- Feb 6, 2007
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What is it? Well for starters, it’s not the new Skyline GT-R. Instead it’s referred to merely as the Nissan GT-R. The name Skyline is no longer applicable because, according to the GT-R’s creators, this is an all-new ‘multi-performance supercar’ which just so happens to be faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo – but which also costs two thirds the price of Porsche’s icon; Nissan GB anticipates a price of no more than £55k when sales begin in March 2009.
It’s also the most exciting car to come out of Japan since, well, the last GT-R, the R34 Skyline GT-R of the late 1990s. There are almost too many technical highlights to absorb in one hit. As ever the chassis is four-wheel-drive and, as before, the engine is a twin-turbo six-cylinder unit. But this time it’s a V6 of 3.8-litres – the previous GT-Rs have all been straight sixes – and power and torque have risen accordingly.
On paper the GT-R develops 473bhp at 6400rpm and 433lb ft at 5200rpm, and it deploys its grunt via a six-speed semi-auto gearbox that has no fewer than 12 clutch plates, and manual paddle shifters on either side of the steering wheel. In reality, and despite the not-inconsiderable 1740kg kerbweight (thank the bombproof 140kg transaxle gearbox for that) what we’re talking about is one of the fastest, most complex road cars money can buy.
What’s it like?
If the basic headline figures aren’t enough on their own to make your eyebrows twitch towards the heavens (zero to 60mph takes just 3.5sec and the top speed is “at least 194mph”), then maybe the most intriguing claim made by Nissan’s engineers is the fact that “front seat occupants do not need to raise their voices to talk when cruising at a speed of 188mph." The point is, yes, the GT-R is a monumentally rapid machine in a straight line, but it’s also a refined, comfortable companion on a long journey. More like the world’s hairiest GT car, rather than an out-and-out road racer.
Except there’s rather more to the GT-R than an ability to cover ground as rapidly as possible. Nissan has developed this car to be as usable in the wet by a so-so driver as it is in the dry on the Nurburgring by Lewis Hamilton. The four wheel-drive system is so clever it makes rival systems appear crude by comparison, when they’re not. Called ATTESA E-TS, it uses a massively complex transaxle arrangement at the rear and probably has sufficient computing power to bring down a Space Shuttle at 20 paces.
In practice it means you have more traction and stability across a wider range of surfaces than in any other competitor, plus a level of grip that will make even an experienced driver’s eyes water. Nissan claims the GT-R pulls over 1.3g through a dry corner, and nearly 1.0g on a wet one. The steering, too, is deliciously precise, while the huge brakes are similarly mind boggling.
And what about the ride, always the one and only dynamic weakpoint with all previous GT-Rs? Difficult to tell whether Nissan has entirely sorted the GT-R’s refinement considering we drove it only briefly on Japanese roads and mainly round a Japanese circuit, but the news is not exactly great. The GT-R is stiff in the extreme over rough roads, even with the dampers set to their most comfortable option. But given that Nissan still has over year to sign the UK GT-R’s suspension off, you can only hope it listens to the critics now.
As for the interior, it makes you wonder just how heavily Porsche relies on its reputation to charge as much as it does for a 911 Turbo. The GT-R is as well made if not better than the Porsche inside, has much more space front and rear, more equipment to play with (including a flat screen display that imparts info abut everything from the wind direction to the level of torque at the front axle at any given moment), and a hugely bigger luggage compartment. True, the GT-R is still only a Nissan, and the 911 Turbo is one of Porsche’s finest recent moments. But that’s still no justification for adding nigh-on £30k to the price.
Should I buy one?
In a word, yes, but if you want one you’ll need to be quick. Nissan GB is only talking about bringing 600-or-so GT-Rs into the country each year and, as of last week, the first 250 had (unofficially) already been sold.
On this evidence, it’s not difficult to see why.
Source:
Nissan GT-R - Road Test First Drive
: walauweh v6 with 3.8 litre engine and semi auto gearbox..the price?makes me wanna to cry loh..one of the superb super car in history...
