Nissan GT-R Nismo First Test

 

The most intriguing thing about the 600-horsepower 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo is not its rambunctious all-wheel drive launch. Nor is it its wind-tunnel-tested Super GT body. No, the most enthralling thing about this Nordschleife-honed Nissan is its sharpness. It's tangible, and not just in one or two areas.

The GT-R is a master of immediacy and speed, of inhuman thrust and admirable stick. It always has been. But in this extraordinary genetic predisposition there was a glossing-over of connectedness between human and machine. It simply is the nature of this technology-laden beast. In the GT-R Nismo, tactility is gained.

That much was clear as I exited the pit at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The lane's most minute impurities jostled my hands through the Nismo's thin-rimmed helm. Four drivers -- Nismo's Michael Krumm, Infiniti Red Bull Racing's Sébastien Buemi, and brand consultants Tetsuya Tanaka and Armin Hahne -- played a role in developing the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, just as they did in the creation of the car.

Turn 1 approached. The louvered nose swiveled aggressively, more so than in any other GT-R. Its commitment to foothold was unlike that of all other R35s I have driven, which naturally -- and very quickly -- progressed into beautiful mid-corner controllability and an equally as beautiful exit steeped in asinine speed. The Dunlop Sport Maxx GT600s bit hard in the effort. The steering fed back what felt like every cavity and pimple of the topography. Its hand-built 3.8-liter supplied unyielding grunt.

Revised springs and Bilstein DampTronic dampers, increased front caster-trail, and a thicker, 17.3mm hollow rear stabilizer bar counteracted the gravitational forces hoping to unhinge the nitrogen-filled 255mm front, 285mm rear rubber. Atop MRLS' 11 turns, understeer and loss of grip -- at my non-Randy Pobst speeds and abilities, mind you -- scarcely manifested. The Nismo's chassis navigated bends calmly, having flat keel that would yaw only when flicked extremely hard. Only in such circumstances would its ATTESA E-TS-controlled tail let go for a moment.

No longer does the twin-turbo V-6 sock your soul, either. New IHI turbos taken from the GT-R Nismo GT3 race car allow for a meatier, evenly spread dosage of 481 pound-feet (up from 463) from 3200 rpm through 5800 rpm. The immediacy and consistency of their boost are simply bananas, just like the unfazed gearshifts of the GR6 six-speed dual-clutch. The engine benefits from increased cooling efficiencies and improved cylinder ignition timing and fuel delivery.

"Yet the heart doesn't feel like it corrals 600 horses. As our Carlos Lago quipped, ""Maybe my butt dyno is off, but this doesn't feel like 600 ponies."" The probable culprit is California's 91 octane. The GT-R Nismo operates best when swigging fuel rated at 93 and above. Annoying? Most definitely."

"When evaluating the GT-R Nismo at this year's Best Driver's Car program (stay tuned for more on the competition), our racer-on-retainer, Randy Pobst, mentioned it was ""very stable"" and called it ""the strongest GT-R ever on power."" But he felt its handling needed further fine-tuning. He noticed plenty of corner entry understeer and desired higher thresholds of bite and stick from its Brembos and Dunlops. Still, he was able to ""run Corkscrew harder than I did in any other car."""

"""It puts down power well,"" he noted. ""It does not push on the exits, which I love, but it was pushing on the entry. Like, a lot. And it's like the differentials did not like deceleration. Something about the car doesn't like deceleration and I think it's in the differentials, because when you go to the power, it's a different car. It frees right up and it just feels like it's going a lot faster through the corner."""

Even so, Randy hustled it around MRLS at considerable speed. Our official times will be posted on this channel soon, so stay tuned, but what I can tell you is that the Nismo is the quickest GT-R we've ever put on the track.

"""I think it would be faster, but it needs thicker tires,"" Randy continued. ""They're not extreme enough … I didn't get (brake) fade. I just didn't have enough bite."""

Having Randy's point of view is invaluable when reviewing high-performance cars like the GT-R. But I needed to sample it in an environment where the expected 60 or 70 American buyers (who are probably not race drivers) will likely take it: a mountain road. My proving ground weaved through trees atop Palomar Mountain.

"Launches in the 3881-pound GT-R Nismo demand fewer ounces of adrenaline. They're less of a TNT explosion and more of a ""Pirates of the Caribbean"" coaster drop. Our test team says it takes 2.9 seconds to arrive at 60 mph, making it the slowest GT-R since our 485-horse, long-term 2010 GT-R Premium (3.5 seconds). Yes, we live in a world where sub-3-second sprints are ""slow."""

Still, this is a GT-R. You know, the one with a 7-minute, 8.679-second record on the 'Ring. It demolished a quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 125.3 mph and stuck to our skidpad with an average 1.06g load -- the gummiest GT-R ever. (This includes the 800-horsepower AMS Alpha 9 we tested a few years ago.) Around our telling figure-eight course, it earned a best-for-GT-R 22.9 seconds lap time at an average 0.91 g. Last year's Track Pack did it in 23.4 seconds at an average 0.89 g. Stick is the Nismo's overarching specialty.

My confidence climbed as quickly as the GT-R did the mountain. It hunkered down. It clamped on. And it distributed its power smoothly and progressively, with every ebb, pivot, and attack I commanded. More than 220 pounds of extra downforce at 186 mph are made by the eye-catching, largely carbon-fiber physique. Getting anywhere near that speed was impossible (and illegal), but even at my incremental velocities, the difference in road hold was evident.

