We LOVE our Nissan GT-R’s!
Col Crawford Nissan can’t wait for the MY2017 model of the Nissan GT-R to arrive. As Reviewed by David McCowen of Drive, The king of Japanese performance cars has followed the same recipe since 1989, combining a boxy body with a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine and all-wheel-drive traction to offer performance rivalling supercars double its price.
As Reviewed by David McCowen of Drive. The Nissan GT-R is undoubtedly the king of Japanese performance cars has followed the same recipe since 1989, combining a boxy body with a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine and all-wheel-drive traction to offer performance rivalling supercars double its price.
Nissan’s current-generation R35 GT-R broke cover in 2007 before coming to Australia in 2009. While the 2017 GT-R continues that theme, it represents the most significant update yet to the modern iteration, bringing renewed focus on refinement as Nissan pursues prestige customers rather than the hardcore enthusiasts originally attracted to the car.
Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan’s GT-R program chief, says the manufacturer deliberately engineered a degree of racecar harshness into the original R35 GT-R, a machine that reinforced its competitive roots with a rear-mounted transaxle.
To that end, Nissan has worked to refine the GT-R’s behaviour to tone down the bump’n’grind of its predecessor. The driveline has been massaged to work the knots out of its muscles, making the product a smoother and quieter proposition for daily life. A lighter and less boomy exhaust system also joins an active noise cancellation system similar to expensive in-flight headphones, reworked sound deadening and revised bodywork designed to help the big unit slip through the air with less fuss.
Subtly tweaked looks disguise significantly reworked aerodynamics, increasing the car’s cooling, downforce and high-speed stability. Engineers worked to stiffen the coupe’s body, improving torsional rigidity as well as its steering response.
Nissan says a less bouncy three-mode, driver-adjustable suspension provides improved contact with the road and that tweaks to the car’s steering require less effort on the driver’s part.
The largest changes are on the inside, where a simplified cabin features 16 fewer switches than its predecessor, as well as a new steering wheel with shift paddles mounted on the back of its spokes (as opposed to the steering column), new seats and a better grade of leather trim.
Australia is set to receive two Nissan GT-R models priced from around $170,000 to $190,000. The regular model tested here is named GT-R Prestige, and it’s the polite gran turismo of the family. A higher-grade GT-R Track pack brings elements from the ultra-focused GT-R Nismo supercar, borrowing its wheels and suspension (if not a more powerful motor) to create Australia’s toughest GT-R yet.
Watch David McCowen’s Test Drive & Review Here
Both trim lines use a revised version of the Nissan GT-R’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, which benefits from minor tweaks that help produce a massive 419kW of power and 637Nm of torque when run on 100 Octane fuel – up to 15kW and 9Nm more than before. The GT-R’s six-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel-drive system remain in place, though they too have been revised to improve smoothness and driver response.
It feels like a stronger package, yet Nissan has backed away from performance claims, declining to state an official 0-100km/h dash or Nurburgring lap time for the new model. Bragging rights aside, the GT-R offers more grunt than its predecessors as well as a level of refinement existing owners will not be accustomed to. Cruise around town with the suspension and driveline set to their laziest modes, and you would be hard-pressed to recognise the searing potential lying beneath the surface.
We had a brief taste of the GT-R’s limitless thrust on unrestricted German autobahns, where the supercar’s high-speed stability made cruising at 200km/h feel second-nature.
Clearly, the coupe’s performance far exceeds what you can deploy on a public road, so Nissan treated reporters to an afternoon tour of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Spa and the GT-R go hand in hand as fast and fulsome legends with fearsome reputations.
The flowing nature of the track flatters the GT-R, which feels planted through the infamous Eau Rouge corner, and unstoppable barrelling up the Kemmel Straight at 250km/h. More muscle car than sports car – at least in a traditional sense – the GT-R conquers the track with a brute-force approach: oversized brakes, tyres and engine outputs conspiring to create a devastating combination.
Yet it remains deceptively easy to drive, going where you point it and stopping where you ask it to. Sure, the front end will push wide if you turn in with an excess of enthusiasm, but the tail can be brought into play both on and off the throttle, making it an engaging machine to pedal with purpose.
Yes, Nissan has polished some of the GT-R’s edges, it remains a monster to be respected by vehicles and drivers alike.
2016 Nissan GT-R price and specifications:
On-sale: September
Price: from $170,000 (estimated)
Engine: 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Power: 419kW at 6800rpm
Torque: 632Nm at 3200-5800rpm
Transmission: 6-spd dual-clutch automatic, AWD