While the manual gearbox might be a dying breed in most segments of the Australian new car market, sports car buyers here and around the world still love three pedals and a proper manual shifter. There’s also been positive reactions from customers when it comes to sports cars honouring their heritage, too.
That’s precisely what has driven the updates applied to the 2027 Nissan Z, which is set to arrive in Australia in just a couple of months’ time.
Wearing a revised front-end design, the updated model is offered in standard and higher-performance NISMO guises as before.
However, the headline change is the option of a ‘short-stroke’ six-speed manual gearbox in the NISMO version for the first time, alongside the standard nine-speed automatic – something which has been added in response to customer demand.
“I think the key is to respond to customers,” Steve Coughlan, head of communications for Nissan Oceania, told Retro Rides back in May.
“The market was moving heavily towards automatic, like most if not all segments, but the voice of the customer was loud and clear – ‘no, no, we really want a manual’.
“On that basis, it’s a good example of customer voice leading and pushing for that change and actually being listened to.”
The manual gearbox isn’t the only change, either, with the NISMO Z also adopting new two-piece front brake rotors derived from the GT-R. In addition to being paired with a new brake caliper colour, the revised brakes reduce unsprung mass by approximately 9kg.
Powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the NISMO Z delivers 309kW and 520Nm – outputs which are 11kW and 45Nm higher than the standard Z. Don’t think the NISMO is the only one getting some extra goodies, though.
In addition to the revised front end design, which sees the regular Nissan logo replaced by the classic ‘Z’ insignia, the standard Z is now offered in a new, heritage-inspired Unryu Green hero colour. Fittingly, it can be teamed with a tan interior as a no-cost option.
It’s also teamed with a new alloy wheel design that takes inspiration from those seen on the Z31 300ZX.
This is hardly the first time we’ve seen the Z offered with some touches that draw upon its heritage, though, with Nissan Australia offering the highly-limited 2026 Heritage Edition back in April, which was a runaway success.
“People like the novelty of these things, they like something new,” Coughlan explained during that same interview.
“When we launched the Heritage Edition, there were only 10 cars and they were quickly snapped up.
“We had people emailing us, writing directly to the Communications team, asking which dealers they could buy one of them from within hours of the car being released. The collectability of this model was highly known.”
Fortunately, there’s not such a need to rush for the 2027 update, although the order books are opening this month ahead of first deliveries expected in September 2026.
“The Z is a Nissan icon. It has always been about the connection between driver and car, so bringing a manual to the NISMO and genuine GT-R-derived hardware doubles down on our promise to our most committed enthusiasts,” says Steve Milette, managing director of Nissan Oceania.
“Add the Coupe’s fresh new face, the heritage-inspired Unryu Green, and 2026 is a milestone year for Z.”
For the standard 2027 Nissan Z Coupe, pricing starts at $76,800 before premium paint and on-road costs are factored in, although the manual and automatic are priced identically. The same can be said for the NISMO model, which is priced at $95,000.
All 2027 Nissan Z models are offered with a 10-year/300,000km warranty and complimentary roadside assistance for the same duration, as long as they’re serviced with an authorised Nissan dealer, where servicing is capped at a $499 flat price for the first five years.
