Tearlessj

Auto weeks first drive:

http://2009gtr.blogspot.com/2007/10/...2009-gt-r.html

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exitspeed

That is a shinning review:

Yes, it lives up to all the hype!

The coming Nissan GT-R is a world-class supercar: Top speed of 193 mph, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, a 473 hp, 433 lb ft twin-turbo V6 mounted in the front and driving all four wheels through a rear-mounted transaxle. Take a breath. Okay, continue. And a dual-clutch six-speed automatic you can operate via paddles on the steering wheel.

After a full day driving it on the Nurburgring, the Autobahn and up and over numerous little German country roads we can easily say this is one car that was not over hyped. It is truly a world-class supercar on par with, if not just ahead of, the iconic Porsche Turbo. (They had a Porsche Turbo on hand, too, and we thought the GT-R felt better tied down.)

But it's one thing to put a license plate on a race car and call it streetable. Chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno said the new GT-R was designed and engineered as an all-around, all-season, all-weather car that is comfortable to drive every day, even at normal speeds on a normal day.

During the few minutes we drove at what could be called a "normal pace" that day we'd have to say we agree with him. But given only a few hours at the wheel of this, the most highly anticipated supercar in years, we were only in "normal" mode for very brief spurts. The rest of the time we were at some level between "pushing it" and "hammering on the mutha'."

Our first time behind the wheel was on the A48 autobahn in Germany somewhere out around Koblenz or Koln or some other K-town where the German socialist government had not yet succeeded in adding those awful 120-km-hr speed limits. It was like Bonneville with elevation changes and guardrails. The only limitation out here was aerodynamic. Hence, we were obliged to go all-out whompin' fast the whole time.

Rolling right out of the autobahn rest stop where we rendezvoused with the Japanese engineering support crew, we nailed the throttle to the floor and man did the throttle respond. The 3.8-liter VR38 V6 is "an evolution" of the award-winning VQ engine family. It sits up front, with two of its six cylinders forward of the front axle and four aft. Two bagel-sized IHI turbos sit right at the exhaust manifold for quick response. The 433 lb ft of torque rails across the tach from 3200 to 5200 rpm. Peak 473 hp comes at 6400 revs.

A carbon fiber prop shaft ("Good damping and stiffness") runs back to the transaxle, incorporating the clutch, transmission and transaxle altogether. The shifting is done via a direct, twin-clutch system. One clutch handles the odd gears and another clutch handles the even ones. Shifts take 0.2 seconds. There are BorgWarner triple-cone synchronizers for all gears. Another shaft runs forward from that transaxle to send power to the front wheels. Below 25 mph the torque split is 50/50, above that, under normal driving, the split is 40/60. But it can split up to 2/98 under hard acceleration, which was what we were giving it.

Our car rode on 20-inch wheels wrapped by Bridgestone Potenza RE070s, 255/40 in front and 285/35 rears. Front suspension was upper and lower A-arms and the rear was a five-link.

It's always fun to go from zero to warp factor in a right hand-drive car using a jet-lagged left hand-drive brain, trying not to turn on the windshield wipers when you think you're hitting the turn signal.

The GT-R lists quarter-mile time at 11.7 seconds and entering the Autobahn we had no reason to doubt that. The turbo boost was, as promised, very progressive, with little or no discernable lag, just smooth, even power delivery.

Despite the late-morning hour and the mid-week day, there were still a few cars in the way. When we eased onto the 15.2-inch ventilated cross-drilled Brembo brakes from well into triple-digit speeds the car slowed without drama. But then traffic would clear out and the GT-R resumed its high velocity chase with ease.

There are three settings for the Bilstein Damptronic shocks: R, Sports and Comfort. We went out in Sports.

Top speed is listed at 193 mph but with traffic the best we could do was 176. You wouldn't try that in any country but Germany, where you can usually assume everyone else is paying attention. There was a Japanese engineer riding shotgun over on the left whom we dubbed "Bushido engineer-o" or brave engineer. He thought that was pretty funny.

