Nissan GT-R: Quick Test

"Icon" - "a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something".

Here's a car that qualifies: Nissan's phenomenal GT-R (code named "R35" and no longer called a Skyline) is a front-engine all-wheel-drive machine that represents the best automotive technology the nation of Japan has to offer.

Definitely an icon.

Beyond its status as a symbol of national pride, the GT-R is also iconic due to its larger-than-life image and performance in the video-gaming world. A mega-star in Playstation's Gran Turismo games, the hype surrounding this car for years - quite possibly the most anticipated Japanese import ever! - has been massive.

Amazingly, the GT-R more than lives up to it.

Few would call the GT-R "beautiful," but its looks and performance are a perfect match: both are brutal (in the positive sense); the automotive equivalent of an F-22 Raptor.

Consider its ridiculous performance specs: 0-60 in less than four seconds; a quarter mile time in the 11s; and over 1g of cornering grip. Still, some see the GT-R as simply a numbers-crunching machine that lacks real character - a Great White shark of a car: highly efficient, yet cold and soulless.

There is evidence for the "soulless" argument in its various automated systems: Its 6-speed gearbox doesn't need shift-point suggestions from the driver. Its stability control system knows better than the on-board human which way the car should be going. And its ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system apportions power as it sees fit.

It's all very "digital" in its efficiency, as if Playstation and reality have somehow merged, the beyond-state-of-the-art systems combining to provide a huge safety net just in case the driver runs out of talent and road at the same time.

Ahh, but that performance: With two turbos strapped to it, the Nissan 3.8-liter V6 produces 480 horsepower and 434 lb.ft. of torque. It... GOES!

As far as stopping is concerned, two words sum it up perfectly: A! MAZING! Front and rear rotors are both a massive 15 inches and the front calipers in particular are ridiculous.

It's a car that can't hide its nature. While there are adjustments for the gearbox, the suspension and even the all-wheel-drive system, you'll never be confused: Even in full Comfort Mode, you're driving what amounts to a street-legal race car.

Air conditioning and a great-sounding audio system can't disguise the GT-R's mission either, as even its sounds betray its intent: There isn't much turbo hissing and popping; there is a lot of gearbox, and it's NOISY! It sounds a lot a like a sequential racing gearbox, which is actually kinda cool, but day after day? Hour after hour? It gets tiresome.

As a nod toward civility, there's an in-dash 30 gig hard drive that will store 3000 songs and that provides storage for the navigation system. The fit and finish is excellent. The leather covering part of the dash and door panels looks and feels great, but don't kid yourself: This car is all about one thing: speed.

Incredibly, at just under $77,000 the GT-R is actually a great value for the level of performance it offers.

An icon in the virtual world, Nissan's new GT-R is equally successful in the real world. Its design is at once technologically advanced, fast and furious, fresh and unique, and very Japanese. Combined with its epic performance capabilities, the GT-R lives up to the hype that has surrounded it for years, a supercar deserving of its status: An icon.

Watch the video
Read Part 1: Design
Read Part 2: Interior & User Experience
Read Part 3: Performance

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