30 Nov 07
Understeer? Forget it. Old GT-Rs would run wide at the front, but with the new car that's all been dialed out. It just goes around corners. It's reluctant to oversteer too: even though the GT-R's sophisticated ATTESA E-TS four-wheel drive system normally feeds 100% of the torque to the rear (or up to 50% to the fronts if they start to slip), powerslides on normal dry roads are for serious students only. You'd need a wet roundabout, some brave pills and/or the VDC switched off completely to get those unique 20" Bridgestone runflats to break traction.
After driving it on the road I get nine laps on the track in the GT-R. The car's responsiveness, its top-end power and the war cry from the engine is a breathtaking and addictive combination.
With all the settings on R, the GT-R has staggering front-end grip, even if you dive into a bend too late and too fast. When pushed hard in high-speed corners on the track, yes, it will understeer, but essentially this is a neutral car that's more stable and way easier to drive fast than Porsche's charismatic but decidedly rear-engined 911 Turbo.
Still, at the end of the day, the GT-R is not a Porsche, despite its performance. It's just not 'premium' enough. But it is, without question, a very serious, hardcore, focused, high-performance driving tool that truly does live up to the hype. It's also spectacularly affordable, at least in Japan, where it's on sale for a ridiculous £35K-£37K. Brits will have to wait until the spring of 2009 for official cars to arrive, with prices yet to be disclosed, so in the meantime the grey marketeers will be coining it in.
Everyone's talking about the Audi R8, Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Now there's another name to add to the list. The Nissan GT-R is that good.
Video: Nissan GT-R: 4Car preview
