Nissan GT-R Part 3: Performance Review

By now you've read all there is to know about Nissan's incredible GT-R. You can recite its horsepower and torque numbers in your sleep. You can talk at length about its various graphs and programmable gauges. And of course, you can call out its ridiculous performance specs: 0-60 in less than four seconds, a quarter mile time in the 11s and over 1g of cornering grip. But what you really want to know is, what it's like to drive?

Some see the GT-R as simply a numbers crunching machine that lacks real character. A sort of great white shark: highly efficient, yet completely cold and soulless. You can find evidence for this argument in its various automated systems. Its gearbox doesn't need suggestions on shift points by the driver. Its stability control system knows better than you which way you should be going. And its all-wheel-drive system apportions power as it sees fit.

The ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system normally splits torque with a huge rear drive bias, sending only two percent to the front. And although it can send up to 50 percent forward, the GT-R feels like a rear drive car most of the time. You only really feel the drive at the front in two situations: the first is during a launch start as the front tires claw at the pavement while the rears dig in and the car rockets away.

The second situation where you can feel the drive at the front is on the track after you've rotated the car on the way into a corner and then picked up the throttle on the way out. It's simply incredible. And addictive!

It's also very digital in its efficiency, feeling as if Playstation and reality have somehow merged. It's easy to see how some could find the car soulless. It just feels as if it could do what its doing even if you weren't along for the ride. Its various systems are constantly providing a huge safety net just in case you run out of talent and road at the same time. And while it's hard to argue that's a bad thing, it does take a big dose of driver involvement out of the equation. Mistakes are easily forgiven and covered up. So much so that I'd worry about a GT-R driver stepping into any high-powered car with a less sophisticated drivetrain. Like an overbearing parent who keeps its toddler from falling while trying to take his or her first steps, the GT-R is perhaps too vigilant of its driver. But given the car's devastating ability to eat asphalt, that may be a very good thing. The argument about the GT-R's character deficiency continues to gain momentum with its engine.

The 3.8L V6 has two turbos strapped to it. You know the numbers by now, 480 horsepower and 434 lb.ft. of torque, but the important bit is how usable it all is. The turbos are mounted further upstream than on most turbocharged cars so they spool up more quickly, which means less turbo lag. The build up to maximum boost is extremely quick resulting in a smooth delivery that makes the GT-R's engine feel less like a manic turbo motor and more like a larger displacement, normally aspirated motor.

And while there's clearly no shortage of power, the smooth delivery combined with the engine's muted sounds makes it feel slightly less than special. Something that can never be said of the brakes...

As far as the braking is concerned, there are two words that sum it up perfectly: A-MAZING! Front and rear rotors are both a massive 15 inches and the front calipers in particular are ridiculous, almost as if they came straight from the Nurburgring. Oh wait, they did. Enough said about the brakes.

So what are we to think of the supercar-humbling Nissan GT-R? First, there's no denying Nissan's amazing achievement. The GT-R's performance and engineering signifies a paradigm shift of the highest order. Every company building high performance cars will need to reset the bar. That being said, the GT-R is a paradox in that it is both better and worse than other hyper-performance cars. The better part is that any driver will go more quickly in this car thanks to its sophisticated computer controlled systems. The worse part is that the driver will learn little and feel less involved in the experience. Cold, calculating and efficient, yes... but WOW, is it effective!

Watch the video
Read Part 1: Design
Read Part 2: Interior & User Experience

Nissan GT-R

Performance
- Acceleration: UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE! The aggressive launch control delivers 0-60 in less than four seconds and 11 second 1/4 miles
- Handling: Physics defying all-wheel-drive system blurs the line between virtual reality and actuality
- Braking: Quite simply the most impressive production car brakes on the planet

Design
- Exterior: Not pretty, but brutal, aggressive and perfectly appropriate - an extremely successful design
- Interior: Good material quality, but the design is less inspiring than the exterior's

Utility
- Comfort: Decent when suspension is in comfort mode, but just barely - hard to hide its mission as an all-conquering affordable supercar
- Space: Acceptable for front occupants, ridiculous for rear passengers - trunk doubles as an oven (seriously)

Safety
- Dynamics: If you manage to crash this car, you're an idiot - foolproof in every way
- Technology: Airbags are all there, but the drivetrain is your biggest ally

Value
- Price: Considering its performance, an absolute bargain
- Mileage: You must be kidding... Actually, not bad given the performance

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Heart rate accelerator just sitting still - heart attack inducing on the fly
- Fun to spank: Given a racetrack, its nothing short of amazing - on the street, its limits are too high to enjoy safely

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / All wheel drive
Engine: 3.8 liter, twin-turbocharged V6
Power (SAE): 480 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 434 lbs-ft @ 3200-5200 rpm
Redline: 7000 rpm
Gearbox: 6 speed dual-clutch
Curb Weight: 3920 lbs.
0-60 mph: 3.4 sec.
1/4 mile: 11.6 sec. @ 122 mph
Top Speed: 193 mph
Mileage: 17 city / 21 highway
Base Price: $76,840
Competitors: Porsche 911 Carrera S, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Saturn V liquid-fuel rocket