The Nissan Z is one of the most important cars in the company’s history. It might not be its best seller, but Nissan’s Z-cars helped put the company on the map over half a century ago. Most recently, the Nissan 350Z and 370Z offered affordable fun performance for over two decades. Trying to build on that success and keep the Z-name alive in a market dominated by crossover SUVs, Nissan brought its Z back without a numerical prefix. Now just named Z, Nissan stuffed a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 under the hood that’s good for 400 hp. Naturally, the Nismo version cranks the performance up a notch and offers more power and a revised suspension. However, this extra power comes with a price hike and no manual transmission.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s West Coast editor Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo and puts it through its paces. Vaughn takes you on a tour of the ’24 Nissan Z Nismo and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review. Host Wesley Wren chats with Vaughn about the Nissan Z and the lack of a manual transmission. The pair also look at the Nissan Z’s competition and price. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the Nissan Z special.