While the coefficient of drag is an impressive 0.27, more than almost any production car, the GT-R also produces downforce at each axle, something very few production cars can claim.

"Cd is more important than downforce on a G35," said chief designer Hiroshi Hasegawa. "But in the case of the GT-R we have to make downforce."

At 193 mph you might appreciate that philosophy.

The first time we went out, the right front wheel felt just a little out of balance, so we came back in and they changed all four wheels. They're efficient, these guys. After that the car was smooth as well as stable and safe, due in equal parts to the German roadway and the Japanese engineering.

The whole car sits on the new PM platform, PM meaning Prime Midship. It's an evolution of the ubiquitous FM platform that sits underneath everything from 350Zs to crossover SUVs. The PM incorporates what Mizuno-san called a "hybrid superstructure body." There is carbon-injected material in the front end and carbon composite material underneath for aerodynamic downforce. There's even some polypropylene in the body, too. In any case, it's not just another FM variant.

We truly enjoyed the Autobahn experience. This is the perfect car for such a top-speed run-it gives such a sense of control at those speeds that you feel like you could do anything.

Next on our agenda of "anything" were some miles of country road. We were able to drive the GT-R back-to-back with a Porsche Turbo.

"Okay now, please enjoy," said the Nissan technician as we exited the company compound down the street from the Nurburgring.

After "much spirited driving," we can say the Turbo had a good deal more lag and more dive and squat than the GT-R. But once the Porsche got spooled up, achtung, baby. It felt lighter and the steering felt quicker, too. The biggest difference between the two was that the Turbo demanded more of its driver while the GT-R was easier to handle, flatter and more stable. We'd be happy with either one, if you're considering a birthday present or anything.

Next up on this Disneyland of a day was Der Nurburgring. This is what all those teenagers whose parents have not taken away their Playstation access really want to do: drive an actual GT-R around the actual Nurburgring as fast as grip, guts and gasoline allow.

Man-oh-flippin'-man. The real deal is about 100 times more thrilling than any computer simulation, even those with the little plastic steering wheel and feet pedals attached.

This was the new Nurburgring, too. Nissan wasn't foolish enough to turn this small squadron of car writer hacks loose on the narrow, blind, crazy-dangerous Nordschliefe. At the time of our drive there were only three prototype GT-Rs extant in the world, and all the apologizing on Earth wouldn't bring one back if you crunched it.

The new Nurburgring is faster, with wide, sweeping turns bordered by runoff areas so huge that even the most no-talent buffoon could likely stay on the pavement. So we did.

All the Japanese engineers and executives had been telling everyone that there was a 35-mph speed limit in the pits, but in all the excitement we kind of forgot about it and nailed the throttle right out of the parking spot right there in pit lane. The wide, low, squealing run-flat tires laid down long patches of black rubber as we launched past the closed garages, pulling back on the right paddle to shift the rear-mounted dual-clutch six-speed transaxle every time the engine got close to its 7000-rpm redline.

In no time at all we were roaring onto pit-out near the end of the straight and directly into the low, evening sun. By the time we got fully out on the front straight and were shifting up from four to five or so, the sun was directly in front of the GT-R and streaming into the windshield; we were trying to remember if that first right-hander came at this rise or just past it. It was just past it, but we'd already started braking and downshifting, the GR6's "synchro-rev control," which perfectly matched each downshift with a throttle blip much better than we'd ever have been able to match it.

Tiptoeing through the first couple turns to avoid the infamy of the run-off gravel, the car felt perfectly safe and willing. So we hammered it up through the gears down the hill and to the far 180-degree turn and started to feel more confident. By the end of the first lap we were flat out on the front straight, roaring up through all six gears for all it was worth.

Nissan lists lateral g's at 0.99, and we certainly bumped up against that in many a Nurburgring corner.

