Car and Driver - First Drive: 2009 Nissan GT-R

Merc1 · 12-04-2007, 09:40 PM

The yin and yang of Japan’s supercar.

Would you pay $70,000 for a Nissan? That, it seems, is the $70,000 question, and it’s what the Nissan GT-R currently costs in Japanese yen. When it arrives on our shores in mid-2008, the price could be even higher. Stretching the price range of a brand is nothing new: Ford went into the stratosphere with the $153,000 GT, and managed to sell every copy. But the Nissan doesn’t have the 40-odd years of Le Mans–winning nostalgia that came with the Ford, at least not in the United States.

Overseas, the GT-R’s history goes back to 1969, when Prince (later absorbed by Nissan) put a hot 2.0-liter engine in its Skyline sedan. In 1989 the GT-R returned after a 16-year hiatus as the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive R32 and was succeeded by the R33 and R34, but the GT-R line has never officially been sold on American shores until now. In Japan, and to anybody familiar with the Gran Turismo series of racing games, the GT-R is an icon, but to many Americans it is as foreign as high-speed passenger trains. Calling the GT-R an unknown icon is oxymoronic (and slightly regular moronic too), but it does illustrate the dual existence of the super Nissan.

It Ain’t Pretty, and It Ain’t Ugly, But It is Big

Photos don’t really do justice to the GT-R. The camera shots convey inelegance in the design that doesn’t carry over in the flesh. Up close, the protruding snout is still the weakest styling element on the car, but it’s not nearly as offensive as we were led to believe. There are countless curves, creases, and bumps on the GT-R that keep your eyes dancing back and forth from one end of the car to the other, like the crease in the C-pillar. The front wheel arches are far more dramatic in person, as are the dart-like bumps that surround the hood scoops. It’s all very aggressive and muscular, but what’s really mesmerizing about the GT-R is that it seems like it shouldn’t be pretty at all and we still can’t stop staring.

We also can’t stop staring because, well, the GT-R looks impossibly large. It seems absolutely crazy to compare the GT-R with its performance benchmark, the Porsche 911 Turbo, because the GT-R appears to be twice as big. That feeling is reinforced by the claimed curb weight of 3850 pounds, 330 more than the last 911 Turbo we tested. In reality, the GT-R is only seven inches longer than the Porsche, and narrower than both the Dodge Viper and Corvette Z06. The extra length and the long 109.4-inch wheelbase allow for a back seat that is just barely usable for two passengers and a trunk that Nissan claims can hold two sets of golf clubs. The Porsche, on the other hand, has hardly any luggage space and back seats that are suitable only for amputees.

Plenty of Technology, But Not All of It

If the GT-R was to really take on the 911 Turbo, it needed the power to match. So Nissan developed a new 3.8-liter V-6 engine and gave it the VR designation (VR38DETT in this specific application). The TT in VR38DETT stands for twin-turbo, and intercooled air is rammed into the intake at a maximum pressure of 10.9 psi to produce 480 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque at the crankshaft. That’s the same horsepower as the 911 Turbo, and it makes the GT-R the most powerful Japanese car ever. There are similarities to the VQ engine—found in the 350Z and Infiniti G35—like the same cylinder bore, but the VR features a closed deck for greater block stiffness. Variable valve timing is on the intake valves only, but don’t let that make you think the VR is ordinary. Each engine is hand-built by a single technician in a climate-controlled room in Nissan’s Yokohama engine plant. Before it ships out to the assembly line, each engine is tested for power output.

Once installed in the GT-R, the power is routed to all four wheels in a way that is somewhere between brilliant and insane. A main driveshaft connects the engine to the rear transaxle, and then a second driveshaft runs back to the front of the car to power the front wheels. The upside to the extra inertial mass of this setup is better weight distribution: all of the bulk and weight of the all-wheel-drive system is shifted to the rear. The front-to-rear power distribution, electronically controlled by a clutch, varies from 50:50 at launch to as much as 20:80 during driving. Between the rear wheels is a mechanical limited-slip differential. Unlike the GT-R R34 V-Spec II and new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the GT-R’s all-wheel-drive system cannot distribute power from left to right.

Each of the GT-R’s 480 horsepower is responsible for 8.0 pounds of weight, compared with 7.3 in the 911 Turbo. So in order to achieve the claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 3.5 seconds the GT-R employs a couple of tricks. The first is a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which changes gears faster than any human can push a clutch pedal and pull a shift lever. The transmission is similar to the ones found in Volkswagens, Audis, and the Lancer Evolution. The second trick is the gearing, which is short. The first gear ratio of 4.06, combined with the final drive ratio of 3.70:1, helps the GT-R catapult quickly off the line. The rest of the gears are similarly short: the 186-mph top speed occurs at redline in sixth gear.