One cannot understate the evolution of this GT-R's feel in the esses. The marriage of an adhesive-bonded body to an upgraded steering (new assist valve, gear, and hydraulic pump) and suspension transmits messages like a fiber optic line. A first-year 2009 GT-R, in comparison, feels as though it communicates via carrier pigeon. Nor can you overlook its improved ride comfort, the civility of its transaxle, a quieter interior, or the fully stocked amenity list (its sole option is a $12,990 titanium exhaust).

Is $150,000 a fair price for slightly faster, stickier, much rarer GT-R? Some MT vets would rather buy a base car, tune it, and call it a day. To which I say, you may end up with similar speed and footwork, but good luck in the areas of refinement and everyday usability.

Others, like yours truly, are of the mindset that in no way can driveway tinkerers or pro tuners match the development hours of Nissan-backed Nismo, a veteran outfit with dedicated engineering squads, winning drivers, wind tunnels, and circuits named Nürburgring Nordschleife and Sendai Highland Raceway at its disposal.

It isn't the go or the show. It's the feel. You can't tune it. You engineer it. For this most engaging and impressive road car from Tochigi, the best R35-coded GT-R we ever driven, consider the Nismo a barefaced bargain.

Nissan GT-R First Look Review

 

Godzilla has been made over many times in his movie career, and now his four-wheeled compatriot is also getting a big makeover. With new looks and greater performance, the 2017 Nissan GT-R is far and away the biggest update to Godzilla since it made its debut nearly 10 years ago.

"Nissan has always felt that it's nailed the R part of the GT-R's name since its 2009 launch, but has placed a bigger emphasis on the GT aspect for the 2017 update. Or as Nissan North America product planner Bob Munson puts it, ""We're trying to give the thoroughbred racehorse some more manners."" As such, the most significant changes are visual. After years of small, evolutionary tweaks, Nissan has made big changes to the front and rear of the car to bring it up to date with the company's latest styling language. This means an all-new front bumper, grille, and hood, new side sills, and a new rear bumper with a prominent diffuser and functional vents. New 20-inch forged aluminum wheels finish the look. Nissan claims the new bodywork increases aerodynamic efficiency and downforce, though it retains the same 0.26 coefficient of drag."

Even greater work has been done inside, where Nissan has completely revamped the GT-R's interior. The dashboard and center stack are all-new and complemented by a new instrument cluster wrapped in a single piece of leather. The center stack now sports an 8-inch touchscreen (up from 7) that can now also be controlled by a new Display Command controller on the center console. The rest of the stack has been simplified to just 11 buttons, down from the old car's 27. The infotainment screen's interface is also somewhat simplified; it now features large icons for easy operation.

Nissan has fitted a new steering wheel and relocated the paddle shifters from the column to the wheel itself, taking care to make sure the new paddles still feel and sound right. The seats also feel better and are lighter. Weight was also saved by thinning the cushion padding beneath the dashboard's leather surface.

Not all of the car's padding is thinner, though. The new car gets additional sound-deadening materials and an acoustic glass windshield to reduce noise. The transmission has also been quieted, and the titanium exhaust now features a valve to hush it on command. The GT-R gets active noise cancelling technology, as well.

The changes extend beyond the cosmetic. The twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V-6 has been updated with parts from the old GT-R NISMO, booting power to 565 hp and 467 lb-ft of torque (improvements of 20 hp and 4 lb-ft) thanks to more boost and individual timing control for each cylinder. In addition to the greater peaks, the changes are said to improve midrange- and high-rpm power, giving Godzilla a beefier torque curve. Nissan says that new exhaust, when the driver chooses to open it, sounds better, too. The improved engine is paired to an improved six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which has had its shifting behavior smoothed out for everyday driving, but it's still aggressive with your foot to the floor. With the GT-R's curb weight still around 3,900 pounds and only minor power gains, don't expect the lightning-quick 0-60 performance to change too much from the old car's 2.7-2.9-second performance.

Nissan did a bit of work under the body, as well, stiffening the chassis to more effectively use the lightly reworked suspension. Thanks to the changes, Nissan says the new GT-R both rides better and goes around a corner quicker.

To top off the deal, Nissan is adding the new Blaze Metallic paint option to all models and three new interior color options if you buy a Premium Edition model. Cars equipped with NissanConnect will get navigation with mobile apps and Services, which allows you to operate some vehicle functions, such as activating the alarm, from your smartphone and can track the car if it's stolen.

The more powerful, more comfortable GT-R will go on sale this summer. The base car, if you can call it that, will be the GT-R Premium shown here. It'll eventually be joined by three more trim levels with increased performance. The 2017 GT-R will likely cost at least as much as the current car, which starts just over $102,000.

Mercedes-AMG GT S vs. Porsche 911 Turbo S vs. Nissan GT-R 45th Anniversary Comparison

 

I'd been conflicted for two days, but when I got the call, I knew which car would be our winner. I don't often get calls from co-workers on the weekend, especially when none of us is working, but when Jonny Lieberman called me out of the blue to rave about the drive he just finished, it all fell into place. Each of us has a long list of cars we like, but actually calling someone just to babble about a car is unusual. This was one of those cars.

Coming off several intense weeks of endless planning meetings and two back-to-back comparisons, all of us were ready for the road trip, a chance to just drive. Great roads, beautiful scenery, spotty cellphone coverage—it had everything.

