Nissan is launching a comeback. Here’s what it’s like road tripping in its newest sports car
Nissan’s been through some rough times in the past four or five years. Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was But Nissan has been launching a comeback with fresh vehicles like the new Pathfinder and Rogue SUVs. The Z, with its focus on style and excitement, promises to be a sort of spiritual center of that revival effort. Creating this new car, with its lines reminiscent of Nissan sports cars of the past, was something that helped rally the company, Albaisa told me at the new Z’s unveiling last year.I recently had the chance to sit in its driver’s seat for hundreds of miles on highways and twisting backroads. The new Z proved to be a surprisingly likable long-term companion providing genuine comfort on the long, dull stretches but excitement when the road invited it.Time machinesOnce a year, four of my brothers, three of whom own classic cars, gather somewhere for a few days of driving. As often as I can, I join them. I’d been planning for months to meet them this year at a small town in Maryland’s northwest corner. Just a week before our Airbnb reservation was to start, I got an email from Nissan that a Z, one of the pre-production cars, would be available for me to test drive but it was available for only one weekend. That weekend. Sometimes things just happen to line up perfectly.A couple of years ago, I did a similar trip in a Chevrolet Corvette which has more horsepower and its engine behind the seats, like a supercar. It also costs more than $10,000 more. While the Corvette offers amazing performance, the Z, with its simpler controls, was a nicer long-term companion and easier to imagine driving every day. Even as Nissan is preparing to take its next big step, releasing its first electric SUV, the Ariya, the Z provides a welcome look back. With its internal combustion power, sharp handling and relatively accessible price, it recaptures a sort of excitement, for Nissan and for all of us, that may be about to drive away over the horizon.
