The Nissan GT-R has a varied history. Although it has always had a
strong following, some models to wear the GT-R badge haven’t always made
the grade. But when Nissan do it well, they do it very, very well. Back
in 1969, the 2.0-litre Skyline saloon was the first Nissan to wear a
GT-R badge.
A coupé followed in 1971 and a replacement model, with
production limited to 197 units, in 1973. And that was the end of the
GT-R until a Skyline more like the one we know appeared in 1990, with a
twin-turbo straight six.
Homologated to let Nissan go racing, the R32 was claimed to have
280bhp, as were the R33 (1994) and R34 (1999) successors. GT-R buyers in
the UK should beware – there are plenty of imported GT-Rs floating
around on the used market of greatly varying quality. We’d prefer to
stick to the cars brought across by Nissan itself, and that’s what our
test is based on.
When we tested the 473bhp grey-imported GT-R it
caused quite a stir; it demolished pretty much every challenge we laid
before it, including being crowned the winner of our annual Best
Driver’s Car shootout. The official 523bhp version of the car turns the
GT-R into a super supercar.
The GT-R has always had price on its
side. It’s not a cheap car: it’s better value for money than cars that
are seemingly as fast, and it can outperform cars of a similar price.
Seems too good to be true. So is it?
You may think that the Nissan GT-R
is a triumph of function over form, but while it has been designed
largely by need, there is more to the exterior styling of the GT-R than
you would initially credit.
Certainly there’s no mistaking it for something else and, because
this is the first GT-R not based on a mass-market vehicle (hence the
absence of the Skyline tag), it has been designed with more freedom than
previous GT-Rs.
Hiroshi Hasegawa, Nissan’s chief product designer, says “it is
clearly not an Italian, German or American car” and that “it’s very
mechanical, almost like an animated robot”, and is “obviously made from
metal”, thanks to its big shoulders and hefty muscularity. Those
features help place this wide car and contribute to an excellent drag
coefficient of 0.27.
There are also cues from previous GT-Rs. The round rear lights are a
continuation of the lineage and the front grille is reminiscent of the
most recent model, the R34.
To most observers it is not a car that elicits 'oohs' and 'aahs' of
admiration for its beauty, but there is no doubting in anyone's mind
that, on laying eyes on the GT-R, everyone will know that it is a car
with very special levels of performance on tap.
For those wishing to fully exploit this performance in a suitable
environment, Nissan introduced the Track Pack option for the GT-R in
2012. For another £10,000 over the standard car, the Track Pack features
firmer springs, lighter Nismo wheels and improved brake cooling.
Nissan has also removed the rear seats, saving a total of 20kg when
combined with the new alloys. The drivetrain is carried over to the
Track Pack unchanged.
INTERIOR
The interiors of Nissan GT-Rs of the past have always been a somewhat
secondary consideration. The same applies to this version to a certain
extent, but there’s a sophistication to the modern GT-R’s cabin that was
absent in earlier versions.
And even if the quality of the materials in this new car can’t match
the best that European rivals have to offer, there is an endearing
Japanese efficiency and even a degree of charm to the way the GT-R does
things.
The bewildering array of screens and data readouts on the centre
console are matched by a similar number of switches and buttons – they
could only come from Japan, as, too, could the choice of metal-look
plastic trim on the fascia and doors.
Nissan hasn’t pandered to European conventions, and the GT-R’s cabin
is all the better for it. This isn’t a car that’s looking for the
panache and lushness of something like a 911, it’s meant to be a
technological tour-de-force and to that extent Nissan has done a good
job with the cabin.
The GT-R’s front seats are spectacularly good, and although one of
our testers suffered mild back ache after driving a considerable
distance, it wasn’t a common complaint and is as likely to be induced by
the ride as by the seats. The driving position itself is easily
electrically adjusted, while the wheel – brilliantly sized and sculpted –
adjusts amply for reach and rake.
This is a four-seater, but even Nissan admits the rear seats are best
for kids, and when that happens you know you’re in for a squeeze. Head
room is at a premium and rear leg room almost disappears if the driver’s
seat is set comfortably for anyone over 6ft tall. The boot is big
enough for two sets of golf clubs but the access hatch is small.
PERFORMANCE
It’s difficult to know which impresses most: the outright level of
performance the Nissan GT-R offers or how accessible it makes it. The
latest version of this constantly updated car delivers 523bhp and a
0-60mph time below three seconds.
No wonder, then, that this is a car in which it’s easy to go
incredibly fast. This is partly due to the traction advantages of
all-wheel drive and the GT-R’s clever torque-shuffling differentials,
and partly to the dual-clutch gearbox. One of the three
dashboard-mounted toggle switches alters the gearbox mode from Snow to
R, changing the shift speed and pattern, while sliding the gear lever or
pulling on the wonderful fixed paddles switches the ’box from automatic
to manual.
Manual (in which the GT-R will not kick down) and R (which lets the
engine run to the limiter) offers the best control for track driving or
on roads you know well. But in other, more give and take conditions the
automatic mode works a treat.