Our myriad meetings hadn't been for naught. All the planning ensured testing at Willow Springs International Raceway's Big Track the previous Thursday had gone off without a hitch despite the high workload. Our driver Randy Pobst had tested a trio of serious sports sedans first before taking on my cars, a Mercedes-AMG GT S, a Nissan GT-R 45th Anniversary Edition, and a Porsche 911 Turbo S, and his initial reaction to lapping the 911 was to send the sports sedans packing.

"""This is a track car,"" he told Lieberman. ""I came out of it kind of high because the 911 is doing everything right. It's beautifully balanced all the way around the track, hardly ever understeering, hardly ever oversteering. Broad power curve from the engine—it's always there. The braking, oh my God, super strong with very light effort and very little pedal travel, so when I go to the pedal, the response is instant. The transmission does exactly what I want it to, too."""

"He wasn't as kind to the GT-R. ""[It's] really a disappointment on the racetrack,"" he said. ""The car has been altered for comfort. It feels very soft, a lot of roll, less-controlled vertical motions. GT-Rs have always been pretty darn stiff, but not this one. The turn-in is reasonably good, the tail comes out a little bit, there's a bit of roll, but once the weight finishes transferring, the car goes into a big understeer. Understeer dominates the car's personality around the racetrack. With light throttle it seems to free up a little bit, but trying to accelerate off a corner, big push. Even at high speed, in Turn 8 over here, the car understeered so badly I thought I might drive it off the road. The car stopped OK, but the pedal travel was long. The stopping was adequate but nowhere near the ballpark of the Porsche. This car just does not have the track-ready personality of the older GT-Rs."""

"The AMG GT S, though, was another story. ""I want to make love to that car,"" he said. ""I want to pull down its back bumper and—"" Well, you get the idea. ""It's one of the best-handling cars I've ever driven. Certainly the best in the big, powerful bruiser category. Completely hooked up, without understeer. The car comes right into a corner, but the tail doesn't come around. It's just beautifully balanced all the time. Gearbox was good. A couple of times it didn't have as low a gear as I wanted, and it didn't decide to downshift until after I went to the throttle. Braking was tremendous, reminded me of the Porsche. I can't get over how well it handles. That's one of my favorite cars ever."""

His lap times mostly mirrored his subjective impressions. The GT-R, resplendent in 1990s Toyota/Lexus Boring Gold paint, turned a disappointing 1:30.48, 5 seconds off a GT-R NISMO's pace. Why didn't we bring the NISMO? It's too track-focused and wouldn't have stood a chance against the Grand Touring Germans out on the road, where most of our comparison took place. Though Pobst believed the GT S to be quicker, it came in less than half-a-second behind the 911, at 1:28.12 to 1:27.81.

Heavy lifting done, we headed north. Out through the Mojave Desert, east around the back side of Owens Lake, and on to the small town of Lone Pine for lunch. It took 10 minutes to get any service, as the entire staff, along with half the town, was looking at the cars in the back parking lot.

"From there, we continued north on to the next town before turning west onto a road so good, we voted to keep it a secret. ""America's Stelvio Pass,"" as we called it, dead ends at a campground and is thus lightly traveled as it twists and climbs 9,000 feet up the backside of the Sierra Nevada. With these clues and a map, you can find it easily enough, and it's so far out of the way I'm confident it won't become inundated with sports cars."

Out here, we began to understand Pobst's input. The GT-R's long brake pedal, although manageable at low and moderate speeds, became a liability at high speed. Coming down a long straight, you'd go to the brakes and get a long pedal that firmed up well and feel a pull against your seatbelt as g force increased. A split-second later, though, you realized you weren't stopping nearly as quickly as you should be. After a brief panic, standing on the pedal would do the trick.

"""The brakes, oh boy,"" Nate Martinez said. ""It had to be this particular car because in no other GT-R have the Brembos been so mushy, so lackluster in bite and feel. You're stomping hard on the pedal to annihilate speed, and at many times this was extremely disconcerting. It had me not pushing as hard as I wanted."""

"I wouldn't discover this myself until the following day, as I had pulled rank with the always convenient ""I'm writing the story"" excuse and hogged the GT S all day. I've driven 911s and GT-Rs; I wanted to play with the new toy, and once I had a taste, I didn't want to let it go."

"The next day in Bishop, California, my fellow editors voted me out of the GT S and into the GT-R. Between the brakes and the bumpiest, loudest ride in the trio, ""Goldzilla,"" as we came to call it, was the least road trip-friendly car, and the hundreds of miles were wearing on the other drivers."

Leaving Bishop, we rocketed north again up U.S. Highway 6 toward the Nevada border with almost no traffic and zero police presence. Stretching the cars' legs on 6 was fun, but the highlight of the trip came when we turned west on State Highway 120. Immediately following our climb out of Benton Hot Springs, we instructed the photographer to park on the other side of the hill while we ran back down and up that wonderful stretch of road. Tight hairpins, fast sweepers, blind crests, camber changes, elevation—this bit of road has everything. Here, driving all three back-to-back, their distinct personalities became inescapably clear.

"""The 911 may lack the flashiness and wicked character of the badass Benz, but this 'sleeper' of a Porsche got my attention,"" Martinez said. ""Why? Because it does everything beyond well. Ask it to demolish a twisty back road, and it will, no problem. The flat set it carries from corner start to finish, the steering's nuances felt by its driver's fingertips, the never-ending stick from the Dunlop/all-wheel-drive combo, the active aero's perceptible effect on the Turbo's demeanor—it's all brilliant."""

