The Nissan Z might be a bit tricky to get into even though it has long doors, but once inside, most people should find it a spacious and accommodating two-seater coupe with a great driving position, plenty of storage, excellent ventilation and a supportive pair of front seats.

Tellingly, it also features a retro interior treatment that melds old-school Datsun 240Z era and contemporary design elements.

Falling into the former category are a dashtop featuring a trio of dials as per most Z cars throughout history, a manual hand brake, a three-spoke steering wheel, manual seat base angle adjusters and – especially – the series’ signature sloping roof and rising window line.

Behind the front seats is a long, wide and flat luggage area that is bisected by a large body brace – as per the preceding 370Z and 350Z before that.

The Nissan Z can sprint from standstill to 100km/h (0-100km/h) in 4.5 seconds, on the way to a top speed of about 250km/h.

The Z employs a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, making 298kW of power at 6400rpm and 475Nm of torque between 1600rpm and 5600rpm. It channels drive to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual gearbox or a nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

Switching to the Z Nismo, power jumps 11kW to 309kW at 6400rpm and 45Nm to 520Nm between 2000rpm and 5200rpm.

The Nissan Z is a two-seater three-door coupe.

The Nismo is fitted with a pair of sports seats from Recaro that are more-heavily bolstered for added bracing through fast corners and during high G forces, and differ from the standard bucket seats by having seat-height and cushion-angle adjusters.

Additionally, they are manually operated rather than electrically actuated, and also lack heating elements that are included in all other Zs.

All Nissan Z cars come with dual-zone climate control, heated seats with electric adjustment, keyless entry/start, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, surround-view reverse camera, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, Bose premium audio with eight speakers, active noise cancellation tech, an artificially amplified exhaust note and 19-inch alloy wheels.

But don’t bother searching for a smartphone charge pad or a spare wheel, as just a tyre-repair kit is fitted.

The performance-enhanced Z Nismo, meanwhile, brings a body kit, leather/Alcantara-clad upholstery, Recaro sports bucket seats, more-comprehensive digital instrumentation and steering wheel, additional drive modes and red trim highlights. You’ll also find more power, a faster-shifting automatic transmission, track-focused chassis upgrades, bigger brakes and lighter yet wider alloy wheels.

Note, though that the Nismo loses the seat heating and electric adjustment.

The Nissan Z averages 10.8L/100km on the combined cycle in manual form, and 9.8L/100km with the auto. In Z Nismo auto-only guise, this jumps to 10.4L/100km.

Note that all models need more-expensive 98 RON premium unleaded petrol. Fitted with a 62-litre tank, expect a range of about 600km.