We only got three full laps and no one was timing us, so you'll just have to assume we set the lap record. Earlier, Mizuno-san had offered some lap times from the Nordschliefe for various cars driven by the German magazine SportAuto. Those times are driver-dependent, track-knowledge-dependent, weather-, traffic- and bunny-crossing-the-track dependent. But Mizuno suggested the GT-R could get anywhere from 7:44 on up, with most laps coming in between 7:55 and 7:58. So he suggested the GT-R's strong suit was that it offered "the best cost per lap time." For whatever that's worth.

The GT-R will be worth somewhere in the low-$70,000 range, which does make it perhaps the best cost per lap. We'll know for sure when it enters U.S. showrooms in May or June. Japan will get first crack at it, we get second and the Europeans, who did such a great job of getting out of our way during our Autobahn drive, will have to get it third.


SPECS: 2009 Nissan GT-R
On Sale: May/June

Base Price: Low 70s

Drivetrain: 3.8-liter, 473-hp, 433-lb-ft twin turbocharged V6; awd, six-speed automatic

Curb Weight: 3792 pounds

0-60: 3.5 seconds

Fuel Economy (EPA Combined): 21 mpg (mfg. target)

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soon2bs13

wow. i am very impressed!!

jackjack

time to rob a bank

20 til 3

we could just rile up 3 240's , all black with green neons and jack the trucks they come in... noone will ever know

0100

Haha I hate the looks of the evo. I also said I agree with a lot of what wolf wrote, not everything.

I will say I love the rear, I think they nailed it. Just not feeling the front and profile photos, but like I said before I don't care what performance cars look like it's all about performance. You can't see if it's ugly or nice looking when you are behind the wheel.

Can't wait for official ring times.

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exitspeed

Last I heard it was running times quite a bit faster then the 911 turbo. But they were "unofficial" times even though numerous people clocked it in faster.

WOW:

"While the coefficient of drag is an impressive 0.27, more than almost any production car, the GT-R also produces downforce at each axle, something very few production cars can claim."

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0100

^yeah that is very cool!


I know but the question is what version that was.

exitspeed

I'd assume they are talking about the top model. They wouldn't use the lower models at this point. They want to display THE best numbers they can right now.

The review also said the car pulls .99 g's.

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0100

# 7.32 - Porsche 997 GT2 2008 (Motor Authority, Autobild, driven by Walter Röhrl, complaining after the lap that he had to pass eleven other cars "Ich musste elf Autos ueberholen")
# 7.32 - Gemballa Porsche GTR 600 PS/1380 kg (Gemballa)
# 7:33 - Pagani Zonda F, 602 PS/1230 kg (sport auto 05/06)
# 7:34 - Koenigsegg CCR, 806 PS/1140 kg, Horst von Saurma (sport auto), Oct 17-18 2005
# 7:40 - Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, 626PS/1768 kg Klaus Ludwig (AutoBild 07/04)
# 7:40 - Porsche 997 Turbo 480PS/1565 kg Walter Röhrl
# 7:40 - Bugatti Veyron 16/4, 1001PS/1888 kg (Wheels magazine Australia, 12/05)
# 7:41 - Manthey Porsche GT3 M410, 413 PS/1320 kg (160.868 km/h), Lucas Luhr (Autobild 07/04)
# 7.42 - Corvette Z06 (Jan Magnussen)[2]

Some lap times from the ring website.

So it looks like(from article) the GTR base will be the same or slightly slower(around the ring) than a Z06 and around the same price.

The evo version will be faster(around the ring) than a 997tt and big money but still much cheaper than a 997tt.

hmm...

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Gnnr

Actually, don't be so sure. Pic from autoblog article.

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s13poop

^ finally a place to put my man purse

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exitspeed

Fuck that. I refuse to think they are making matching luggage. That's just so they can give you an idea of size.

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Matej

The GT-R lapped Nurburgring at 7:35 and they're still there attempting to get a better time.

exitspeed

^
Proof, article? More info please.

