All-new 9-speed automatic Nissan Z
Speed, precision, safety – developing a world-class sports car requires meticulous planning and countless hours of testing to ensure a thrilling driving experience. The car also has to perform over long drives while keeping its occupants safe. Defining the driving character of a new sports car is therefore a monumental task. It’s usually undertaken by dozens of engineers and test drivers on different roads and tracks all over the world.
As one of the most popular and long-running Japan-developed sports cars in history, people from around the globe have strong opinions on how the new Nissan Z should drive. The marketability team at Nissan’s Arizona Testing Center (ATC) helped to ensure that the all-new Nissan Z lives up to the high expectations of the model’s fans in the North American driving environment. According to Performance Development Senior Manager Christian Spencer, local customer expectations played a key role in helping them define how the car would feel in the hands of drivers in the market.
Speaking of Nissan’s global approach to vehicle development, Spencer said: “We looked to the customer to help focus our development and tuning decisions. A ride in the all-new Z needed to be heritage inspired, iconic and fun, but also comfortable. Acceleration and handling were top priorities, which we precisely tailored to pair with an improved ride quality and enhanced quietness in the cabin. This is a complete Z package that brings joy no matter how you drive it.”
A sports car for any occasion
When it came to the new drivetrain, the developers and engineers concentrated their efforts on the new 9-speed automatic transmission, specifically Sport Mode, a new setting for the Z-car.
“If you’re just driving around the city, the previous Z’s 7-speed transmission was calibrated very well. The difference between the old and new becomes apparent when the customer drives the new Z in a more spirited manner,” said Paul Cullen, Nissan powertrain performance engineer. “We added adaptive shift control tuning, where the system can understand the driver’s style and tolerance for assertiveness. Then it adapts gear changes accordingly. In Sport Mode, the transmission will hold gears longer, extend upshift points, and it will downshift during braking to deliver the same level of performance as manual shifting. Some of our test drivers opted to keep the transmission in full-automatic mode when hot-lapping, that’s how good it is.”
Owen Thunes, senior manager, Nissan Powertrain Performance, explains how the revised chassis forms a perfect match with the new twin-turbocharged engine, both complementing each other to deliver an unforgettable driving experience. “The intensity of the new Z is far more apparent than the previous car,” he said. “When you tip into the throttle or when you make an aggressive move, the car responds with you. The more you ask of the car, the more this car will give you.”
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