Indeed, the 911 was unflappable. It did everything right, braking strongly and confidently, turning in with razor sharpness, sticking with more grip than seemed possible, and firing out of the corners as if the tires had spikes and the engine unlimited power. What's more, it was easy. It never demanded your absolute attention, and it let your minor errors slide without so much as a hand slap.

"Then there was the GT S. ""This thing is basically just the greatest car there is,"" Lieberman said. ""Too hyperbolic? Well, it's certainly not as well-mannered as the Turbo S. And that's a good thing. Philosophically speaking, a little bit of attitude, a bit of misbehaving, that's kind of what we all prefer, right? Antiheroes are more fun than straight up heroes. Han Solo is cooler than Luke Skywalker. Batman is cooler than Superman. The AMG's not as ergonomically sorted as the Porsche? Good!"""

Where the 911 was flat through curves and clawed its way out with all-wheel drive, the GT S delivered beautifully direct and communicative steering and just a few degrees of body roll, pitch, and dive that made it feel like you were really working the car even though it had plenty more to give. Race mode delivered shifts nearly as telepathically as the 911's and allowed several degrees of slip angle so you could power oversteer off corners just for fun. The throttle response from the alternatively roaring, bellowing, and thundering twin-turbo V-8 made the other two feel like they were using '80s turbocharging technology.

"And the GT-R? ""I'm a Godzilla-phile—always have been—but the GT-R simply felt old,"" Martinez said. ""Its heft and slowish reactions were even more evident given the smaller, lighter company. Mid-corner, the car plows as non-NISMO GT-Rs do, but it still pulls out of the bends with a ridiculous ferocity. Against the Germans, its twin-clutch sounded and felt the most antiquated and was the least refined and most finicky away from the good roads and racetrack. Don't get me wrong; the car is still phenomenal in ways that other sports cars could only hope to emulate. But against the other two, it stands little chance."""

Yes, for 2015, the standard GT-R was softened and quieted to make it more palatable to the masses, and in doing so its edge has been dulled. At high speed, and especially over Highway 120's big whoops as we headed farther west, it wasn't as stable or confident as the Germans. Where it used to thrill, it relies on its big party trick, blasting out of a corner full-throttle. Sure, it's a better GT car than it's ever been, but at the expense of what made it special: a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

"On the other side of the spectrum is the 911. ""Remember that dude in school?"" Lieberman asked. ""Perfect hair, perfect teeth, natural athlete, 4.5 grade point average, looking at medical schools in eighth grade, teacher's pet, constantly reminded you not to swear, and the girls all thought he was cute? That's the Turbo S. There aren't really any flaws with this thing. Quicker than 99.9 percent of all cars ever built? Yup. Faster on track than whatever you're driving? Yup. Catlike reflexes, Herculean power, OCD-level build quality, aircraft carrier arresting-gear-imitating brakes, and cooled, comfortable seats? But of course. Is the lack of flaws a flaw? I'm thinking, weirdly: kind of."""

The 911 was the perfect sidekick, always in lockstep and making you look good but with all the personality of a butler. It made your life easier but not always more exciting. There was no pushback, no challenge to better yourself. If you want clean, quiet, unobtrusive perfection, here's your car.

"If you want thrills and excitement and entertainment, the GT S is your car. It does everything the 911 does but with just enough hints of danger to get your blood pumping. ""It'll kill momentum, jink, stick, and rocket away from bends like a Le Mans racer,"" Martinez said. ""If the GT S is indicative of a new era in AMG history, all others had better watch out."""

"Nissan-GT-R-45th-Anniversary-vs-2015-Porsche-911-Turbo-S-03.jpg"" alt=""Divergent Drivetrains Although they rely on a trio of wildly different architectures for creating speed, all three are sizzling fast."" class=""wp-image-1232421"" />"

"Explained Lieberman: ""The GT S is a big Miata, whereas the 911 is a big WRX. The Subaru will have more power and all-wheel-drive traction and will be quicker when measured, but wouldn't you rather be driving the eminently fun Miata? In this case, I'd much rather be behind the wheel of the howling-mad GT S."""

I was wavering. I love the 911's any time, any place, any condition capability, but its all-business attitude left me a little cold. The stunningly beautiful GT S with its in-your-face attitude had my heart, but it was objectively slower (as if that word is really appropriate here). I drove the GT-R home from Yosemite National Park while Martinez and Lieberman each took a car onward to other events in northern California, and I found nothing more to love about it. Only one of them called me the following Saturday afternoon rambling about the once-in-a-lifetime drive he'd just had out on Highway 198 (our Best Driver's Car road). When a car leaves that kind of impression on guys who drive new cars for a living, it's something special. The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S is that car.

The once almighty GT-R is hit with a one-two punch of age and an audience-chasing softening, the sum of which is a disappointing showing.

The consummate Yes Man, the 911 is everything you want and everything you need, so long as you keep things strictly business.

Passion, lust, excitement—this is the car we, as drivers and enthusiasts, want every manufacturer to build. It's not as frustratingly perfect as the 911, and that's why we love it.

Three configurations, two right answers. By the time the leading Porsche 911 Turbo S reaches the finish line, the Mercedes-AMG GT S is hot on its heels, a scant 76 feet and 0.31 second arrears. Close—but it had been even closer. Indeed, the GT S had actually led throughout and was hanging on to a tiny lead up until the final turn.

