2009 Nissan GT-R Review

Specifications

Godzilla. This less than lovable fictional monster best known for terrorizing Tokyo and other areas of the Pacific coast was the perfect nickname for Nissan’s beast of an automobile, the Skyline GT-R. Here was a run of the mill family-sized coupe that in the hands of Nissan’s finest, became a true giant killer. For many years, particularly the years spanning R32 through R34 (late ’80s through early ’00s), the GT-R dominated Japan’s sports car market as the ultimate that the nation had to offer, using highly advanced technologies to stop all over lighter, more powerful, sleeker and often much more expensive rivals. Even when lined up against such exotics as the Acura NSX, Ferrari 348 and Porsche 911 Turbo, not only could the Skyline GT-R hold its own, it could put others in their place.

A lot has changed since Godzilla was last running amok. Many of its key rivals, the Supra, 3000 GT, RX-7 and others have vanished. In a way, this has allowed Nissan to specifically target some high-end, high-performance metal … namely the Porsche 911 Turbo. It’s no surprise such a car has been used as a GT-R benchmark, given that the legendary German is one of the world’s finest performance machines. Traditionalists might approve of the goals, but it’s come at a cost. You might have noticed that the new GT-R is just that, the new GT-R. Nissan has divorced this entity from Skyline entirely. In Japan, the Skyline is the equal to our Infiniti G-Series, of which the new GT-R is not directly based.

The new GT-R is derived from the same architecture as the G35, but it features its own platform that Nissan dubs, “PM”, short for Prime Midship. The key difference between PM and the current FM (Front Midship) architectural design found in various rear-wheel drive Nissans and Infinitis is the location of the engine and gearbox. Where FM cars feature their gearboxes directly aft the engine, PM cars have a different layout that features two-thirds of the engine behind the front axle, while the rest of the gearbox, clutch and other components are mounted at the back of the car like the Chevrolet Corvette, as well as some Maseratis and Ferraris.


In the past, GT-Rs were strictly manuals with a human-operated clutch pedal, which is not the case with the new car. As with Mitsubishi’s ultimate Lancer, the new GT-R now features one of the most advanced transmissions on the market, a dual-clutch sequential manual transmission. The six-speed unit is just like the unit found in many Volkswagens and Audis, and in fact is produced by the same manufacturer, Borg Warner. Nissan is only offering the GT-R with the dual-clutch transmission as of right now, a traditional manual gearbox isn’t in the cards yet.

There is no question that the GT-R is a complicated machine. Just look at what its active all wheel drive system does. From standstill to 25 mph power is divvied up between front and rear axles equally, but over that it shifts to a rear bias of 60-percent to improve high-speed cornering. However, that’s just under normal circumstances. If the road gets wet or snow-covered, the car adapts on the double putting power down where it’s needed the most. For ultimate efficiency it can even send up to 98-percent of its power to the rear wheels. But can things get too complicated? Making the front wheels driving wheels required the power to travel to the rear gearbox, then, via another shaft, back to the front. To save weight, Nissan did all of this with carbon-fiber propeller shafts, but isn’t the whole thing just too complicated, with more weight and potentially more things to go wrong?

Then again, the GT-R has always been about complexities, of models present and those in the past. Take for example the previous version, which featured Super-HICAS four wheel steering. Four wheel steering, an invention that was more or less kept alive by the Japanese through the ’80s and ’90s, is more or less dead these days. But it helped previous versions of the GT-R outperform rivals, and therefore excelled in its market. In place of the four wheel steering, the new GT-R features an adaptive suspension system that was developed in collaboration with Bilstein, offering three different levels, Comfort, Sport and Race.

There isn’t really a whole lot to say about the exterior of the new GT-R other than the fact that it’s a blend of old and new, not to mention the fact that nothing much seems to have changed from when we first saw it as a concept car. Whereas the new Skyline (G35/G37) doesn’t have the historical circular tail lamps, the GT-R does. In fact, the car is most recognizable from the rear as a successor to the R34 due to this detail. Moving forward from back to front, the new GT-R is sleeker than before, with a strong C-pillar, and front fenders that look like the forceps of a praying mantis. The new GT-R is as visually aggressive as the old car, with lots of scoops and crease lines, and there’s still quite a bit of black to draw attention to the grille area. In some ways, it looks as if the car is still wearing a bit of its camouflage mask. GT-Rs have never been particularly pretty cars, but rather they’ve been about sheer performance.

While certain brands take pride in making their interiors as elegant as possible, the GT-R is and has always been as straightforward as possible. The design of the dash and console is no-nonsense, and all the instruments make clarity their first mission. In terms of colors it’s a fairly sober interior, and on the plus side it’s a proper four-seat car, with a decently sized trunk no less. It’s when the finer details are scrutinized, one gets a sense of what the GT-R is all about. For instance, the TFT display shows you just about everything you’d ever want to know about the car’s vital stats, from turbo boost to oil temperature and G-forces. Likewise, the seats are seriously bolstered, hugging close and tight.

And what of its engine? One thing that’s remained practically constant over the years was the use of a straight six from the “RB” engine family. Not so anymore, with the brand new engine based off of the VQ-series of six-cylinder, V-configured engines made famous by the Infiniti G-Series and Nissan 350Z, among others. The VR38 is a 3.8-liter V6 that’s intercooled and boosted by a pair of IHI turbochargers. The end result is a power output of 473 horsepower and 433 lb-ft of torque that’s much higher than the previous generation, and which incidentally is very close to that of the 911 Turbo (480 horsepower and 453 lb-ft of torque). The Porsche does have the advantages of variable turbine geometry, which helps deliver its torque over a broader range, not to mention an overboost feature, but the fact that the GT-R is breathing right down the Turbo’s neck is very impressive.

Engine numbers on their own might not be enough to trump the Turbo, but hold on, it bests the German on the road. Nissan claims some truly impressive numbers from this engine. starting at 0-60 mph being dispatched in an unbelievable 3.5 seconds, and the car will top out at 193 mph thanks to its aerodynamic bodywork. Despite the rear spoiler and its somewhat boxy shape, the new GT-R has an aerodynamic coefficient rating of just 0.27, which is very efficient. These figures either beat or tie the 911 Turbo.

But perhaps the critical figure, the one that captures the essence of what the GT-R stands for, is its lap time for the Nurburgring. Nissan didn’t just hone the GT-R to perfection in Japan, it spent a lot of time lapping the famous German racing circuit where most of the spy photos of the vehicle were taken. Here, through the hundreds of twists, turns and elevation changes, the GT-R posted seven minutes, 38 seconds, which is two seconds faster than the Turbo. And that’s faster than the Ferrari F430 too, by the way. Mission accomplished.

The Skyline GT-R used to be an automotive delicacy for Japan, and a few other right hand drive markets such as Australia and the UK. And while certain areas of the world are legalizing the import of these cars, those who lust after the new GT-R won’t need to wait for extended periods of time, or for that matter jump through additional hoops to get theirs. While pricing is still on the way and numbers are limited, the new GT-R is an official Nissan North America product.

After what’s most likely more than a decade of research, development, design and construction, the new GT-R is complete. It may be much different than before, but this is a car that should be celebrated as nothing less than the king of Japan’s sports cars.