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I don’t know what to think about Nissan flagship supercar anymore. I recall being enthralled with the car when I first drove it in 2009. At the time, there was little else like it. A Corvette Z06 could play hardball on a track and at speed but could never match a launch. The base Porsche 911 Carrera never stood a chance in any competition except for brand prestige. The Audi R8, at nearly $60k more than the GT-R, was on target in every respect but the premium in cost was almost that of a base Corvette! It’s no small wonder then that GT-R grew its cult following into a world-class fan-club.
I’ve driven a GT-R on a number of occasions and completed a fair amount of track time at various tracks including the Spa Francorchamps. It was here that I was first introduced to the new poshed-up GT-R and where a number of my sentiments on this car cemented into what they are.
In a nutshell, the GT-R is biblically fast, massively brutish and carries a face that is unmistakably GT-R. If this is what you want, then $125k still looks like a bargain. That is, until you do a little shopping… If you want these attributes and much more in roughly the same price range, you’ll find the GT-R falls short. The fundamentals of the car haven’t changed much in nearly a decade, but the competition has evolved well beyond the Nissan.
Styling inside/out
The GT-R’s styling is distinct and unique enough to still be current nearly ten years later. What has become an obsolete characteristic is the fact that a powerful car needs to be big. Most manufacturers have gone to great length to create cars that look as lite as possible without diminishing the visual impact. The Acura NSX or McLaren 570S are two such examples.
The GT-R is, after all, known as Godzilla so excuses from Nissan are not obligatory. If the exterior updates for the 2017 model year were limited to a grille and some improved aero, it’s the cabin that was given the most attention.
The GT-R is no longer aimed at boy-racers with dreams of Grand Theft Auto. Nissan has realigned to car to attempt to capture a 911 or F-type buyer with supple leathers, a grown up dashboard with fewer buttons and an aura of luxury. Despite the more comfortable seats and nicer materials, one cannot be fooled very long as the moment the engine starts up and the car begins to move, the fact this is still a GT-R comes flooding in.
Comfort/space
Comfort is relative in such a car. The larger cabin provides for a little more room overall than a Corvette but humans are not meant to sit in the +2 rear seats. They double as extra storage for more delicate items that shouldn’t be kept in the reasonably capacious trunk.
The biggest step-up in general comfort comes from a tangible reduction of NVH. Active noise cancellation is part of how Nissan has managed this as is the addition sound absorption material, an acoustic windshield, and noise insulators. Although the improvements are noticeable, the GT-R has not become a sanctuary of calm, and it shouldn’t because it’s a GT-R.
Value/equipment
Back in the day when the GT-R was a giant killer, a large part of its appeal came from sub-$85k asking price. As I noted earlier, nothing came close to performing and looking as crazy as the GT-R at the time.
Today, at $125k, the car is still a good deal if the desire is to go fast in a straight line. Today, $125k, or thereabouts, can get you cars that are more powerful, more technologically advanced, better handling, more comfortable, more refined, and well, some have it all.
The GT-R remains a well-appointed car with Nissan Connect that includes navigation, apps, the 8” screen, Bluetooth and much more.
Powertrain/handling
The Nissan GT-R’s piece de résistance is, and was, the VR38DETT 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6. Early on in its career, it produced “only” 480 horsepower (slight mistake in my video) which then climbed to 530 and eventually hit the current mark of 565. With them come 467 lb.-ft. of torque available from 3,300 rpm up to 5,800 rpm. Max power lands in at 6,800 rpm, 300 rpm shy of the redline.
It is difficult to aptly describe the sense urgency created by a full onslaught of boost from this mill. Picture cresting over the initial steep slope of a roller-coaster and immediately dropping down on the other side with two F-15 Pratt & Whitney F100 afterburning turbofan engines. The way the GT-R launches is ferocious, scary and bested by very few mass-production road cars.
The only way to put the power down is through the use of Nissan’s ATTESA E-TS AWD that includes the rear-mounted transaxle comprising of the 6-speed dual clutch transmission, differential and transfer case. Upon said launch, wheel spin is negligible – it’s quite a sight to behold. Once underway, the gearbox works the gears with precision and without delay. Again, watching a GT-R reach for the horizon is something else.
Around town, the big Nissan can be civil. Regardless if all the drive modes are set to Comfort, the ride could not be qualified as such. However, it’s really not that bad while Normal works well for highways. The best part is that the transmission, vehicle dynamics and suspensions settings can all be regulated individually.
On the track is where R-Mode does its thing. The Bilstein DampTronic suspension, VDC and transmission are tuned to 11 for maximum attack. The GT-R suffers from a few problems and here’s where they are most obvious. Although the dampers are keen to work for you, the amount of girth they need to manage under hard braking and through switchbacks brings them to the edge of their usefulness. This makes it difficult to trailbrake and turn into a sharp corner. On top of this is the steering’s lack of feel and feedback upon initial turn-in, and brakes that are struggling to slow the car down. IF the wheels are not straight, and the weight evenly distributed among the front wheels, it’s just no fun. A moment later, all’s good but the combination of straining suspension, absence of steering communication and tortured brakes ruin the moment.
In the end, this means that the GT-R is not meant to be a serious track, at least in light of my experiences. It would seem that Nissan’s decided to keep its title of Giant Killer, but as long as the competition takes place on the road…
I still like the GT-R but my heart is no longer slain.