From passing the green flag through Turn 4, the performances of the 911 and GT S can be nearly overlaid. The Nissan GT-R, however, is a noticeable step behind in cornering pace through the long Turn 2, as well as through Turns 3 and 4. (A throttle lift by Randy while exiting Turn 4 is the nail in its coffin.) Unexpectedly, the GT-R is also substantially slower through Turn 8, a confidence corner it normally excels at.

The GT S gets a big break when Randy lifts in the Porsche at the rise and drop through Turn 6. But the 911 eats the AMG alive through Turn 8 and puts the power down sooner exiting the tricky (and scary) Turn 9, putting it ahead at the checkered flag. It's curious how two cars so architecturally dissimilar as the 911 and GT S can perform so identically in the early, slower section while in the faster, latter half, the rear-heavy, all-wheel-drive Porsche shines.

Nissan GT-R First Drive Review

 

Updating a legendary car is the sharpest of double-edged swords for an engineer. Expectations from fans are off the charts, and any flaw or deviation from the mythos will be judged mercilessly. For what amounts to an exciting engineering project at an objective level, the acceptance and success of a car such as the Nissan GT-R can often hinge on forces entirely beyond the designer's control. Even the less dramatic mid-cycle refresh can make or break a car whose legend has outgrown its actual performance. The GT-R is one of those cars, and it's been stung by its own reputation before.

Last year, as you may recall, I joined a convoy consisting of a GT-R, a Porsche 911 Turbo, and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S up the easternmost edge of California. The GT-R did not win that comparison test. In fact, it placed last. Although it had the speed to contend with the Germans and the price to kneecap them, we were disappointed with how the car drove. In attempting to civilize the car, Nissan dulled the edge noticeably while not providing enough of an improvement in comfort to convince us it was a worthy trade. In particular, we lamented the loss of the GT-R's signature corner exit explosiveness. It just didn't accelerate leaving a corner with the ferocity it used to. It used to be that you could just stand on the throttle as you straightened the steering wheel, and the GT-R's computers and all-wheel drive would fling you down the road without so much as a tire chirp. The car I drove last year, not so much.

See, back in 2013, Nissan decided to build more than one GT-R. The standard car would become more of a grand tourer, and performance models, ultimately expressed by the NISMO edition, would retain the raw, brutal performance we enthusiasts loved about the GT-R. Although the NISMO is great, the standard car missed the mark, giving up too much capability for too little comfort.

Traveling to Belgium to drive the refreshed 2017 car, I had only one question on my mind: Did Nissan fix it? On and around the Spa-Francorchamps race circuit, I found my answer: Maybe.

Disappointed? So was I. Unfortunately, it poured rain during half the road driving and most of the track laps. When it wasn't raining, the road was damp if not soaked, so it simply wasn't safe to drive the GT-R hard enough to be certain everything was back to how it ought to be. That will have to wait another month or two until we can get our hands on one here in the States. The good news, though, is that the car has given me good cause to believe it's back, and I hope a proper dry test will prove it.

Although the rain forced me to gingerly feed in power at corner exit rather than nail it, the updated car's power delivery felt more immediate and linear than the old one's. The old GT-R just felt like a fast car, but this one has the quickness to send a little chill down your spine like it used to do. It's not as raw and violent as the no-compromise 2009 GT-R, but you can feel that Mr. Hyde personality hiding behind the Dr. Jekyll facade once more.

Several subtle but important modifications help achieve the change. The first is to the engine, which picks up an additional 20 horsepower and 4 lb-ft of torque thanks to an improved ignition system borrowed from the NISMO edition, putting it at 565 hp and 467 lb-ft. More than that, the new individual cylinder ignition-timing control spreads the torque increase out over most of the rev range and flattens it out to boot. As a result, the power delivery feels a little more linear, as it's delivering more power earlier in the rev range before the turbos are at full steam.

Next, there are the structural and aerodynamic enhancements. The windshield frame and trunk area have been reinforced to reduce chassis flex under hard cornering, and the hood has been reinforced to prevent it from deforming at high speeds. The stiffer hood and improvements to the side sills, C-pillars, front splitter, and rear diffuser improve airflow around the car. The drag coefficient hasn't changed—the improvements were offset by enlarging the front grille openings to improve cooling—but the car feels noticeably more stable at high speeds. This is best observed in the steering, which requires many fewer corrections at high speed.

Speaking of steering, that's gotten better, too. Updated active dampers, hardened suspension mounting points, and improved Dunlop tires help the car corner more smoothly and shrug off bumps more easily. The steering itself is a convincing double agent, calmer and less chatty than ever when cruising but surprisingly talkative at race speeds. It remains far from the best-feeling steering out there, but at least it has something to say. It's most expressive when the car is undergoing a mild understeer, which it occasionally did under power, though it's difficult to say if that behavior would reoccur in dry conditions. Similarly, going too hard on the power too early at corner exit would provoke a small but sharp oversteer; again, it's difficult to say whether it was a function of the cold, wet pavement and high-performance summer tires or an inherent behavior of the car.

If you do provoke such bad behavior, in the wet or in the dry, the stability control has your back. It's one of the better systems I've experienced, intervening only enough to straighten the car out. It doesn't pull power or clamp down on one wheel but rather moves the power around and nips at the brakes just enough to stop the oversteer and put the power to the ground. Given the conditions, turning it off to judge the car's baseline setup was imprudent at best and outright dangerous at worst. Even so, around Spa, the GT-R was impressively fast and capable with exceptional grip despite the water.

