Worth the wait
Though they won’t be delivered until this time next year, those who have ordered the Nissan GT-R have a lot to look forward to, writes Iain Dooley
Published:
IF IT’S not being lauded as the car to make Porsche 911 Turbo owners cry, Nissan’s GT-R is trouncing the established players – that’ll be Porsche again – at the fearsome Nurburgring and setting record times for a standard production car.
But how can something costing half as much as the 911 Turbo deliver such performance? Nissan has form in the supercar arena: the GT-R’s predecessor, which fans will know as the Skyline, boasted similar giant-killing performance.
The Skyline’s unique selling point was its brain-busting levels of technology, be it electronically controlled four-wheel drive or a telemetry system allowing you to analyse the car’s behaviour in real time.
With the GT-R, Nissan has cranked up the tech-fest. Along with a new all-wheel-drive system, there’s a more advanced telemetry display in the cabin, plus switchable suspension and stability-control settings to fine-tune the experience for road or track driving – plus a standard-fit dual-clutch gearbox complete with a manual mode and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
The GT-R’s on-paper specification doesn’t do the car justice, but for the record, here are the important details. Up front is a twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 motor producing 473bhp and 428lb/ft of torque. At the back is a transaxle incorporating a six-speed dual-clutch DSG-style gearbox. The resulting performance figures read like something from a superbike spec list: 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and a potential top speed of 195mph.
It’s clear that, as an attempt to out-Porsche Porsche, the GT-R does a good job before it has even turned a wheel. The Nissan is not, however, a pretty car. The elegant lines of Porsches and Ferraris will always hold your gaze for longer. What is clear, though, is that the GT-R is more than a functional tool – one that will get you around the ’Ring without drama or your favourite B-road yet will also transport you to work without throwing a supercar strop.
Surprise number one is the GT-R’s docile character. For a car boasting 473 horsepower, the combination of a smooth throttle response and the user-friendly semi-auto transmission means parking is jerk-free and painless.
Surprise number two is the GT-R’s cabin, which genuinely feels like it belongs in a fifty grand car. Of course, the Nissan is a fifty grand car, although it wasn’t always like this with previous Skylines.
This time, you’re met by high-quality materials, slick switchgear, supportive multi-adjustable seats plus a chunky steering wheel and stubby gear lever. For all the fancy extras and the flashy central colour screen, the driver’s “office” is refreshingly free from distractions.
And the driving experience? One thing’s for certain, I know more now having done three laps of Portugal’s Estoril circuit than I did before stepping into Nissan’s widely touted wonder car. Racetrack-smooth tarmac can never match the real world, but there’s one thing you can do that can’t be done on the road: speed.
Whatever you’ve read and heard, it’s all true, as the GT-R is stupidly quick in a straight line – and around corners. The engine is an incredibly flexible unit, allowing you to command full-bore acceleration from low revs, and get it in a flash. The unit’s rough growl grows in volume as the pace increases, adding to the already heightened sense of speed along the circuit’s straights.
Corners can be attacked at gravity-defying speeds, and far higher than if you were in a lesser, two-wheel-drive car. With the intelligent four-wheel-drive system backing you up, the GT-R simply shrugs off varying grip levels and cambers.
In the dry, the car possesses heaps of talent, while it’s easy to see it running rings around almost everything on sale today in the wet. Fearsome brakes complete the package and deliver incredible stopping power, reinforcing the car’s position as a supercar in all but name.
Company execs have already dubbed the GT-R the “anyone, any time, anywhere” car in reference to its giant-killing performance out of the box.
Factor in a fast and slick auto gear change, an even more impressive sports mode boasting the uncanny ability to offer you the right gear without fail plus a manual mode for full control, and it’s hard not to be impressed.
It’s not all good news, though. Such has been the interest that the UK’s initial allocation is already spoken for. You’re going to have to exercise patience if you want a GT-R right now. Congratulations if you’ve already signed up as the waiting stops in May, 2009. Either way, the GT-R will be worth the wait.
