30 Nov 07
Video: Nissan GT-R: 4Car preview
As you walk up to Nissan's new GT-R for the first time, key in hand, it could be that you have some idea in your head of what this menacing, muscle-bound 480bhp V6 twin-turbo 4WD Japanese super-coupe might be like.
But you'd be wrong. You'd expect it to be fast - that goes without saying. And pretty full-on and raunchy. Now multiply all that by a factor of, say, five and you're starting to get close to what the GT-R's all about.
To cut to the chase, the GT-R is simply phenomenal, redefining normal parameters of what 'quick' might mean, especially when that very special 3,799cc twin-turbo V6 is spooled up and really into its stride. We're talking 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a 193mph top end here, and that's just for starters.
Then there's the way all that performance is delivered to the road, the way the GT-R attacks corners and makes a great car like the 350Z feel puny. No kidding. Be in no doubt, the GT-R is something special. Delve underneath, for instance, and the GT-R body structure, a complex mixture of steel, carbon-fibre and aluminum based on a completely new platform, is immensely stiff and strong.
The Nissan's unique 4WD driveline with six-speed independent rear transaxle is something else that sets it apart. The controls, especially the brakes and steering, are not what you'd call light. The ride is unremittingly hard, and handling and grip levels simply immense. For all that, the GT-R proves disconcertingly easy to drive, even around town. All those years of intensely secret development to make it faster, less frightening and better tied down than the Porsche 911 Turbo, Nissan's benchmark car, have really paid off. And it's a lot cheaper, too.