On the occasion it was necessary to slow down, the big Brembo brakes delivered. Stopping power was strong and consistent lap after lap, and the pedal offered excellent feedback. It occasionally squirmed at the rear end under hard braking, but as with the handling, it's difficult to say how much of a role the rain played.

An all-new steering wheel also improves the actual act of steering the car. Mercifully, Nissan has finally moved the paddle shifters from the steering column to the wheel itself, allowing you to keep your hands on the wheel and still grab an upshift as you exit a corner. The rest of the wheel benefits from a comfortably thick rim and better controls.

Unfortunately, the new paddle shifters aren't perfect. Commands for shifts are met with a slight lag before anything happens, and inputs are lost when trying to downshift quickly through several gears when braking for a corner. It's at best distracting and at worst frustrating if you're trying to set a lap time.

The rest of the transmission, though, is actually improved. New software has smoothed out shifting during normal driving and reduced clutch chatter. It'll still clunk a little going into first or second at low speeds and still chatters a bit when starting from a stop, but it's nothing like it used to be.

Back in the cabin, there's more than the steering wheel to be happy about. The front seats, although they look overstuffed, are more comfortable but still hold you well on a racetrack. I'd prefer the bolsters reach a little farther around my body for lapping, but they get the job done. Not as much can be said for the new infotainment system atop the dash. The software is more intuitive and the screen larger, but the system has a roughly second-long lag after every input. Doesn't matter if you're touching the screen, pushing a button, or using the new controller by the shifter. It's always there. That and the general appearance of the new system are over par for a six-figure car.

Otherwise, the updated interior is a nice place to be. It's quieter thanks to acoustic glass, additional sound deadening, and an active noise cancellation system. That last one also enhances certain frequencies through the speakers to make the engine and exhaust sound better inside the car. That and the new titanium exhaust system give the GT-R less of a world's-fastest-hairdryer sound and something more akin to a lion roaring through a muffler. On the whole, it's a better sound, if not any more melodic. The new exhaust system also features an electronic valve that opens for more noise and better flow under hard acceleration. Using the hidden switch by your left knee, you can also quiet the exhaust before you start the car so as not to piss off your neighbors quite as much.

Your neighbors, if they're car people, will be happy to know that Nissan has indeed improved the GT-R. Not only that, but it also appears to have corrected course and finally found the proper balance of comfort and performance that eluded last year's car. Although I can't definitively say it drives just like the car we named Car of the Year in 2009, it gives every indication that's the case. I hope I'm right.

Nissan GT-R Black Edition Verdict

 

Throughout its 13-month loan, our GT-R Black Edition was in constant motion -- whether as a participant in signature events like our Best Driver's Car (November 2012), in comparison tests against supercars such as the Porsche 911 Turbo S (June 2012), or as a foil to other high-performance machines. One of my most memorable drives was a freeway blast to Chrysler's Arizona Proving Grounds to meet up with the new Shelby Mustang GT500 for our 200-mph attempt (August 2012).

The GT-R was not only a high-powered editorial engine, but a social media motor as well. Our hundreds of Tweets, Instagrams, and Facebook updates generated tens of thousands of hearts, likes, and followers, making it far and away the star of the MT garage.

"For obvious reasons, it was a hit among the staff. At the outset of our loan, I promised to treat the GT-R as our Stanley Cup, and cycle all but the rawest Motor Trend staffers through it. Those many nights and weekends ensured we logged some serious miles, but not all of them were pain-free. Early on, two separate high-speed incidents yielded minor body damage to the GT-R and major wallet damage to one of our road test editors. A low-speed parking garage mishap resulted in some paint rubbed off the front corner. Only a month before her departure, a noble attempt to save the nose while exiting a steep driveway accidentally sacrificed the driver-side rocker panel. Your editor-in-chief was also wrongly cited for a sushi stop -- aka a ""California roll,"" which is ironic on many levels. I take stopping and eating very seriously."

While our own faults and foibles resulted in a few dings to sheetmetal and pride, the GT-R performed flawlessly. We experienced no mechanical failures despite countless launches during regular testing and the filming of World's Greatest Drag Race 2. The only a minor incident: a hiccup in the nav system that caused it to reset a half dozen times on two separate occasions. This is currently being addressed by Nissan service bulletin #NTB12-070a.

By the time she went back, we'd racked up nearly 27,000 miles, four tire changes, and some strong opinions.

When first released back in 2008, the GT-R's stunning performance turned the supercar world upside down. In 2009, we named the GT-R our Car of the Year, calling it a technological high-water mark for the audacity of its performance numbers relative to its price. Back then, it was easy to overlook the whirrs and clicks of its transmission and the dull roar that reverberated through the cabin at freeway cruising speeds. In the intervening years, Nissan has smoothed out the transmission, but hasn't fixed the tire noise. Other manufacturers have caught up, chiefly Porsche, whose latest 911 offers much of the performance of a GT-R for a similar price, but with a much quieter cabin and more refined driving experience.

