Nissan GT-R

SUPERCAR status stems from more than just performance, or even outand- out capability. Advanced engineering has to be part of the package, certainly. But, perhaps sadly, snob appeal also plays its part. Seemingly, contenders either need to carry an iconic motoring name, or establish one pretty quickly, to gain access to the automotive pantheon…

That’s an area in which pretenders to membership of motoring’s top echelon often fi nd themselves up against it. This applies particularly to products from the newer motoring nations who don’t have the history of the Germans, Italians or British to build upon. But, if ever Japan had an icon on which to pitch for supercar glory, it’s the GT-R name.

When Prince – later to be taken over by Datsun which subsequently became Nissan – entered the fi rst six-cylinder Skyline GT in the 1964 All-Japan Grand Prix and challenged the might of Porsche, a legend was born. That iconic car grew into the GTR, a line that was to spawn legends such as the R32, which won the 1990 Spa 24-hour race, the R33 that, in “Godzilla” form, was so fast that it was legislated out of Australian racing, and the short-wheelbase R34, the ultimate development under the Skyline nameplate.

By then the GTR moniker had become the focus and astute Nissan marketers woke up to the possibility of a stand-alone supercar, clear of the traditional Skyline underpinnings. Thus the GT-R, with a hyphen before the R, was born…

Because it was a unique model – and because it had to be a technical tour de force – the new GT-R was a long time in the making. The fi rst concept appeared in 2001, and revisions were shown at successive motor shows. But all the while chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno and his team were chasing perfection as they homed in on their goal. In his words, the aim was to create “an ultimate supercar for anyone, anywhere, at any time”. By late 2007, they were ready with the R35.

It’s taken just under two years for the result of the labours of Mizuno and his band of designers, engineers and test drivers to reach South Africa, but one thing’s certain: the GT-R has been worth waiting for! The test car’s squat stance and chunky styling attracted the attention of knowledgeable fans wherever it went. Although penned with a lot more freedom than the previous Skyline-based models, the styling is still somehow distinctively GT-R. Details such as the front air-scoop, double twin-barrel exhaust outlets and round taillamps pay homage to its predecessors, and substantial haunches over the front and rear wheels give it a menacing air.

In the test car’s optional Super Silver (a scratch-resistant option, hand polished between each coat, that adds R40 000 to the price) it has a “crafted-inmetal” look that sets it apart from all other cars on the road. And, despite its butch appearance, Nissan quotes a windcheating Cd fi gure of 0,27.

Although it’s a ground-up design, the basic concept also pays tribute to the original. It has a front-mounted turbocharged six-cylinder engine, is packed with electronic handling aids and features four-wheel drive. But actually the similarity stops there. For starters, its type VR38 engine is not a straight-six but a V6, a rather special power unit, hand-assembled in an airconditioned “clean room” at Nissan’s Yokohama engine plant. Capacity is 3 799 cm³ and, with the help of twin IHI turbochargers, it belts out 357 kW at 6 400 r/min and 588 N.m at 3 200 r/min. Drive is transmitted to the four wheels through a rear-mounted six-speed Borg Warner doubleclutch transaxle, one clutch operating on first, third and fifth, the other on second, fourth and top. Engine and transmission are connected by a “doublejointed” carbon fibre driveshaft, with a second shaft taking drive forward to the front wheels. Front/rear torque split varies according to speed and driving conditions. For example, below 40 km/h drive is distributed equally between front and rear, and above that the default split is 40:60 but will adjust all the way to 2:98 when circumstances demand it. Unlike the R34, there’s no HICAS four-wheel steering system, but a computer controls the power-feed through torque-apportioning differentials to make the car virtually idiot-proof…

The body is constructed in a combination of carbon fibre (for the front crash structure and engine bay), aluminium (used extensively for the suspension), steel (for the cabin and rear) and GRP (for sections of the faired-in undertray). The suspension set-up comprises double wishbones, coil springs and an anti-roll bar up front, with a multi-link/coils/anti-rollbar combo at the rear. Wheels are 20-inch alloys, and the test car was shod with Dunlop SP Sport 600 rubber – 255/40s in front and 285/35s at the rear.

To drive a car fast, you need a functional cabin and the GT-R provides that. The leather-covered front seats are superb, if surprisingly high-mounted, offering a perfect balance of comfort and support. Some testers found the rotary control for the electric seat adjustment rather fiddly, but once you’ve got the hang of it, you discover a suitable range of options for all body sizes. Curiously, there are two levers for steering adjustment, one for rake, the other for reach, and the main dials move in unison with the steering column.

Still talking accommodation, there are two seats in the rear, too, but legroom in the back is almost non-existent. At 240 dm³, luggage capacity is fine for a supercar but the opening is awkwardly shaped and the loading lip is high.

While one can argue about the aesthetics of the metal-look plastics used for the facia and console detailing, there’s no doubt about the precision of fit. Being a GT-R, this car had to have zany items such as the central screen that offers six standard read-outs and four personalisable displays for info on speed, cornering g-forces, boost pressure and temperature. More useful to the passenger than the driver, of course… The display is also integrated with a bespoke Bose sound system but, again, that’s a side-issue in a car designed to deliver ultimate performance.

The main instrumentation is clear, conventional and easy to read. Controls, too, pretty much follow usual practice and have a solid feel. In the centre hangdown section, within a silvered plastic surround, is a row of three rocker switches that regulate the car’s “anywhere, anyone, any time” dynamic ability. The left switch adjusts the driveline characteristics, the centre one the adaptive dampers and the third the stability control and traction parameters. In each case the top “R” setting is the most extreme.

