Gac Emzoom vs Nissan Z

What's the difference?

GAC isn’t messing around with the Emzoom Luxury. It’s undeniably eye-catching, priced well and carries just enough of a premium aesthetic to draw attention.

Is it the best small SUV I’ve driven? No. It does enough to avoid being overlooked, but it’s not quite reinventing the wheel.

What it does well is deliver a comfortable, easy urban runaround with strong equipment for the price. However, the safety calibration and overall breadth of systems feel like areas that still need attention.

All up, it gets a lot right for the money, but doesn’t quite land a knockout punch.

The Nismo turns up the wick just enough to justify its $20K premium over the brilliant regular Z.

Visual changes inside and out are one thing, but with tangible boosts in performance, handling and braking – with no detriment to ride quality or comfort – as a result of properly engineered upgrades, the RZ34 version deserves its place in Nissan’s sports car hall of fame.

Note, though, that good as it is, the Nismo is also a potent reminder of how solid a foundation the standard Z also is… especially in manual gearbox guise.

Up front, the Emzoom offers the most space and it’s where it feels most comfortable. The seats are supportive enough for longer trips, and while only the driver’s side is electrically adjustable, that’s not unusual at this price point. Wide door apertures make getting in and out easy and there’s enough elbow room so it doesn’t feel cramped.

In the rear, space is also surprisingly generous for the segment. The flat floor helps with legroom and headroom remains good despite the panoramic sunroof.

Storage is well thought through and generous. Up front, there’s a glove box, a deep centre console and a dual-phone tray that incorporates a ventilated wireless charging pad. There are two cupholders and a drink holder in each door storage bin. You also get an additional shelf underneath with both USB-A and USB-C ports, which helps keep cables and clutter out of the way.

In the rear, amenities are solid, with rear air vents, a fold-down armrest with two cupholders, map pockets and even small device pockets for added practicality. There's a drink bottle holder in each door and a single USB-A port behind the centre console.

Around the back, the boot offers a wide opening and a level load space, making it easy to use day-to-day. Capacity sits at 341 litres, which is enough for a weekly grocery run or a weekend away. There’s a spare tyre tucked under the floor and a powered tailgate is standard.

The tech is easy to live with, too. The media system is intuitive with clear graphics and a responsive touchscreen. Wireless Apple CarPlay connects quickly without fuss, and there’s also wireless Android Auto. Sound quality from the six-speaker system is crisp and the digital radio and Bluetooth hold a steady connection (where some rivals can struggle).

So, just as the exterior is an anthology of past Z car stylings, the same also applies inside.

A mishmash of new and old as well, they also marry together harmoniously – after you’ve bent and contorted yourself inside nice and snug, on the racy yet not-too-unforgiving set of Recaro bucket seats.

The Z’s signature sloping roof and rising window line; a trio of dials that have been a hallmark of the series since the 240Z, a thin three-spoke steering wheel; a physical hand brake and a pair of old-school seat base angle adjuster knobs just like in sports cars from 20 years ago betray the Nissan’s ageing DNA.

But they set the mood, like hearing a favourite old track, though one remixed by a contemporary DJ to a modern beat.

Which means that you’ll be able to view whichever artist you like through the 8.0-inch touchscreen, either via Bluetooth audio streaming, Spotify or some such app.

Easy to decipher and simple to navigate (though no imbedded GPS is fitted), the Z’s dashboard also offers the essential surround-view parking camera (given how limited vision is as you’re sat so low with not much glass to peer out through), amongst a host of vehicle functions. You’re also privy to extremely useful blind-spot alert thoughtfully placed inside the car by the mirror mounts, four cupholders if you count the door-sited ones and surprisingly generous storage. Practicality, thy name is Fairlady.

For lightness and sensible packaging, we understand why Nissan’s sports coupe is strictly a two-seater proposition – and certainly a roomy enough one for the lucky pair at that.

However, it’s a shame Nissan doesn’t offer a 2+2-seater option in the form of a pair of occasional jump seats behind, as per the old Datsun days, as there seems to be just enough space for smaller folk – though as a pair of shelves, that area did prove very useful during our week with the Nismo.

Issues? Along with a sheer lack of grace entering and exiting the Z, poor overall vision and 350Z-era switchgear that are now old enough to drive themselves, finding the right driving position eluded this particular 178cm tester. The seats do a great job keeping you firmly fixed in place, and of course the wheel tilts and telescopes, but those pair of knobs were forever being twirled and fiddled with.

Oh, and simultaneously unlocking and opening the doors was also confounding, due to exterior door handles and pressure sensor not designed for Homo Sapien hands.

Further back, and as in the two previous generations Zeds, a brace bisects the luggage area. Rated at 241 litres VDA, it is wide and flat but a wee bit shallow. At least it adds another level of practicality and is big enough for those weekends away.

There’s no cover (though seeing what’s inside isn’t easy) and no spare wheel of any size is fitted.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Nismo…

Nismo is short for Nissan Motorsport. It’s like what AMG means to Mercedes or HSV was to Holden. Which means, of course, that Australians love this sort of thing.