In R mode its ability to judge and deliver jerk-free downchanges is
exceptional and gives a level of on-demand performance more akin to a
big V12 than a relatively small-capacity turbocharged engine. The
transmission’s party piece, though, is full-bore upshifts.
It’s not without fault, though. Because there’s no creep function,
parking needs a very gentle touch on the throttle. And tight manoeuvring
produces wince-inducing noises from the diff when it’s cold. However,
it’s pretty much as easy as any other Nissan to dawdle around town in,
if you can live with the stiff ride.
The brakes, by contrast, are beyond criticism, providing a reassuring
ability to shed speed, despite the GT-R’s weight, needing just 40.9m to
stop from 70mph. Almost more impressive is the excellent pedal feel and
response.
RIDE AND HANDLING
You only have to look at the Nissan GT-R’s lap time around our dry
handling circuit – only just shy of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche
911 GT2, despite its inferior power-to-weight ratio – to realise that
it has one or two tricks in its handling bag. Traction is just one, but
then you would expect that from the GT-R’s broad tyres and all-wheel
drive.
More than any other element, what gives the GT-R its staggering pace
is remarkable stiffness, not just in the suspension set-up but the shell
construction. Over bumpy roads and even in its Comfort setting –
softened from the Japanese spec – the ride is reasonably busy.
Although the body is moving around, you can sense the rigidity in the
shell. On a smoother surface and with the suspension either in Comfort
or R mode, the GT-R can use this rigidity to generate incredible lateral
grip.
Although the GT-R excels on almost all road surfaces and conditions,
and is, for a heavy car, impressively agile through slower corners if
you’re prepared to bully it a little, it is more at home on wider roads
and through sweeping corners.
The steering takes a little getting used to; at 2.6 turns lock to
lock it is quick and relatively lightly weighted, but it is
exceptionally accurate and communicative when the limits of adhesion
approach.
The changes incorporated into the Track Pack subtly enhance the GT-R
package to make it more playful at the limit; ideal for those wishing to
regularly use their car on a circuit. The extra brake cooling has
genuine benefits, with the non-carbon rotors refusing to fade after
sustained track abuse.
Whether from behind the wheel or standing by the roadside, it is
impossible not to be anything but blown away by the sight or feel of a
GT-R on maximum attack; its ability to grip and channel horsepower to
the road is quite astonishing. The trouble is that to get the most from
it you really need to be on a track; use anything more than 40 per cent
of its capabilities on the road and you’re travelling way faster than
you should.
MPG and running costs
For the level of performance the
Nissan GT-R offers, this is a remarkably affordable supercar – cheap
even. Once you’ve bought the car, though, running costs are more on a
par with supercar rivals.
You’ll be visiting your specialist GT-R dealer for maintenance every
6000 miles and visiting a filling station even more often – you’ll
struggle to get 20mpg even of you drive gently, while a track day will
have you hoping for a nearby service station on the way home. As for the
GT-R’s CO2 output, it’s best to keep that quiet and take the tax bills
on the chin.
You do get a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, although GT-Rs have an
excellent reliability record – as long as they’re cared for. Perhaps
surprisingly given the number of grey imports floating around, GT-Rs are
reasonable investments: residual values will fall less quickly, and
from a lower price, than supercars of comparable performance and
shouldn’t be too far out of kilter with similar-priced coupés.
As well as the engineering techno feast on board, you also get a fair
smattering of luxury gizmos, too. The 2012 model year cars with 523bhp
come with all the bells, whistles and even metallic paint – a bizarrely
expensive cost option on the other models.
Unfortunately, excellent though the Track Pack is, it struggles to
justify the £10k premium over a standard GT-R. The upgrades only exact a
very slight improvement on a fantastic package for a significant
premium.
VERDICT
Good
-Blistering acceleration
-Brilliant brakes
-Dry-weather grip
Bad
-Wet-weather handling
-Firm ride
-Too heavy
Fast and, yes, quite furious. Performance comes no easier, yet it’s
possible to be left a little cold by the Nissan GT-R at first. It
doesn’t feel special to sit in – the cabin may be packed with
technology, but it feels more like a brilliantly-specced Nissan than a
bespoke supercar.
It’s also hard, harsh, loud and clinical in the way it goes about
things – it’s a car that wants to be driven fast and nags at you if you
try to do anything but. We’d go so far as to say that it can be a little
annoying at times. On a 20-minute test drive it may not worm its way
into a potential buyer’s affections – unless you get it out on a track.
Partly that’s because of the efficiency and effortlessness of its
performance. It goes at the dry-weather pace of a Ferrari 430 Scuderia
or Porsche 911 GT2 with nonchalant ease, yet at a fraction of the cost.
Its engine is as smooth at 6000rpm as it is at 2000 and its gearbox
shifts with totally undramatic efficiency – it’s a car that’ll flatter
and reward, depending on your levels of skill.
The longer you spend with the GT-R, the more you uncover new
movements in its dynamic repertoire and the more visceral, thrilling and
alive with feedback and response it seems. There are hidden depths to
its brutish, frill-free performance.
The longer you have it, the more you want it.
PRICES AND SPECS