The GT-R also quivers and crashes over potholes and rough pavement, a trait as common to supercars as practically useless back seats (if there even are any) and abysmal fuel economy. The flinty ride is a function of the run-flat tires and stiff suspension and takes some getting used to, but will always remind me of a bit of related cheapness that's harder to forgive. The button I most frequently pushed after ignition is the toggle switch for the dampers. This engages COMF, the comfort setting. That it only takes a bit of the starch out of the ride isn't the issue -- the problem is the brittle creak of the plastic switch and surrounding panel when the button is depressed. Cars costing this much demand more polish.

Tire noise, stiff suspension, and a creaky button are relatively minor annoyances when considering the GT-R's many gifts. It's an excellent daily driver with a driving position that can be tailored to fit. The Black Edition's leather-trimmed Recaro seats absolutely nail the trifecta, providing excellent support on the track, fatigue-free long hauling, and easy ingress/egress. Outward visibility impresses; the trunk is large for the segment; and the transmission has no weakness. Manual purists will whine, but I challenge them to find a gearbox that works better on both the gridlocked 405 freeway and Turn 11 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Through four very expensive sets of tires (normal wear only accounted for one set), I've come to respect the GT-R's three greatest traits: grip, responsiveness, and confidence. Despite the noise generated by the standard Dunlop tires and optional Bridgestones, they mate perfectly to the GT-R's phenomenal all-wheel-drive system and are arguably the top two run-flats on the market. This was highlighted by a short stint on a set of regular (non run-flat) ultra high performance tires. Road noise and ride harshness decreased slightly, but grip went away dramatically, often in a frenzy of understeer and heretofore unseen traction-control lights.

Combine this AWD grip with the immediacy of the GT-R's steering and dual-clutch transmission, and you have a formula for giddy, indestructible confidence. Remember that feeling you had at age 17 when you thought you had the world all figured out? That's what the GT-R delivers at every corner or freeway entrance. It is, as GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno claimed at launch, the all-conditions supercar, suitable for anyone, anywhere, any time. That's why we'll miss it so.

Audi R8 V10 Plus vs. 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack

 

It doesn't get much faster than these two. The Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R tear relentlessly at the pavement with four driven wheels and an uninterrupted supply of thrust courtesy of twin-clutch transmissions. Want a quicker all-wheel-drive car? Your options are the Lamborghini Aventador ($400,000) and Bugatti Veyron (add a million).

The GT-R, then, with its 545 hp and $116,710 price, would seem a bargain. A Track Pack adds brake cooling ducts, retuned shocks, higher spring rates, and a rear seat delete, on top of the forged wheels borrowed from the Black Edition. New for the R8 this year is a twin-clutch transmission and a V10 Plus model. The latter hones the car with ceramic rotors, a smaller fuel tank, fixed rate shocks, manual seats, and carbon-fiber trim pieces. That's a total weight savings of 130 pounds. Oh, and it makes 25 hp more.

The engines sit at different ends and the price difference is substantial, but we couldn't resist the temptation of pitting these two AWD juggernauts against each other. So, a drag race? Quick, after all, is easy for these two -- spookily so. Both have launch control procedures, but the gist of it is this: brake, gas, disappear. At a blink over 11 seconds, the race is over. The Nissan wins by 0.3 second with nary a chirp from its Dunlops. Its 2.7-second 0-60-mph time ties it with the fastest production vehicles we've ever tested -- Veyron, 911 Turbo.

Which one's quicker? Done. But which is better? That will take a drive on our favorite mountain roads and a lapping session at Willow Springs to determine.

On an empty mountain highway, editor-in-chief Edward Loh and I attempted, fruitlessly, to stay under the speed limit. These cars sucker you in: the R8 innocently urging you to push incrementally harder through each corner; the GT-R never feeling satisfied going slow and chiding you for it.

"One seldom escapes the other. ""I think only on boost and exiting a tricky corner -- maybe in third, planted -- will the GT-R surprise the R8. The big tell was seeing dual puffs of gray exhaust shoot from the GT-R,"" Loh says. Its Dunlops permit high entry speeds and constantly seem ready for more. You can always get on the gas sooner than you think -- the challenge is finding how early. The reward is a barrage of frenetic acceleration backed by a cacophony of rising engine noise and gear whine. Rinse and repeat. The GT-R generates an onslaught of g-forces, so the firm grip of the blue and gray Pep Boys-inspired seats is welcome. The ride, even with the Bilsteins set to Comfort mode, seems to transmit every road imperfection to your head (""'COMF' is a lie!"" is a frequent refrain). The darn machine is just so capable that it's the humans who wear out."

"Plop down into the Audi, and you find a pervasive sense of refinement. It's a finely crafted timepiece to the GT-R's (hugely successful) physics experiment. With no engine blocking the front axle, your outward view and sense of control seem greater and more direct. You get a feel for the weight balance and how you can bend it with steering inputs and pedal control. Part of it is the fixed shocks, which provide comfort once unfathomable in a supercar, but also a better sense of the road. The ride doesn't isolate you; you still feel what the car's doing, but the unwanted noise is damped out. ""The Audi feels much more special, much more premium, and roughly 2 feet lower than the GT-R,"" Loh notes."

In the battle of transmissions, the R8 has the edge. Its gear changes feel quicker and smoother, and it brings out the best of the V-10's song -- a 7000-rpm downshift will make your neck tingle. The GT-R's box is no less effective, but its shifts are more pronounced.

"We meet MT hot-shoe Randy Pobst at the Streets of Willow Springs early, eager to experience these two without the unjust restrictions of speed limits. He sets out in the R8 first, and the V-10 howl is audible even after he disappears into the far end of the track. Afterward, he exits adoring the powertrain but complaining about late entry oversteer. ""Really didn't think the car would do that,"" he says. ""Everything felt good, and then the tail would just start to come and keep going. It took a lot of steering to stop."""