Last year, as limited editions, the first 100 Z Nismos sold out in under an hour, according to Nissan. Now it’s back more permanently, still from $94,000 before on-road costs, but without quite the exclusivity.

But, don’t worry. You still get the Nismo body kit and leather/Alcantara-clad cabin treatments, stronger performance and track-focused chassis upgrades, which include extra bracing, sharper steering, beefier suspension, bigger brakes and GT-R-spec wider wheels, compared to the regular Z. More on the engineering changes later on.

There are also Recaro sports seats, Nismo-branded digital instrumentation and steering wheel, additional drive modes and red trim highlights.

These come above the regular Z items like keyless entry/start, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, surround-view reverse camera, (wired-only) Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, an eight-speaker Bose premium audio, active noise cancellation tech, dual-zone climate control, artificially amplified exhaust note and wider-yet-lighter 19-inch alloy wheels.

Note, however, that going Recaros means ditching the regular Z’s seat heating and electric adjustment including lumbar support. And there’s no spare wheel in either grade… just a tyre-repair kit. Boo.

For your $100K-driveaway, from an equipment perspective anyway, the Nismo does stretch the value argument almost to breaking point, so it’s a good thing that the Z still looks so good. And there’s lots of beautiful engineering underneath that pretty skin too.

The Emzoom Luxury is front-wheel drive and powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 125kW and 270Nm.

That gives it a slight edge over the GWM Haval Jolion, which sits at 105kW and 210Nm and puts it more in line with the MG ZS Vibe Turbo and Kia Seltos Sport+. On paper at least, it’s competitive for the segment and suggests there’s enough performance on tap for daily driving.

It’s paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission. Around town, it can feel a little clunky at lower speeds, particularly in stop-start traffic, but it settles down as you pick up pace and feels much smoother on the open road.

Nissan sure knows how to make a great six-cylinder engine.

The Nismo’s internal combustion engine in question is the VR30DDTT – a twin-turbo V6 making four per cent more power and around 10 per cent more torque compared to the one found in the regular Z.

Power jumps 11kW and torque a handier 45Nm to 309kW @ 6400rpm and 520Nm between 2000rpm and 5200rpm respectively, providing extra punch as well as a slightly superior power-to-weight ratio of around 184kW per tonne.

That’s up 2kW/tonne, despite the Nismo gaining around 50 kilos, to 1680kg.

This has been possible thanks to extra turbo boost, revised ignition timing, improved cooling systems and updated engine management software.

Driving the rear wheels is a Mercedes-Benz based nine-speed torque-converter auto. Upgraded and retuned for track use, it includes a Sport+ mode providing speedier shift responses. Aided by the new launch control function, we managed a tidy 4.5 seconds from standstill to 100km/h.

Sadly, though, there’s no manual option as per the regular Z.

What else is unique here? Underneath, the platform might date all the way back to the 350Z of 2003, but Nismo has really worked some of its magic.

Along with the retuned dampers, everything else has been stiffened up – including the anti-roll bars, springs, bushes and even the steering rack mounts – to help deliver more controlled and linear steering. There’s extra underfloor bracing at the front, centre and rear of the car, thicker brake rotors and model-specific Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 tyres that are wider at the back, on gloss-black RAYS alloys.

Continuing to use a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension set-up, the Z’s front/rear weight distribution is 56/44 front/rear.

Now, the Nismo was our favourite version of the previous 370Z by some margin. How does it all square up in RZ34 guise?

The Emzoom Luxury has a 47-litre fuel tank and a claimed combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) consumption figure of 6.6L/100km, which gives it a theoretical driving range of up to 712km. That’s more than enough to comfortably get through a week of mixed driving.

In the real world, my trip computer returned 6.2L/100km after a mix of mostly urban driving and a longer highway run. That’s a strong result and reinforces its credentials as an easy urban runabout.

Not surprisingly, the Z Nismo needs to drink from the 98 RON premium unleaded petrol fountain.

Nissan reckons owners should expect to average 10.4L/100km (for 242 grams per kilometre of carbon dioxide emissions) on the combined cycle (and 15.0 and 7.7 L/100km for the urban and extra-urban ratings respectively.

This figure is almost half a litre worse than the non-Nismo Z’s 9.8L/100km result, but still substantially better than the six-speed manual base grade’s 10.8L, despite the latter being some 33kg lighter.

With a sizeable 62L tank, you might be able to average just under 600km between refills.

For the record, we achieved 11.9 litres per 100km in a mix of urban, freeway and performance driving which is not too bad at all given how often we fanged this thing.

On the road, the Emzoom has enough power to feel spritely and capable, whether you’re darting around town or merging onto the highway. That said, the way it delivers that power at lower speeds can feel a little inconsistent. There were moments where lifting off the accelerator didn’t translate to an immediate response, with the car continuing to surge forward briefly. Which made for a few 'eek…' moments during the week.

Handling is on the sharper side for the segment. The steering and suspension are well judged, giving it a slightly zippy, eager feel through corners without tipping into harshness. Braking, however, can feel a touch spongy underfoot, which takes away from that otherwise confident set-up.

