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Review: Nissan GT-R

Image of James Fossdyke
Author: | Updated: 13 Aug 2014 19:03

What does ‘giant killer’ mean to you?

Vicars might think of David felling Goliath with his slingshot, historians probably think of the Spartans at Thermopylae and football fans might be put in mind of Ronnie Radford’s screamer for lowly Hereford against top-flight Newcastle.

Nissan, however, wants petrol heads to think of this: the GT-R.

Nissan GT-R Red Front Quarter2

See our Nissan GT-R personal leasing deals here

Snarling

The Nissan’s styling is actually surprisingly subtle. At first glance, it may just look like a pumped-up Toyota Supra, but look a bit closer and it’s apparent that the GT-R is something quite special.

Granted, it’ll never be classically beautiful like a Ferrari or a Maserati, but it has brutish good looks reminiscent of an American muscle car.

The bulging bonnet, the snarling grille, the flared wheel arches and the huge air vents behind the front wheels are just some of the features that single the GT-R out as a high-performance machine, rather than a 17-year-old’s tuned coupe.

Lack of ergonomics

It’s the same mix of standard Nissan equipment and supercar touches inside, where sports seats, a sculpted steering wheel and a screen showing a G-meter are the only real clues to the road and track ability of the GT-R.

Sadly, though, despite the kit, the GT-R is not bestowed with a classy cabin. Of course, there’s plenty of leather kicking about, but a few cow hides a luxury car does not make.

Many of the switches are shared with the not-at-all-high-performance Navara pick-up and the way they pepper the dashboard and steering wheel is a little intimidating to the uninitiated.

This lack of ergonomics becomes a problem on the move, because fruitlessly searching the cabin for a tiny button is not conducive to safe driving. On the plus side, a myriad of switches means you know the right one is there, somewhere.

Nissan GT-R Red Interior2

See our Nissan GT-R business leasing deals here

Powerful

One thing that certainly makes its presence felt is the 3.8-litre V6 under the bonnet. Over the years, it has grown more powerful, with the total output now at 550hp, up from 480hp when it came to market in 2009. Torque is also up to 632Nm from 588Nm in the GT-R’s first incarnation.

By feeding that power through a six-speed automatic gearbox and all four wheels, the GT-R can shoot from 0-62mph in just 3.0 seconds and hit a top speed of 196mph.

With that sort of performance available, no GT-R driver will ever fear a drag race between the lights, as the only cars capable of matching it are track-focused cars like the Ariel Atom, BAC Mono and Caterham R500 or hypercars like the Bugatti Veyron and the Hennessey Venom.

Considering the power and performance, the GT-R is actually fairly economical. With an official combined consumption of 23.9mpg, the GT-R makes even the most frugal Audi R8 look thirsty, despite the big Audi being considerably slower to 60mph.

Nissan GT-R Red Engine

Read our review of the GT-R’s little brother, the 370Z Nismo

Agile

Despite the power, the GT-R is not just a point-and-squirt muscle car. With four-wheel drive, it’s perfectly stable, but it feels much more agile and sharper than any other all-wheel drive supercar.

The steering response is lightning fast, so the car changes direction faster than a backtracking politician, but even in the wet it never feels like it’s about to lose traction, which is a very rare combination.

It’s not just the steering with an electric response; the engine is revving as soon as you so much as think about touching the throttle and the brakes stop the GT-R remarkably quickly, especially considering the car’s weight, which is just under 1,750kg. The gearbox’s response to tugs of the paddles are pretty immediate, too.

Miraculously, none of this seems to have affected the way the GT-R behaves at lower speeds, for example in town. The ride isn’t as smooth as some of the other ‘everyday’ supercars, but it’s far from uncomfortable in ‘Comfort’ mode. Sportier setups are available, but they really aren’t necessary – why firm up the suspension when the standard configuration offers such a good balance of ride and handling?

And we haven’t even got to the best bit yet.

While the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Ferrari 458 Speciale have similar on-track performance, they cost £140,000 and £208,000 respectively. The GT-R, though, costs just £78,020.

Nissan GT-R Red Rear Quarter2

Want something more hardcore? Read our review of the GT-R Track Edition here…

The verdict

The GT-R may have its flaws – the dash is a techie button-fest and some won’t appreciate the muscle car looks – but the superficial rough edges are forgiven because everything else is more or less perfect.

So is it worthy of the ‘giant killer’ tag? Definitely.

Nothing else offers this blend of practicality and performance for this little outlay, so if customers can get over the badge snobbery, the GT-R will continue to be a success.

Nissan GT-R at a glance

Vital stats:

Length: 4,670mm
Width: 1,895mm (excl. mirrors)
Height: 1,370mm
Wheelbase: 2,780mm
Boot space: 315 litres
Powertrain: 3.8-litre V6 Turbo – 550hp, 632Nm (6-spd auto)
0-62mph: 3.0 seconds
Top speed: 196mph
Combined fuel economy: 23.9mpg
CO2: 275g/km

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