Press the “Start” button and the V6 roars into life, a blip of the accelerator unleashing a roar that promises serious performance ability. A word of advice: select the “Comfort” setting for the dampers before you slip out into the everyday traffic. Even that is firm, much less compliant than most of the GT-R’s Euro rivals. Generally, the car is pretty usable in leisurely driving, the only negatives being a slight delay between firing up and the shifter allowing you to slot it into
Drive – seemingly because the electronic systems are going through some sort of protocol – and a slight lack of low-down grunt before the turbos spool up.

Clear the traffic, flick the lever across to engage manual, use the column-mounted paddles (they don’t turn with the wheel, so you can get crossed up shifting in tight turns) and the GT-R morphs into a dramatic roadburner, providing kick-in-the-back acceleration from just below mid-range to the 7 000 r/min red line.

Acceleration is dramatic, despite the car’s heavy all-up weight (as tested) of 1 777 kg. The secret: that electronic wizardry, four-wheel drive, and the wide, grippy Dunlops… Early Japanese market GT-Rs came with launch control but, the story goes, excessive use of the facility by enthusiastic owners resulted in drivetrain problems, so the feature was discontinued. However, the company recommends revving the engine to 3 500 r/min against the brake before “take-off” to achieve similar performance figures. But when we experimented with giving the engine some revs against the brake our unit, with just 2 300-odd km on the odo, would not go beyond about 1 800 r/min before launch. The result: zero to 100 times of around 4,2 seconds, which – truth be told – could be matched by simply flooring the accelerator pedal in Drive.

Then Nissan SA informed us that the electronics would only allow the recommended launch procedure once the vehicle had completed 5 000 km. Without the time to add that kind of mileage, we retested the car with just over 3 000 km on the odo, and this time it allowed us to get close to 3 000 r/min against the brake, rocketing to 100 in 4,07 seconds. So, with more mileage, it is feasible that the GT-R could get below the four-second mark.

Of course, we need to temper all of this with some bald facts: CAR’s testing is done with a full tank of fuel (minus the juice used to trundle the 60 km to our test strip), with test equipment and a driver and test engineer in the vehicle, whereas most manufacturers’ acceleration claims feature a car with the lowest (and therefore lightest) legitimate trim spec, low on fuel and with a single occupant, the driver. To add further perspective, the fastest 0-100 acceleration time we’ve recorded with a road car in these circumstances is the 3,98 seconds posted by the lighter (by some 85 kg), more powerful (29 kW more) Audi R8 V10 tested for our last issue…

But, hype about the so-called “four-second barrier” aside, our recorded sprint times testify to the GT-R’s huge ability. Overtaking acceleration is shattering (see test results table), the only “Achilles heel” being an inability to pull from much below 60 km/h in fifth, or from around 70 km/h in sixth. But, though these are the parameters normally used in our testing, it’s almost crass abuse to expect a car of this kind to perform such tricks.

The standing start kilometre is completed in 21,77 seconds, with our Racelogic satellite readout registering 246 km/h, at which point the GT-R is still accelerating hard. Nissan claims a top speed of 310 km/h.

The GT-R stops as well as it goes, averaging 2,55 seconds in our punishing 100 km/h-tostandstill emergency braking programme, with a best of 2,50 and a worst of 2,63. The huge steel-disc Brembos smoke from the effort, but despite this there’s absolutely no drop-off. The braking tests – and to a lesser extent, the acceleration runs – did show up a curious characteristic of the driveline, which seemingly winds up and appears to need to “reset” itself after such exertions. After each stop (with Drive selected), it took a second or so before the vehicle would be ready to move forward again. Again, this is not a negative, merely different from the norm.

The double-clutch gearbox operates with a series of audible “clunks”, no doubt arising from the need to provide strong componentry to cope with the torque loads from the engine and driveline. But shifts are lightningquick, making this surely one of the most satisfying transmissions of its type to use in anger.

All this “go-forward” ability is complemented by almost astonishingly accomplished twistyroad behaviour. True to Mizuno’s promise, this car will manage the most amazing manoeuvres, generating high lateral g-forces as it whistles through the bends, almost on rails. Steering is meaty, with good feedback. Pushing hard in “normal” mode, you can get the front tyres squealing, but there’s no change in composure. And in all settings, what impresses is the rock-solid rigidity of the bodyshell. Switch off the traction control (by holding down the relevant toggle switch for a few seconds), and you can get the GT-R into a serious drift, but the chassis still stays resolutely in line: there’s no room for smoky sideways showboating here, just unimpeachable roadholding…

TEST SUMMARY

No doubt about it, this has to be the most “average-driver”- friendly supercar of all. But its sheer ability surely could not fail to impress even those with exceptional skill. Whether supercapable drivers might be able to get more out of a more “edgy” car is a moot point, but the GT-R’s most recent Nürburgring lap time of 7 min 27 sec – set by Toshio Suzuki – suggests that this car is among the very best as a tool for the professionals as well. Seen against the local list price of R1 175 000, it is absolutely astonishing.

But, because it is so very, very capable, the GT-R can leave you cold on your fi rst test drive. You have to spend time with it to appreciate its nuances and its sheer capability. Experience brings respect for a towering achievement in the realm of supercar technology and you’ll get to love this car. Some members of this team rate it as the very best of all, others still have different preferences. But, to a man and woman, all agree on one thing: this is among the very best of the supercar breed. Ever. The GT-R has been canonised…