Nissan Z Nismo vs Porsche 718 Spyder RS: Underdogs Unleashed
The Nissan Z Nismo is fast. Not fast enough to beat a Porsche, yes, but to some extent, it does everything the Porsche can do. It can drift, it can drag, and most importantly, it can be a track weapon. The Z Nismo is also a lot better than before. Exactly how much better? That’s what you’ll find in this Nissan Z Nismo vs Porsche 718 Spyder RS head-to-head duel.
Read till the end as we lay all the performance specs and stats of these cars on paper for you. And if that wasn’t enough, we’ll also compare these sports cars’ interiors, safety, and driver assistance tech. Before we dive deeper, let’s discuss a bit about Nissan and Porsche:
Nissan
Nissan has built a strong legacy in performance with its Z and GT-R lines. The new Z Nismo carries that torch, sharpening the standard Z into a focused sports car with track in mind. It’s already earned praise for its stability, steering response, and aggressive chassis tuning.
Journalists have called it the most composed Z yet, especially on challenging roads. It’s been featured in major performance shootouts, often surprising with its poise. While not a horsepower king, the Z Nismo is a return to what makes a car engaging. It shows Nissan still knows how to tune a driver’s machine.
Porsche
Porsche remains one of the most respected names in the world of performance, and the 718 Spyder RS is a testament to this. It’s a celebration of pure driving, stripped of extras, built for corners. Despite being mid-engine and not part of the 911 family, the Spyder RS has been stunning in press reviews and track tests alike.
It’s been called one of the best open-top sports cars ever made. Porsche used everything it’s learned from racing to make it handle with precision and feel alive at any speed. The car has already secured its place as a modern classic, praised for its connection with the driver.
Nissan Z Nismo vs Porsche 718 Spyder RS: Editor’s Opinion
The more ‘Dailyable’ choice is without a doubt the Z Nismo, but if you want some spice in your life, the Spyder RS won’t disappoint. Think of it like this: the 718 Spyder RS is the poor man’s 911, while the Z Nismo is the poor man’s GT-R.
Alternatively, you can say that the Porsche 718 is a Mazda Miata on steroids, and the Z Nismo is a Silvia on steroids. We already know that the Porsche 718 Spyder RS is faster and more capable than the Z Nismo. Though there isn’t really much competition between front-engine/RWD and mid-engine/RWD, let’s see if the Z keeps up in the rest of the departments.
Performance
Let’s talk about the performance of both of these glorified coupes:
| Specs | Nissan Z Nismo | Porsche 718 Spyder RS |
| Engine | V6 | Flat-6 |
| Forced Induction | Twin-turbocharged | Naturally Aspirated |
| Displacement | 2997cc | 3999cc |
| Transmission | 9-AT with LSD | 7-DCT PDK |
| Drivetrain | RWD | RWD |
| Power | 420 hp | 493 hp |
| Torque | 520 Nm | 450 Nm |
| 0-100 km/h | 3.9 seconds | 3.2 seconds |
| Fuel Economy | 7.6 km/l | 6.8 km/l |
| Weight | 1680 kg | 1458 kg |
This is tough. The Z Nismo has a smaller engine, but it also has two snails gulping air into it. More weight and more torque, yet it’s 0.6 seconds slower to 100 km/h than the 718. The Spyder RS is shockingly lightweight, more powerful, and a bigger engine, but it doesn’t need turbos to beat the Z.
Porsche’s DCT PDK makes up for the turbochargers. The transmission on the Z Nismo isn’t too bad either. A Nismo fine-tuned transmission isn’t something to be taken lightly. And if you’re really considering either of these vehicles, fuel economy won’t be big on your checklist.
We must say that the Nissan Z Nismo vs Porsche 718 Spyder RS duel is tighter than we anticipated.
Cabin Comfort
Now we will discuss what most people don’t even care about discussing. Cabin Comfort? In a Sports car? Nobody cares, right? Well, we, at Arabwheels, care for our audience, so here it is:
| Specs | Nissan Z Nismo | Porsche 718 Spyder RS |
| No. of seats | 2 | 2 |
| Seat Material | Nismo RECARO Leather-Appointed seats with Alcantara inserts | Leather with Race-Tex (Porsche’s version of Alcantara) |
| Paddle Shifters | GT-R inspired paddle shifters | Yes |
| Multimedia | 12.3” instrument cluster + 8” AIVI audio | 7” Porsche Communication Management (PCM) |
| Apple CarPlay and Android Auto | Yes | Only Apple CarPlay |
| Wireless charging | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Ambient Lighting | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Sound System | 8-speaker Bose Premium Audio System | 10-speaker Bose Surround Sound System |
| Seat Functions | Manually Adjustable seats | Optional 18-way Adjustable Seats |
| Boot Capacity | 242 L | 245 L |
Just as we suspected, the Nissan Z Nismo outperforms the Porsche 718 Spyder RS in terms of interior and cabin comfort. It has two screens and GT-R-inspired paddle shifters. The Porsche doesn’t even have Android Auto, a major turn-off for most buyers. The 10-speaker Bose Surround Sound System is reputed to be superior to the 911’s. Apart from that, there isn’t much happening inside the cockpit.
Safety and Driver Assistance
The following are the safety and driver assistance features of the Nissan Z Nismo and Porsche 718 Spyder RS:
| Specs | Nissan Z Nismo | Porsche 718 Spyder RS |
| Airbags | 6 | 6 |
| Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) | Standard | Standard |
| Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) | Standard | Standard |
| Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) | Standard | Standard |
| Cruise Control | Adaptive Cruise Control | Standard |
| ISOFIX | Standard | Optional |
| Electronic Power Steering (EPS) | Standard | Standard |
| Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA) | Standard | Unavailable |
| Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) | Standard | Standard |
| Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) | Standard | Standard |
| Hill Start Assist (HSA) | Standard | Unavailable |
| Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) | Standard | Standard |
| Traction Control (TRC) | Standard | Standard |
| Heads-Up Display (HUD) | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Lane Departure Assist | Standard | Unavailable |
| Lane Change Assist | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| 360 Cameras | Unavailable | Only rear camera |
| Parking Sensors | Standard | Standard |
As we can see, the Nissan Z is better equipped in terms of safety and driver assistance features. However, both of these cars have a lot of missing features. That’s because they aren’t family haulers or commuter vehicles; they are race-bred track monsters. These cars aren’t meant for grocery shopping; they were built to conquer corners and run laps.
This sums up our Nissan Z Nismo vs Porsche 718 Spyder RS debate. Thanks for reading till the end. If you have any questions or queries, let us know in the comments below.