2022 Nissan Z spec comparison: How Japan's latest sports car sizes up against Toyota Supra and every other similar coupe on the market

Nissan’s latest crack at the Zed formula has the world talking, but mainly because it flys in the face of the electrification push.

Perhaps a last non-electrified and manual hurrah for the brand’s sporting catalog, the Zed once again goes into battle against a long list of rivals, including obvious ones like the Toyota Supra, and less obvious ones like Alpine’s A110.

Let’s take a closer look at what we know and how the Zed will compare, without going to the full niche high-end coupes like Lotus and beyond, or sedan-based vehicles like the BMW 4 Series, which while similar, aren’t really in the same vein.

We know the Zed will be motivated by a twin-turbo version of its VR series 3.0-litre V6 engine, with outputs set at 298kW/475Nm. It will be able to be chosen, even in Australia, with either an eight-speed torque-converter automatic with a limited-slip mode, or as a six-speed manual with a carbon composite driveshaft.

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Size-wise, it shares its platform with the outgoing car, so there are few changes on that front, while Nissan has taken the opportunity to give the sports coupe a significant digital overhaul in its cabin.

We don’t know pricing for the Zed yet, but indications out of international markets suggest it will wear a price tag not too far removed from the outgoing 370Z (which can be had from between $50,490 and $64,490 before-on roads), and therefore significantly more affordable than the Supra.

The Supra is its key rival, motivated by a BMW-sourced 3.0-litre inline six producing 285kW/500Nm, driving the rear wheels exclusively via an eight-speed automatic, but it’s worth remembering that the revived Japanese nameplate isn’t the only car on the market in a similar vein, with others out of Europe worth mentioning, too.

The Supra was always destined to be the Zed's primary rival.

The first is the car with which the Supra owes its existence, the BMW Z4. Starting from $129,471 (MSRP) for the most equivalent 3.0-litre inline six M40i variant, the Z4 is a truly premium offering at nearly double the price of what the Nissan Zed should cost. Its power outputs match the Supra at 285kW/500Nm, granting it a power-to-weight ratio of 189.6kW/t.

The Alpine A110 is a sports coupe alternative by Renault’s Alpine performance division. Starting from $101,000 (MSRP), the A110 is smaller and lighter than its competitors here, and sports a correspondingly smaller engine, a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit derived from the Megane RS hot hatch. Still producing a punchy 185kW/320Nm, the Alpine has a power-to-weight ratio of 174.5kW/t, not far off its competition.

In the opposite direction is Ford’s seemingly ever-present Mustang. The big front-engine rear-drive pony car starts from a much closer to the mark at $64,390 for the V8 manual GT variant. Producing 339kW/556Nm but weighing a sight more than its coupe rivals, the Mustang has a power-to-weight ratio of 194.2kW/t.

V8 versions of the Mustang out-punch much of the competition.

For something a little different again, Audi offers its TT. A coupe by shape, but front-drive by nature, the TT costs from $80,272 for the base 2.0-litre turbo, or a whopping $137,900 for the full-fat five-cylinder RS. Reportedly not long for this world, the TT range is dual-clutch automatic only.

Obviously, we could continue all day to cover other premium rivals like the Jaguar F-Type, BMW 4 Series, Mercedes C-Class coupe, and Porsche Boxster, but we’ll leave it there for now. Check out our table below to see all the specs of the cars mentioned compared.