If you’re a JDM fan (if you’re not aware of what JDM stands for, stop reading right here), you don’t need me to tell you what the Hakone Turnpike stands for. Often referred to as Japan’s Nürburgring, it is a bucket list item for petrolheads. It’s used by Japanese car makers to develop their cars, besides being famous for drifting and ‘Touge Racing’. Also made popular by Initial D, Hakone Turnpike is known for its scenic views too, especially of Mount Fuji, besides its pristine tarmac and winding roads. Now, getting a chance to visit the place is a huge opportunity, but to drive up the mountain pass in a two-door Japanese sportscar? That’s a huge tick off the bucket list!
Working as an automotive journalist has given me the opportunity to tick a few things off my bucket list – driving a V8-engined F1 racecar even – but despite multiple trips to Japan over the years, Hakone Turnpike eluded me. Until now that is. On the same note, Japanese sportscars are a rarity for Indian motoring journalists. Heck, I’ve driven more Porsches and Lamborghinis in my near two-decade long journalism career than sportscars from the land of the rising sun! This is something we’d like Japanese car makers to fix, because internationally, they’re known to offer sportscars that are easy to fall in love with. But sadly, most of the action with Japanese sportscars I get to see these days is through Instagram reels, as my feed is full of videos of Supras, GT-Rs, RX7s and more – putting out close to or over 1,000PS, usually in Japan.
So when an opportunity to test drive the Nissan Z, the latest generation version of the iconic two-door sportscar in Japan came up, I knew where to head. Now, in addition to the above, getting to drive a sportscar with a manual transmission is even rarer. And as luck would have it, the Z finished in the iconic ‘Bayside Blue’ hue you see here was the manual version! The Z or Fairlady Z, as opposed to being called the 400Z, is the newest in a long list of rear-wheel drive sportscars from Nissan, dating back to the time when it was a Datsun – we’re talking over half a century ago – and was launched as the 240Z. It helped Nissan broaden its appeal as a car maker, as the 240Z was quick to gain popularity for its design, compact size, engineering and of course its six-cylinder engine, mated to a manual transmission and rear wheel drive.
The Z is its seventh-generation version, and takes the tradition forward – it is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine, now with… ahem… twin turbochargers! The motor offers 400PS and 475Nm, and can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic gearbox. Driving to Hakone, a 15.75km long, privately owned stretch of toll road, about an hour’s drive from Yokohama, also gave me a chance to soak in the car’s details – it feels properly modern as compared to the 370Z that was sold in India for a brief period. You get a 12.3-inch driver display with a large, centrally positioned tachometer flanked by a digital gear indicator and speedometer readout, engine oil and water temperature readouts and even a boost gauge.
This is besides the physical gauges for the battery voltage, turbo speed and boost which sit on top of the dashboard, exactly the way they should in sportscars. Below these is the 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, replete with Apple CarPlay, followed by the climate control knobs, the gear lever, cup holders and a manual handbrake! I took a few moments to figure out seat adjustments – part electric, part manual – but despite how low I was sitting, I could see the edges of the hood pretty well. Six cylinder engines are becoming a rarity but coincidentally, this very issue has me drive two cars with six-cylinder engines – the Z here with the V6, and the Mercedes-Benz E 450 in the following pages with a straight-six! The Z’s motor is very refined, sounds good even if slightly muted, but most importantly, puts its power down in a very linear and grin-inducing manner.
There’s a bit of the GT-R formula at play, especially with twin-turbocharging and while the Z doesn’t sound as good, its turbo whistle is audible, and the exhaust note does not disappoint. I couldn’t resist a few short bursts of pedal to the metal action on the highway and admittedly, the Z ensured the grin it plastered on my mug got wider with each opportunity. Rolling up to the start of Hakone I chanced upon a line-up of JDM exotics – a Toyota Supra MK IV, Honda NSX, GT-R, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII, EVO X and more! No less than a dream come true to show up at Hakone Turnpike in a Nissan Z and bump into a bunch of the choicest of Japanese sportscars, no? Pleasantries exchanged, the group headed off onto the Hakone Turnpike and I followed, in the Z.
Once they vanished into the distance I was on my own, tackling Hakone’s corners. Feedback from the steering was excellent, while the firm suspension and excellent grip from the Bridgestone Potenzas were helping the Z hold a line. With peak torque available from just 1,600rpm progress was rapid too. The Z doesn’t feel as light or nimble as some of its European rivals, but if you’re willing to trade a bit of those for feel, the Z offers it in heaps. Throws for the gearbox are short and gears were slotting in perfectly too. The Z is also equipped with SynchroRev Match that blips the throttle automatically to match revs and make downshifts smoother, which was adding to the experience. The slim rear windshield meant my view in the mirror was a sliver, but didn’t seem to bother me much.
The straight-six was singing a symphony as I tackled corner after corner, some interspersed with short straights that allowed me to put pedal to the metal. The ESP off button sits right next to the steering wheel but I had to practice restraint despite the temptation. Even with ESP on I could feel the rear twitching slightly, adding to the theatrics. More importantly, as compared to the overly complicated electronics in new-age sportscars, the Z comes across as a simple, fun to drive old-school machine focused on letting you fun. It wasn’t trying to be the hero, but was pushing me to have a good time, which had a charm to itself. It seemed to take me back in time when automobiles were not a complicated mix of driver aids that do half your job without even telling you. It wasn’t long before I got to the top of the mountain pass but by then, Japan’s weather turned suddenly, as it is known to.
The sunshine was gone and skies were overcast and as I got out of the car to soak in the past 15 minutes of motoring bliss, I found myself engulfed by a thick fog. That didn’t stop me from admiring the Z’s design though. Its design reminds of the original 240Z with its sharp yet simple lines, especially the way the roofline is angled and the way it slopes. The Z also cuts a very gorgeous profile that makes you want ogle at it. I also like the headlamp design but not the front end overall and feel the Z looks a lot more appealing from the rear three-quarter thanks to the design of its tail lamps, the boot lip spoiler and even the dual exhausts. I do like the hood though, especially with its character lines, and the alloy wheels – they look good, especially with their gloss black finish and house red-hued brake calipers that contrast nicely with the wheels and the car’s blue colour.
Before the weather turned worse, I knew I had to head back, but the feeling of having driven a sportscar like the Nissan Z to the top of Hakone Turnpike was yet to sink in fully. I could have pinched myself, but I guess the weather was doing its job already. Giving the Z’s roofline one last look I lowered myself into the cabin and thumbed the starter, breaking into a smile that I knew would be plastered on my mug for a long time to come, given the memories I was heading back with!
