The Nissan Z and the Toyota Supra are two of the Most iconic Japanese cars that have been reintroduced in modern times.
The Nissan Z, a lightweight, fun-to-drive, and agile two-door sports car, was first launched in 1969. On the other hand, the Toyota Supra debuted in 1978 and was built on similar principles as that of the Z. Still, it was in the late 90s and the mid-2000s that these vehicles became insanely popular among enthusiasts once they were featured in the Fast and Furious movie franchise. The extremely good-looking Japanese cars had excellent reliability and tuning potential.
The 2023 Nissan Z and the 2022 Toyota Supra are icons re-imagined for modern times. The duo share a similar design and mechanical philosophy with two doors, coupe styling, rear-wheel drive powertrain along with a 6-cylinder engine in the higher trims and manual transmission.
Although they might be neck-and-neck in terms of performance and specifications, there are subtle differences that separate them and give them their unique character. Here is how the 2023 Nissan Z compares to the 2022 Toyota Supra
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When it was introduced, the 2022 Toyota Supra was heavily criticized as it shares most of its underpinning and its engine with the BMW Z4. The platform that the Z4 and Supra share were co-designed by Toyota and BMW to save on development costs. So, it may not be bad as two automotive giants from Germany and Japan work together to give us some sports cars that are really special. The Supra name is legendary due to its exceptional Japanese engineering, and its power figures do not disappoint as the heart-pounding machine produces 382 HP and 368 lb-ft of torque. The vehicle comes mated to 8-speed automatic transmission only for 2022, but manual transmission is just around the corner. Power is sent to the rear wheels, and the Supra can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.8 seconds. The vehicle also has an electronically limited top speed of 160 MPH.
2023 Nissan Z follows the footsteps of its elder brother, the Nissan GTR, and is powered by a Twin Turbo V6 engine, but unlike the GTR, this vehicle uses a 3-liter V6 engine that produces 400 HP. The same engine is seen in other Nissan products like the Infiniti Q60. Although its official launch is still pending, reports suggest that the Z will come with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard and 9-speed automatic transmission as an option. The 9-speed automatic transmission will be borrowed from the Nissan GTR and will feature paddle shifters as well. The performance figures are yet to be released, but it is predicted to be faster than the Toyota Supra due to the improved power.
The 2022 Toyota Supra is very similar in proportions compared to the BMW Z4, except that it is more Angular with sharper lines giving an aggressive stance. All LED taillights and headlights were sharply designed to resemble a Samurai sword. On the other hand, the Nissan Z has a sloping roof line that flows smoothly into the rear of the vehicle, giving way for the rear spoiler. The vehicle's front end is very polarizing as it has an all-new design never seen on any Nissan vehicle before. The door handles are a throwback to the previous generation Nissan Z models. Both these vehicles have 19-inch wheels as standard.
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The 2023 Nissan Z is a relatively modern vehicle from the inside as it features an 8-inch touchscreen as standard and a 9-inch screen, standard on the higher trims and optional on the lower trims. The vehicle also gets a 12.3-inch digital driver's display that shows lots of driving data and can also project navigation details. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are offered as standard, along with a 6 speaker sound system. Higher models will also get a Bose surround sound system. The 2022 Toyota Supra makes use of the BMW iDrive system. The latest generation system happens to be an 8.8-inch screen and runs Apple CarPlay and other multimedia playback, all as standard. The vehicle misses out on Android Auto but offers a digital driver's display as standard. It also gets a 10 speaker sound system as standard, and a JBL 12 speaker unit is provided as an option.
The 2022 Toyota Supra and the 2023 Nissan Z overall are two top-notch vehicles with specs that offer enthusiasts the sheer pleasure of driving a sports car. But picking between the two is quite the conundrum. The best way to find out is to probably drive them both and find out.
Sources: Toyota, Nissan, Motor trend
A silent soul who dares to dream, Vrushali Padia is passionate about writing ever since her college days and has written in diverse niches. She is now an Electronics Engineer and a Writer. When she is not writing, she's exploring.