NISSAN GT-R
Radioactive lizard gets meaner with age
IT might no longer be called Skyline but the spirit of the R35 GT-R’S forebears definitely lives on in this MY17 upgrade. That DNA link most closely aligns with the 2001 R34 Skyline GT-R. The R34 GT-R’S newmillenium update was the first to introduce a slightly cushier, fully equipped model – the M-spec (for ‘mature’, would you believe) – to sit alongside the more hardcore V-spec, and that’s exactly the situation we have here. ‘Regular’ R35 GT-R in Premium and Premium Luxury guises, as well as a dynamically enhanced ‘Track Edition engineered by Nismo’.
The most comprehensive makeover in the R35’s neardecade existence falls at exactly the right time. Surrounded by fresh German high-performance armoury, the GT-R needed to reassert what its badge stands for, and what this all-wheel-drive, twin-turbo V6 is capable of, while aiming to appeal to a broader cross-section of sports-car buyers.
GT-R’S ballistic VR38DETT donk has been tweaked for a bit more grunt – now 419kw at 6800rpm (up 15kw) and 632Nm from 33005800rpm – and its performance remains hearty and meaty ( 315km/h top speed, anyone?).
The MY17’S freshened styling has been driven by functional development rather than embellishment. It has a 20-percent-bigger front air intake, yet due to many detail refinements, its drag coefficient improves by one percent. It also has a stronger body, with more uniform stiffness between front and rear to improve chassis balance, while suspension, steering and driveline have all been refined to smooth over GT-R’S brutal edges. And it works.
Its ride on country Aussie roads is far less of a challenge, and its steering (via a stylishly tactile new steering wheel) demands less effort in the daily grind. But GT-R’S signature dynamic tenacity remains merely a few degrees of steering lock away.
Around the Phillip Island circuit, the GT-R’S semi-slick Dunlops feel a bit like ice skates when the surface is wet, but as the lines dry out, its true potential blasts through. Unrelenting punch, gloriously brutal power-down, a rear-biased drive split and tireless Bremboclamped discs ( 390mm front, 380mm rear) remind you what Godzilla is capable of.
Then there’s the Track Edition. With a heap of stuff borrowed from the proper GT-R Nismo ( see sidebar), the Track Edition is a seriously focused supercar. Like the Nismo, it has adhesive bonding on its spot welds for greater body rigidity, completely retuned suspension ( springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and upper links), slightly wider front guards to accommodate a broader track, and fatter 10-inch-wide, forgedaluminium Rays 20s at the rear. On track, it’s the true embodiment of the “car as body” philosophy sought by Chief Product Specialist for Gt-r/nismo, Hiroshi Tamura.
With turn-in so precise and planted you’d think its front-end was wired to your brain, the GT-R Track Edition eats Phillip Island whole. It feels pointier and more neutrally balanced than the regular GT-R, able to sustain greater corner speeds and carry off a true race-car impersonation. I climb out ‘zinged’ from toes to fingertips, reminded of just how exciting the GT-R can be in its element. In comparison, the regular GT-R feels almost soggy.
But it’s the improvement in the GT-R’S everyday personality that really deserves praise. Even in MY17 guise, the GT-R will never be a dab hand at shopping. But this time, you could, without the grumpiness of the past.