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2009 Nissan GT-R Vehicle Type Front engine, all-wheel-drive Base MSRP $69,850 As Tested $71,900 Engine 3.8-liter, Twin-Turbo V6 Horsepower 480 @ 6,400 Torque 430 @ 3,200 Fuel Economy  16-cty/21-hwy

Nissan Puts its Game on the Street

by Brian Douglas

The GT-R lives up to its ‘Supercar’ hype.

When I first encountered Nissan’s fabled Skyline model, it was a short drive in a previous generation version, complete with right-hand drive. Since this experience was on our U. S. roads, I didn’t get a chance to push it hard. But I came away with the feeling that other sports car brands didn’t have much to worry about.

That feeling was not diminished when I gazed at the first photography of the new GT-R. I thought it looked too much like Nissan’s 350Z to be elevated to exotic or supercar status. And when I come across the actual GT-R after its unveiling in Los Angeles last year, it looked like a heavy GT car, not the athletic speed racer of recent legend.

Finally, I drove this land-based rocket ship and my reaction was “Holy Toledo Batman, this thing is for real!” The GT-R still doesn’t look as exotic as a Ferrari or Lamborghini and it weighs a bit more than a Corvette ZO6, but if you encounter this rare Nissan on a twisty road with little traffic, don’t count on keeping up with it.

Nissan’s specifications for the GT-R are reasonably impressive; 480 twin-turbocharged horses connected to a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox and all-wheel-drive. The reality is even more compelling. This car is easily in the class with a Porsche Turbo Carrera, and that’s about as good as street legal sports cars get.

Since the Nissan has a suggested, but widely ignored, retail price that’s about half the cost of a Porsche Turbo, it’s fair wonder if that difference can only be explained by branding. Certainly, that’s part of the pricing dynamic. The other part is that buyers really determine what a product is worth, and so far they’ve priced the GT-R in the low six figure category.

The other factor at work in my fanciful comparison is the subtle, yet meaningful, sophistication of the Porsche. It’s a supercar that goes about its business with little fuss and lots of precision, with a enough growl when pushed to give its prosperous pilot some visceral satisfaction.

On the other hand, when you push the Nissan to Full Tilt Boogie, it doesn’t just growl, it howls. Screw the throttle with this machine, especially between 4,000 to 8,000-RPM, and you had best be hanging on. The response is a lot like turning the heat up on a superbike, except that you can amaze up to three other passengers.

When you’re not operating the GT-R on all burners, it’s a very pleasant grand touring car. The up-level version, which I suspect is the only type most buyers will find, has all the bells and whistles found in most luxury makes. And the sequential-manual gearbox (SMG) is the best of its type this reviewer has encountered. In ‘drive’ mode, the shifts are as smooth as most automatics, yet just a tug on a paddle and you’re off to the races.

Nissan’s drive system is pointed aft, so the all-wheel scheme adds just enough grip to the sticky front tires to enhance handling. I have no idea where the cornering limits of this car are, but I can share that they are somewhere in the plus-one-G category. At one point, I had turned the G-meters full red in one of the dynamic performance displays, and there was still more adhesion available.

The GT-R isn’t for everyone, and that’s a good thing since all seem to be spoken for. But this remarkable car should do its job to provide a halo for the entire Nissan line.

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