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Matej

-edit-
Sorry, wrong link, I'm trying to find it, I believe it was reported by Motor Trend. I hope it's real, because if it can do that stock, imagine what it could do tuned.

steve shadows

so only slightly lighter than a chevy tahoe, nice

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exitspeed

The GT-R lapped Nurburgring at 7:35 and they're still there attempting to get a better time.


Wow, that is amazing! This just keeps getting better and better. What this also means is that "car is too heavy" nay-sayers will be silenced because OBVIOUSLY it's not effecting the performance.

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steve shadows

or it would just bend time and space if it were 600 lbs lighter...

and do the ring in like 10 seconds faster

but thats gay

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Matej

Here's the Motor Trend link.
http://www.motortrend.com/future/spi...08_nissan_gt_r

exitspeed

Could you imagine? Nissan making a GTR that fast. That would make it like the best bang for your buck in the entire automotive world, period.

It couldn't be done. Your right, the world would be coming to an end shortly after. Like the DAY the GTR's are shipped.

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markyboi

so motor trend states that the base model does 7:35 at the ring..

wonder how the higher models would do.

SimpleS14

Even more pics...

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ixfxi

Out of all the posts I've read tonight, the one above seems to hit the nail on the head.

I spent a lot of time looking through the pictures and reading what people/articles said about the car, but I have to agree with Wolf - I cant say I like what I see at the moment.

I liked the GTR Proto which was unveiled in Tokyo, with the carbon airducts beneath the headlamps. The new design however, is indeed very celica/350z-ish and to me, looks cheap. The headlamps... look... CHEAP. I thought there would be more magic in the taillamps, but from what I can say - they made them more generic, again with the spaced apart LED treatment.

The motor has to be one of the few things I can say I like about the car, mostly because I think the engine bay looks pretty - like how a modern car SHOULD look. I hate how engine bays are covered nowadays. However, I am sure the car is drive by wire and very complicated with lots of computer technology - all of which I have no interest in. I like grass-roots cars, cars that have distinct characters. I've given up on today's cars because they are all standardized to have a generic feel.

The interior also looks very disappointing because it looks like it has been designed for fat americans.

I am sure the car will sell, NISSAN has practically branded the name "Skyline" into making it sound like an enigma, so I am sure a lot of younger cats will go into debt buying a car like this.

Well, on the brighter side.. I am sure a lot of new R35 owners will need better headlamps and taillamps. The ones on the car just look too damn plain.

SimpleS14

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SimpleS14

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SimpleS14

MORE haha...

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TurDz

haha..nice.


Yeah, I don't really like the headlights looking at them alone. I wish they would have kept the size of the headlights the way it looked when it had its black mask on.

I do like what they've done to the front end. They modified it the way I had hoped. They removed the black from underneath the headlights, and made a bit more mainstream. At the same time, the design is sooo fresh and modern it definately will not get old any time soon. Lots of sharp lines (except the vents on the hood) and looks super aggressive.


Nissan/Infiniti as a brand is pretty shitty in terms of interior build quality and materials. So I'm not surprised by the bland/boring and cheap looking center controls.

The car is super functional though and I can't believe they achieved a 0.27 Cd, but had downforce-producing axles. Just awesome. Those vents in the lower front mask are probably brake cooling ducts. And my favorite part of the car is the design of the front fender vents. I'll probably scream like a school girl when I see this thing in person.

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jskateborders

473 hp....sweet... automatic. WTF. like people are getting to lazy to drive stick? Most of the fun of having a fast car is pushing in the clutch and down shifting in my opinion. Sure handling and acceleration are cool, but I like to be able to feel my driving, and control every aspect.
I mean they could at least take the dsg out of the newer gti's. If youve ever driven one of those its decent. I doubt that using triptronic or whatever its called will yeild an 11.7. talk about shift lag. I still want a clutch though.

SimpleS14

Yet again....more pics










Are you serious?

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