Behind the massive 20-inch wheels are similarly large two-piece Brembo brakes. In Japan, the GT-R comes with either Bridgestone Potenza RE070R or Dunlop SP Sport 600 rubber. North America–bound cars will most likely be equipped with the Bridgestones or, as part of a cold-weather package, Dunlop SP Sport 7010 A/S tires. The all-season Dunlops look more like three-season tires, but Nissan insists that the GT-R can stop and turn in snowy weather when thusly equipped. Any residents of cold-weather states would be well advised to pick up some Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires, which are conveniently available in the stock 255/40R-20 front and 285/35R-20 rear sizes.

In the Hot Seat

The parts of the GT-R interior that are covered in soft, padded leather—which include the seats, steering wheel, shift knob, most of the dash, and some door trim—make some Infinitis look cheap by comparison. Some vestiges of lesser Nissans are apparent, though, like the plastic parts of the dash, cast in the same strangely cheap-looking texture as those in the Altima. The parts-bin window switches and the turn signal and wiper stalks are familiar, too, but less offensive.

At the top of the center stack is an LCD screen which augments the main gauge cluster. Nissan engineers teamed up with Gran Turismo guru Kazunori Yamauchi to create a multifunction display that bridges the gap between video games and real life. There are various views: a customizable set of auxiliary gauges, acceleration and braking forces, lateral g forces, gear display, fuel economy, and stopwatch lap time (controlled via steering wheel buttons). The acceleration/braking and lateral g screens are the best though, because they also show brake and gas pedal level and steering angle. It’s real-time telemetry and, if you can manage to watch it without driving off the road, it’s great fun. And if you’d rather be confused the (sort of) old-fashioned way, the screen also displays a touch-screen navigation system.

During our time with the GT-R we didn’t get much of a chance to mess around with the multifunction display. Our first time behind the wheel was on the track, so we tried to stay focused on the driving. Later, on Japan’s narrow streets, in a right-hand-drive car on the left side of the road, we paid more attention to keeping the car between the lines. Still, we’re looking forward to being further distracted once we get one on our home turf.

Is It a Sports Car or Grand Tourer? Yes.

The GT-R comes with a smart key system, so to bring the engine to life you just push the bright red stop/start button on the center console along with the brake pedal. The shift lever gives you the option of park, reverse, neutral, or drive. A sideways tap will switch between automatic- and paddle-shift modes. At the bottom of the center stack are switches for the all-wheel-drive system, the electronically controlled shocks, and the stability and traction control. Your options for each system are as follows: normal, snow, or R mode; normal, comfort, or R mode; on, off, or R mode.

Behind the wheel at Japan’s Sendai Hi-Land Raceway with the engine humming in anticipation, we selected all three R-modes and headed down the pit lane. Our first few laps were taken carefully but still revealed a lot a about the GT-R. Mostly, that it’s very, very quick. The power delivery is linear; turbo lag is only present below 3000 rpm, and even then the effect is more of a surge than an explosion. Gear changes are not jolting, but they’re definitely firmer than in other dual-clutch transmissions that don’t have to manage as much torque.

Subsequent trips around the track at a more feverish pace revealed the best part about the GT-R: it’s impossibly easy to drive. It still feels large and heavy, but it communicates exactly how the weight shifts under braking, acceleration, and cornering so that nothing, dynamically, comes as a surprise. Even if you do unsettle the car, it’s easy to recover. The Corvette Z06 and Dodge Viper inspire fear with their awesome performance, while the GT-R inspires nothing but confidence. In other cars you worry what might go wrong; in the GT-R you wonder what you can get away with. On a later trip in the passenger seat with a Nissan test driver at the helm we learned that you can actually get away with quite a lot in the GT-R. The test driver turned in faster and got back on the gas sooner than we thought possible, and the only consequence was a slight slide from the back end that was corrected with a bit of steering and more throttle.

The complaints are minor. We got a hint of brake fade on later laps after braking from 120 mph for a corner, but due to excellent brake cooling they were fine by the next corner. Also, the steering feels vague, especially mid-corner. Correction: we thought it was vague until we took a couple of laps in a 911 Turbo, Nissan’s benchmark for the GT-R. Side by side, the Porsche feels overboosted and numb. Maybe it was the jet-lag and seemingly endless variety of semi-radish-like vegetables served at Japanese meals, but from our early drive it looks like the GT-R may actually have a leg up on the 911 Turbo.

On public roads, the GT-R seems even bigger than it does on the track. Sure, we were in unfamiliar surroundings and on the wrong side of the car, but the passenger side door felt as though it was located in mainland China. The GT-R is not unwieldy, but nor does it disguise its size. There’s a slight drone coming from the rear, presumably the hydraulic pump that operates the gearbox, which is noticeable only while stopped.

They’re Building It; Will Buyers Come?

If you’re looking for 911 Turbo performance, the GT-R is a bargain, and it even trumps the 420-horsepower Audi R8. Of course, it’s not all about performance, and the GT-R offers the whole package. It’s fast, luxurious, easy to drive, and—with only 1500 cars headed to the U.S. for the first year—exclusive. The GT-R is also large, fat, and almost stupidly expensive for a Nissan. At least that’s what we can imagine 911 Turbo and R8 owners will say when they feel threatened. Chances are, GT-R owners will take that as a compliment.

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