Nissan GT-R driven

What is it? A substantially changed and even faster GT-R
Price £69,950
On sale Now
MPG tbc
CO2 tbc

Does anyone really understand the effect of quantitative easing? Well, a £10,000 increase in the price of the Japanese-built Nissan GT-R should tell you all you need to know.

To be fair, you’re getting a vastly improved car for your money. For a start, re-jigged electronics allow the twin-turbo V6 engine to punch harder and faster, and develop an extra 40bhp, pushing the power output to a tyre-torturing 523bhp.

Revamped racer
Substantial revisions to the body including enlarged bumper and grille openings and a re-profiled undertray help keep the GT-R pressed to the ground, while recalibrated suspension and a carbon composite anti-roll bar greatly enhance overall rigidity.

Add unfeasibly snappy changes from the six-speed paddleshift gearbox, a mind-bogglingly intelligent four-wheel-drive system and more computing power than an Apple superstore and you have the potential to render all but the most power-crazed supercars impotent.

The steering has been retuned for more feel, but it’s still on the light side, so there’s no need to muscle the GT-R into corners. Instead, all you need to do is point the nose at the apex of a bend, vaguely imagine what the exit looks like and give it as much throttle as you dare.

Gripping stuff
Shuffling power between the front and rear wheels, the GT-R delivers as much grip and traction as its tyres and your neck muscles can withstand.

Should you find yourself entering a corner too hot – and believe us, until you’re fully acclimatized to the ferocious pace of this thing, you will – simply stand on the beefed-up carbon composite brakes and the scenery slows like you’ve run into a concrete bunker.

Don’t go thinking that because the GT-R is such an animal, Nissan has forgotten to include some creature comforts. The dashboard bristles with banks of switches that allow you to tailor your preferred settings of ride comfort, the aggressiveness of the four-wheel-drive system’s differentials and the level of intervention from the stability control.

Equally you get super-supportive leather sports seats, high-quality carbonfibre trim, enough room for four – at a push – and a decent-sized boot. This all means that despite currency fluctuations, the GT-R remains the performance bargain of the decade.
Pete Tullin
Peter.Tullin@whatcar.com

What car? says…
Even more power, even more fun


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