Z33 350Z and the current Z34 370Z.
What we know so far about the Z35
While there has been much speculation about what would sort of powertrain the new Z car would feature, this latest teaser from the company has squashed any doubts, as a notable engine rev sound clip showcases a hearty V6 exhaust note.
That exhaust note features a resonant thwomp in its soundtrack, which is a trait shared with many modern turbocharged engines. This would go along with some reports with indicated that the new Z would take its engine from the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400, which, as the name implies, makes 400 horsepower from its V30DDTT twin-turbocharged engine.
Perhaps most importantly for driving enthusiasts is that Nissan has confirmed that the next generation Nissan Z will have a manual transmission, despite the widespread move to automatic-only offerings in the performance car segment. This is certainly good news the drivers in the crowd.
However, another key takeaway is that the 400Z appears to be a much smaller Z car, more in the fashion of the original 240Z, rather than the bulkier 370Z. The low roof line, short wheelbase and taut haunches evoke thoughts of the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ more so than the Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang which the current 370Z tries to compete against.
This is a welcome change of pace, as a smaller, more agile Z car could combine ideologies of previous Nissan sports cars, like the beloved S-chassis 240SX and the Nissan IDx concept car from 2013 that everyone went bananas for, with the brawnier six-cylinder powertrains associated with Z cars.
Beyond that, the latest teaser also shows some large 18- or 19-inch wheels, with large two-piece brake rotors and multi-piston brake calipers, which are further hints at the 400Z’s sporting capabilities.
Nissan has announced that the “Z Proto,” which is brandspeak for the 99% production-ready 400Z, will debut virtually on September 15 at 5:30 PM PST/8:30 PM EST on The Nissan Next, and more information will be on Drive, Break, Fix, Repeat then, as well, so stay tuned.
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