Autoweek drives the Nissan GT-R
by Damon Lavrinc on Oct 17th 2007 at 4:35PM 
click above image for more views of the Nissan GT-R
With all the information about Nissan's GT-R already out in the open, one question remains: how does it drive? Autoweek got a crack at it in Germany, and after flogging the GT-R on the autobahn and around the south-loop of the Nurburgring, Mark Vaughn proclaims that it lives up to the hype.
The account of his time behind the wheel of reads like a 4th grader let loose in a combination Chuck-E-Cheese/candy factory with unlimited quarters and an empty stomach. He hammered through the dual-clutch six-speed, impressed with the down shifts and rev-matching (0.2 seconds for shifts), ran the 473 HP 3.8L twin-turbo V6 up to 176 mph on the 'bahn, tested the AWD-system's ability to shuffle power to the wheels (anywhere between 50/50 to 2/98) and laid long stretches of rubber in the pits even when told to keep it under 35 mph.
Lag was inconsequential, particularly compared to the Porsche Turbo Nissan had on hand during the testing, and although the Porsche's steering felt lighter and quicker, he preferred the GT-R's ease of use and more "tied down" nature.
Follow the "Read" link below for the full review.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jeff 5:00PM (10/17/2007)
Good review. Can't wait to see whats unveiled tomorrow.
http://www.nagtroc.com
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Frankenstein Black 2:48PM (10/18/2007)
GT-R in Black FTW! (or matching paint on the bottom for that more complete, lower ground FX look ;^)...
Jeff Johnson 5:02PM (10/17/2007)
Interesting read... this car will be fast but it will not be the grand daddy "kill everything in the world car". The all wheel drive and numerous electronic toys will make this a sweet ride but I know that my $80K dollars will be going towards a Z06. Nothing against imports (Im currently in an RX8) but the official weight of this thing is starting at 3792 pounds! If it was 500lbs lighter I would have a hard time deciding but its damn near 2 tons!
looks are a matter of opinion - I liked the concepts and the numerous spy shots, but the front looks too plain and "celica" like. Like I said this car will be fast as hell - but the GranTurismo generation that are hailing this as the return of Jesus or whatever need to stop playing so many video games. Bottom line: 473HP/433TQ with 3792lbs VERSUS 505HP/470TQ with 3192lbs no contest. You can make up for some with fancy gizmos and all wheel drive but there are limits.
All real car people can see the beauty in every car, I do like the GTR, but i just wish people would stop elevating it to godlike status.
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stefan 5:06PM (10/17/2007)
The GTR R35 kicked the Z06's ass, here is the new official ringtime.
http://www.egmcartech.com/2007/10/17/nissan-gt-r-lapped-nurburgring-in-735-beats-slr-mclaren/
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Mr. Oak 5:12PM (10/17/2007)
Ok, what did they cut/throw out of the car to get down to those times. Too big a jump to be unaided.
RedBeauty84ZX 5:30PM (10/17/2007)
That puts the GTR ahead of both the Z06 and 911 around the track :)
416Hammy 6:49PM (10/17/2007)
@Mr. Oak: Jealousy is such an ugly thing. [rolleyes] The Z06 is an impressive beast, but it's sad when 'Vette fanboys can't give credit to Nissan where credit is due.
Philometalist 2:00AM (10/18/2007)
I wouldn't be too hasty to trust any performance figures until the first production car rolls off the line.
Every sports car ever released has always sounded like the end-all-beat-all-mad-dog-killer when the manufacturer takes their preproduction car to the track, but then, as most of us know, they fall way short of expectations when the real cars start to hit the streets. Not saying it'll be a total failure, but just remember to keep a healthy dose of skepticism on this topic, because the REAL GTR has yet to reveal itself.
nagmashot 8:40AM (10/18/2007)
@ stefan
that 7:35min is a quote for the trashcan..
Nissan officle claims the best the GT-R can do is 7:44min with most laps ending at 7:55-7:58min..
The Nissan officle making that claim was Mizuno-san for UK car magazine AutoWeek .. read it in the article..
473hp and 3800lbs are the wrong combination for 7:35miin times..means lacking 200hp or 500lbs to much weight..
there is no trick to get around physic laws..
RJ 4:24PM (10/18/2007)
Stefan
Jesus Christ can't believe people fall for such bs.
So you're saying a 3800 lbs, 473 hp car is as fast as a Carrera GT's origional time, even though the Carrera was 600+ hp, and 3100 lbs?
I'd be surprised if they can get it down to 7:42 with some fancy sticky tires. With tires being equal there's no way this thing can beat a Z06/Turbo/GT2.
TBlueMax 5:08PM (10/17/2007)
Great read. Simply outstanding.
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Puter 5:09PM (10/17/2007)
The interior has an 80's retro feel to it ...
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catchmeinhawaii 5:10PM (10/17/2007)
This isn't a pretty car at all! It's a good thing it is fast because it isn't gonna win any beauty contests. At least the Porsche has a timeless design. In ten years, this Nissan will be one of those 'what were they thinking' cars!
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dustin 3:35AM (10/18/2007)
Ya just like how nobody likes the R32 still today. Don't think so.
2004m3driver 8:12PM (10/17/2007)
Well this thing isn't offensive looking at all. If anything it might be bland, but I am pretty sure I will be thinking in ten years "damn this thing is still pretty damn fast"
RedBeauty84ZX 5:14PM (10/17/2007)
Its great to see Japan is back in the affordable super car market again! Hopefully Toyota/Mazda/Honda/mitsubishi will follow
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Jeff Johnson 5:14PM (10/17/2007)
I realize "ring times" are a comparison that many people use... I personally don't put much stock into "ring times". Many if not all of the automakers tune their cares specifically for the ring, so the actual production model might differ slightly, or they take the best times over each segment of of the ring to get the best possible score.
Why? I'm never going to germany, I'm never going to actually get on the ring, those times are by professional drivers that know the course, etc etc. What I care about is weight, power, and handling. The most I might ever do is a bit of drag racing, and some AutoX courses. Different strokes for different folks, they are all fast cars but I'm not going to base my decision on a few seconds difference on a car that isnt publicly available, on a track thats on the other side of the world.
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EMC 5:45PM (10/17/2007)
The reason why people use 'Ring' times is that is is closer to a real road than almost any other race track. In fact it *is* used as a real road, so a cars performance there is much closer connected to how if will perform on the streets, compared to any other racetrack time or quarter mile figure.
It may not be the most beautifull car, but you can't argue with it's performance.
Pete 5:36PM (10/17/2007)
Tuned for the ring? Considering that track throws every possible racing situation at a driver I can't imagine what better place to tune a car. I put a lot of stock in what that says about a car, regardless of if you will race on that track or not. As for a drag race the AWD and dual clutch will easily give the normal driver a serious advantage over RWD manual cars, the Z06 included. My guess would be that, like the Evo, the GT-R is easier for the non-professional to drive hard. Sure, it might take some of the challenge out of it, but in real-world driving I don't think the GT-R will be losing many "street battles" to cars that cost less than $120,000 anytime soon, or for that matter rich drivers of said cars with no driving skill.
testa di cazzo 5:19PM (10/17/2007)
i honestly liked the concept design with the dark lines below the headlamps on the front bumper a lot more than this one... this is just so plain
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