Visibility is a mixed bag. Thick pillars, a relatively low window line and a small rear view can make it feel hemmed in from the driver’s seat. Though, the blind-spot camera feed popping up on the display takes some of the guesswork out of lane changes.

Ride comfort is solid overall. It handles bumps well enough, and a longer drive proved comfortable, although there is a low level of road noise that creeps in at higher speeds.

Where the Emzoom really shines is around town. It’s easy to manoeuvre, with an 11.2-metre turning circle that makes tight streets and car parks feel manageable. The 360-degree camera system is clear and makes parking a relatively stress-free experience.

Nissan does plenty of things really well, and the Nismo is no exception.

Firing up the VR30DDTT 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 is also a reminder of how brilliant the brand’s six-cylinder engines are. They tingle all the right sensory areas, starting with the baritone rumble at idle.

What a portent of what’s to come!

Nismo’s massaging of the engine, combined with upgraded clutch packs and a retune of the nine-speed auto’s software, results in stronger, hungrier and angrier acceleration, no matter which of the three driving modes you’ve selected. Even in Normal, the Nissan leaps off the line. In Sport, its appetite for speed is palpable. In Sport+, this thing is eating up the tarmac. Somehow, in an EV era where 4.5s to 100 is ho-hum, the (electronically enhanced but who cares) guttural exhaust bellow seems to amplify the action and thrills.

And spills. For five of our seven days together, the heavens poured. Now, in Normal mode, the Nismo was as benign and controlled as you’d hope in wet conditions, the driver-assist tech metering out just enough torque and braking to seamlessly keep the car humming along. Ever-present but always nuanced, they’ll help make your commute a safer and more relaxing one.

Selecting Sport loosened things up markedly, with the driver needing to be ready to counteract with steering, seating and throttle, though still with a safety net to keep the car from going totally out of whack; Sport+, meanwhile, is not for amateurs or the distracted. This is serious, tail-wagging waywardness that should only be fully explored with experience and care.

Later in the week, Launch Mode in Sport+ on cold but dry bitumen also requires super concentration, as we discovered attempting to extract the fastest acceleration time. Sideways in a straight line at 100km/h-plus is not for the faint hearted.

Beyond all-out performance and drama, the Nismo soars with weighty yet linear and precise steering, resulting in satisfying, hunkered-down handling that is the hallmark of a great sports car. Really tight turns can be taken at impressive speeds, but there’s about 1.7 tonne of muscle to manipulate, so the real fun can be found blasting along a snaking set of more open corners, where the Z’s inherent thrust, poise and grip come into play, all to the symphony of that bi-turbo V6.

That the suspension can feel both firm and supple at the same time is another arrow in the Nismo’s bow.

Nissan isn’t pretending this is anything but a rousing and rapid grand tourer with track aspirations, so the fact there’s also comfort and sophistication to be enjoyed just shows the sheer bandwidth of this particular Z.

Downsides? There’s always a wall of sound, be it mechanical or noise intrusion from the rubber and/or bitumen. The Nismo is rarely quiet. The extended front spoiler seems to summon up speed humps and bumps you never knew existed. The adaptive cruise control’s inability to resume in heavy stop/start traffic betrays this car’s 350Z-era tech. And the lack of a manual transmission, we reckon, is a missed opportunity for an even greater degree of interactive sports car driving.

Still, the Nismo delivers exactly what the brand promises, and continues to improve a firm favourite for speed and drama.

But the gap between Nismo and regular model is smaller than the one that existed in the preceding 370Z, which means that – if $100K driveaway is too steep – you’re already driving something elevated in the standard Z. Particularly if you yearn for a manual.

It’s all good.

There is no Euro NCAP or ANCAP crash-test rating for the Nissan Z Nismo

Standard safety features include AEB with pedestrian detection (though no operating parameters could be found about this system), 'Predictive Forward Collision Warning', lane departure warning, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, high beam assist, tyre pressure monitoring sensor, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control with full-stop (but no resume) functionality.

What’s missing? There is no active lane-keep assist tech to nudge you into line, and you won't find parking sensors nor a front-centre airbag.

But the Z does have dual frontal, side chest and head-protecting airbags, a surround-view camera, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights with light sensitivity and rain-detecting wipers.

There is also a child seat tether point on the passenger seat, but the Nismo ditches the other Z’s ISOFIX alternative.

The Emzoom is offered with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty which is great for the class.

Service pricing has yet to be finalised for the Emzoom and for now the service network is tiny, with only around 10 centres nationwide but you can undergo authorised repairs through places like MyCar.

Your wallet’s pretty secure as well.

Like all Zs, the Nismo is subject to a warranty period of five years with unlimited kilometres, while service intervals are fixed at every 12 months or 10,000km – whichever occurs first. There is also five years of roadside assistance.

Nissan also provides pre-paid maintenance plans that can save up to $245 over three years, as well as capped-price servicing. At the time of publishing, the capped-price service appointments cost between $347 and $950 depending on the year of ownership.