Nissan Z vs Toyota 86

What's the difference?

The Nissan Z is a real blueblood.

With Datsun, Nissan introduced the world to Japanese cars via a gruelling round-Australia rally in 1958 that had the country captivated. Within 10 years the 1600 made them respectable, but it was the 240Z of 1970 that also made them desirable.

Seven generations later, today’s RZ34-series Z – along with the Toyota/Subaru GR86/BRZ and Mazda MX-5 – embodies that nation’s tradition of affordable yet charismatic sports cars.

They’ve always been ripe for modifying as well, with Nissan leaning on its performance arm Nismo for 40 years. Which is exactly what the Z Nismo is all about, stepping up to take on the Toyota GR Supra, BMW M240i and Ford Mustang GT.

The old 370Z Nismo was a true corker. Let’s find out if this one does the family proud.

Cast your mind back to 2012, Carly Rae Jepsen’s super-catchy Call Me Maybe single was at the top of the music charts, the first Avengers movie had just hit movie theatres and Toyota’s 86 sports car finally arrived in Australian showrooms after a lengthy teaser campaign.

Fast-forward eight years to 2020, and Carly Rae Jepsen is still releasing bangers, the Avengers have become the zeitgeist of 2010s popular culture and... the Toyota 86 is still available in local showrooms.

Sure, Toyota has tweaked, fiddled and updated the 86 a little since then, but the formula for an affordable, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe is still the same.

But the 86 now competes in a market that has moved ahead in leaps and bounds, and while direct competitors like the Mazda MX-5 are few and far between, it now has to fend off competition from some light-sized warm hatches.

Does the Toyota 86 manage to hold its own in 2020? Or is it better off relegated to the annals of history?