I head out and find oversteer on turn 2. The R8 unloads in a big way if you crank the wheel with the weight transferred forward. You have to think about power oversteer, too, which I find out exiting turn eight while rolling on in third -- a pants-tightening first. It's manageable -- and huge fun -- but you need precision and restraint if you want to be fast.

"The GT-R is next and has the advantage here. Beyond the ""Track Pack"" badge on its center console, its alignment has been set to a Nissan-specified track setting (a $260 dealer visit or complimentary if performed during an annual calibration service). After a few drama-free laps, Randy jumps out, saying, ""I wish my race car handled like that."" He continues, ""No oversteer. Yet it still comes into the corner very well. It doesn't just razor in the way the Audi will. You can tell you have more polar moment, but it's balanced and the tail stays where it belongs."""

That behavior works. While the R8's 1:21.95 lap is respectable (besting the Ferrari 458 by 0.4 second), the GT-R's 1:19.55 is the fastest we've recorded from a production car. It's also 0.17 faster than what AMA pro Steve Rapp could do with a Ducati 1198 S (an inch or a mile, right?).

The GT-R's secret? Torque and traction in large quantities. It's simply able to exit corners harder, and it doesn't waste any time with spinning tires. Consequently, it offers a level of confidence that allows you to push harder -- see turn 1 and the kink on the track map. But that confidence can make it too easy.

Randy jokes about needing only one hand to lap it, and I'm not smiling as much while driving it. After mulling for a bit, we agree: While the mid-engine, lighter, and more powerful car is slower, it's more fun.

A convincing argument exists for both cars. The GT-R certainly earns respect for being so spectacularly dominant at speed, but it neglects the subtle but hugely enjoyable elements of driving a car. It sees the apex, but misses the road. The R8 has depth. Its ease of use and comfort mean you could drive it every day, and yet that functionality doesn't impede the fun when you drive it fast. Crucially, though, and unlike with the Nissan, you don't have to be at the absolute limit to enjoy it. The R8 wins, not because it's more refined and sounds and looks better, but because, simply, we all want to keep driving it.

Audi R8 The car accelerates so quickly I'm actually braking for turn 1, which I don't usually do. We're just going too bloody fast.

Turn 9 wasn't as frightening as it normally is. Usually cars are just going nuts, bouncing off the bump stops. But the R8 was very well-behaved. It has more travel than it looks like, or good bump stops. It may be very progressive, but I think it's mostly in the shocks.

Nissan GT-R

The 1.55 miles composing the Streets offer a nice arrangement of cracks and bumps -- the better for testing suspension tuning -- and corners, some requiring second gear and others allowing speeds over 120 mph.

2021 Nissan GT-R Lineup Ditches Track Edition, Slimming Godzilla Lineup

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To say the R35 Nissan GT-R was a big deal when it first came out would be a gross understatement. The front-mid-engine, all-wheel-drive coupe was relatively hefty, yet somehow drove around a track like a much lighter car. The same grippy AWD system and smart traction control programming that made that possible also facilitated the GT-R's whiplash-inducing acceleration, which at the time was a fairly new thing. With its arsenal of computers and sensors, the GT-R seemingly defied physics. But that was well over a decade ago, and supercars have come a long way since then. Though still impressive, the Nissan GT-R is no longer the giant slayer it once was. When Nissan teased its lineup through 2023, the absence of a GT-R left us wondering if Godzilla's reign had finally come to an end. But the King of the Monsters lives to roar another day—albeit without the Track Edition trim level.

"Nissan announced pricing details for the 2021 GT-R lineup, which carries over virtually unchanged save for the loss of the Track Edition. That model bridged the gap between the ""base"" GT-R Premium and the range-topping GT-R NISMO, offering the same 600 horsepower as the latter, a more rigid body shell, special wheels, and other upgrades over the base car. It also fell right in the middle of the GT-R pricing spectrum, at just over $147,000. The 2021 Nissan GT-R Premium starts at $115,235, while the 2021 Nissan GT-R NISMO starts at $212,435—a pretty big gulf that's the same as last year."

"But given that Nissan only moved 331 GT-Rs in all of 2019 (down 38.5 percent from the year prior), the decision to streamline its offerings probably made sense. If you still want a GT-R in 2020 and have the means to get a non-base model, you probably want the full-bore GT-R NISMO. On the other hand, the Track Edition might have cut into the NISMO's sales once its engine was upgraded to the same 600-hp tune as the top-of-the-line model (f0r $50K less). Whatever the reason, the GT-R lineup is now leaner, if not any meaner. Another significant change is the addition of Bayside Blue to the GT-R Premium's color palette. Known to enthusiasts as ""Wangan Blue,"" the color was formerly exclusive to the 2020 Nissan GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition, and before that was last used on the R34 Skyline GT-R. The special paint is now a $1,000 option on the 2021 GT-R Premium."

"Nissan is currently focused on bringing back its other celebrated sports car, the Nissan Z car, but the automaker insists that the GT-R ""remains an important part of [its] brand and DNA."" A next-gen GT-R has been rumored for years, but so far no hard evidence has emerged. Until it does, we'll keep hoping a new one is on the way (possibly after 2023) and continue enjoying the R35 for at least another year."