The older we get, the more we realize that progress has a nasty habit of bulldozing charm. Everything now is cleaner, safer, faster, and somehow—infuriatingly—worse.
Take cars. There was a time when you turned the key, pumped the gas twice, and prayed to the gods of carburetion before your V8 rumbled to life like a caffeinated bear. Now? You push a button and it goes hmmm. It doesn’t start—it boots up. Your car used to have soul. Now it has software updates.
But every once in a while, in this age of sameness and subscription services, you stumble across something that isn’t just a machine, but a reminder. A nod to the past. A living, breathing middle finger to the beige, battery-operated world we’ve sleepwalked into.
And no, I’m not talking about bringing back polio or lead paint. I mean the good things—manual transmissions. Gas stations that still clean your windshield. Drive-ins. Paper menus. Vinyl records. Cars with knobs. Coffee that doesn’t taste like a dessert. A phone that doesn’t try to be your therapist.
These aren’t just novelties. They’re anchors. They remind you that once upon a time, before everything got optimized by some teenager in Silicon Valley with a hoodie and an algorithm, we used to just… live. Loudly. Inefficiently. Gloriously.
The 2025 Nissan Z I recently drove is exactly that kind of modern throwback—one that fits this tone like a leather driving glove. A two-door, two-seat sports coupe offered in Sport, Performance, and Nismo trims.
But here’s the bit that matters: for the Sport and Performance versions, a six-speed manual is standard. That gearbox alone made me fall hard for the Performance trim I spent the week with.
Today, it’s all about SUVs—cavernous things tall enough to induce a nosebleed and big enough to misplace a toddler. They’re loaded with so many digital nannies and driver assists that you’re basically just there to monitor the autopilot and occasionally sign off on a lane change. You don’t drive. You supervise.
The Nissan Z? It reminds you what driving is. You’re low to the ground, snug in a cockpit lined with leather and Alcantara, not lost inside some padded cell with cupholders. This is a car you wear, not one you crawl inside like a studio apartment. And—shockingly for a two-door sports car—it’s something an old guy with a bit of belly, like myself, can still climb into without needing a pulley system.
On the road, you’re inches from the pavement, and you don’t just move—you feel. The 19-inch forged Rays wheels deliver the good vibrations, while the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 sends 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque coursing through your spine. The mechanical limited-slip differential keeps it all planted, and the manual’s rev-matching system lets you pretend, for a moment, that you’ve got a shot at F1. (You don’t. But it’s fun to believe.)
No, the Performance trim doesn’t get the extra 20 horses of the top-shelf, track-focused Nismo—but the Nismo doesn’t offer a manual at all. What both do get is an eight-speaker Bose sound system, which means you can blast music from the era when the Z ruled the streets and cupholders were considered a luxury.
These days, if you find a new car with a naturally aspirated anything, or a burger joint that takes cash and gives change, it’s not just a purchase—it’s a protest. A rebellion against the algorithm. A declaration that you remember when air conditioning was optional and power windows were for the weak.
Yes, we’ve gained convenience. But we’ve lost feel. And every now and then, something like the Nissan Z shows up to remind us what it was like when driving stirred the soul and didn’t come with a monthly software update.
In a world obsessed with making everything smarter, smoother, and safer, the Z dares to just be fun. It makes no sense. And that’s exactly why it’s brilliant.
2025 Nissan Z Performance
MSRP: $52,970
MSRP (as tested): $55,985
Engine: 3.0-liter V6, 400 horsepower @6400 rpm, 350 lb.-ft torque @1600 rpm
Transmission: 6 Speed Manual
Fuel Mileage (EPA): 18 city, 24 highway, 20 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions): 18 mpg
Base Curb Weight: 3536 lbs.
Exterior Dimensions (Inches)
Wheelbase: 100.4
Length: 172.4
Width, without mirrors: 72.6
Height: 51.8
Front Track Width: 61.2
Rear Track Width: 61.6
Minimum Ground Clearance: 4.8
Interior Dimensions (Inches)
Passenger / Seating Capacity: 2
Total Passenger Volume: 51.4 cubic feet
Front Head Room: 38.2
Front Leg Room: 44.9
Front Shoulder Room: 54.2
Front Hip Room: 54.6
Warranty
Basic: 3 Yr./ 36,000 Mi.
Drivetrain: 5 Yr./ 60,000 Mi.
Roadside: 3 Yr./ 36,000 Mi.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.