Nissan GT-R 2016 Review

Nissan GT-R
Australian Launch

The Nissan GT-R has received a well-deserved overhaul including body reinforcements, re-tuned suspension, upgraded engine outputs and improved cosmetic and aero credentials. But more than that, Nissan has also tackled a discerning topic with its latest update: making the mighty GT-R easier to live with.

You would be well within your rights to approach Nissan’s latest GT-R update with a healthy degree of scepticism. The long-running coupe deserves its place among the supercar elite, but a lack of wholesale change for the better part of 10 years has the outgoing model feeling a little tired – despite constant albeit minor annual updates.

This time round, though, things are different. Bearing the biggest set of updates since the R35 was unveiled in 2007 and brought to Australia in 2009, the GT-R is now purportedly faster, dynamically superior and better-rounded, with a modern cabin finish and better on-road comfort to boot.

The changes have coincided with price hikes in Nissan’s now three-tier GT-R range. The base Premium model price has climbed $17,000 to $189,000 (plus on-road costs), while the leather-furnished Premium Edition with Luxury Trim will set buyers back $195,000 -- an $18,000 hike.

For the first time there’s also a track-focussed and NISMO-engineered Track Edition that tops the line-up at a cool $227,000, featuring the same front and rear suspension, forged wheels and front guards as the upcoming GT-R NISMO.

Unlike previous updates it won’t take a trainspotter to recognise some of the visual elements distinguishing the new model. A redesigned bonnet, front bumpers, under-spoiler, daytime running lights and an enlarged front grille have been added with the intent of improving drag co-efficient, aiding engine cooling and generating more downforce at speed.

At the rear resides a new silver-finish diffuser and side air-vents which are worked into the car’s quad titanium exhaust outlets and are punctuated by iconic round tail-lights.

The same hand-built 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 resides under the bonnet across all three regular GT-R models, teaming with the same six-speed dual-clutch transaxle. A new cylinder ignition timing system and plasma-sprayed bores have been applied to the engine, delivering a 15kW advantage which ratchets the GT-R’s total surfeit of riches to 419kW and 632Nm. The latter figure now peaks across 60 per cent of the torque curve, making the engine more tractable.

The engine and cosmetic updates combine with a more rigid body structure, including increased structural rigidity of the windscreen frame and reinforcements around the boot. In addition, the car’s Bilstein adjustable shock-absorber system has been enhanced by a new valve housing and rigid attachment points – changes which culminate in either better cornering response or on-road comfort  depending on which of the three Normal, Comfort or R settings you’ve selected.

What was evident from the outset of this week’s GT-R launch at Phillip Island is that the car retains a clear mechanical connection, courtesy mostly of that rugged transaxle. Push the red starter button, set the shifter to D and allow the dual-clutch transmission to engage and the tell-tale whirring and banging is still audible from the driver’s seat during a short road component.

However the gearchanges are much softer than before, combining with improved noise and vibration levels and a sure-to-polarise artificially-induced engine noise piped inside the cabin.

The GT-R’s engine and DCT form a surprisingly docile alliance with the car’s electronic parameters set to their most conservative modes, the gearbox finding top ratio from as little as 60km/h and culminating in a combined fuel reading of 13.5L/100km.

Riding aboard the regular Premium Edition, the car’s suspension offers sporty yet smooth passage over ordinary road surfaces. It resists the temptation to crash or jar occupants over all but the sharpest of hits, the drawback being a slight disconnect between car and road over extended sections of rough surface. The steering is also well-sorted, communicative and nicely weighted – even if it is a little lighter than in some rivals.

The GT-R’s twin-turbo engine has long been the star of the show, and it remains the defining feature in 2017 guise. Pick-up is simply effortless from the low end of the dial, the car surging with ease to its 7100rpm rev ceiling. The additional 15kW may not sound like much, but it helps endow the updated model with a more flexible rev curve which enables fiendishly quick transitions between middling and upper revs.

Through a twisty section of road, for example, you need only breathe on the accelerator and you’ve arrived maniacally at the next corner, especially once peak torque materialises at about 3000rpm.

Conversely, Nissan’s carry-over automated manual can at times struggle to keep up with the pace. It will do the upshifting adeptly – particularly in unison with new steering-wheel mounted paddles which move with the wheel unlike the earlier fixed, Ferrari-like configuration – but downshifting is slow and at times painful.

In a 80km/h overtaking manoeuvre, for example, I mashed the accelerator while in top gear and watched the gear selector rewind back: 6, 5, 4, 3 and, in the case of ‘R’ mode, 2 then…. BANG! You’re finally away.

As for a zero to 100km/h time, Nissan isn’t providing one. Its predecessor came armed with a stifling -- though largely environment-dependent -- 2.8-second launch and we’d back this one to be quicker. The car’s chief specialist Hiroshi Tamura also points out that it will achieve 70-200km/h 0.2 seconds faster than the model it replaces, which is perhaps the best gauge of where you will feel the changes on the road.

The more telling part of our half-day GT-R experience came on the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. The weather strikes right on cue as the first group ventures out on track, however, the wet surface only reinforces the efficacy of the Nissan’s clever all-wheel drive system and its easily readable front/rear communication.

Using speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle, tyre slip and road surface as gauges, the system apportions up to a 50:50 torque split between the front and rear axle, but can also enable rear-drive dynamics by sending up to 100 per cent of torque to the wider Dunlop SP Sport hoops at the back.

Later, with the Track Edition model and a dry surface at play, the GT-R’s levels of lateral grip are never headed; even through fast daunting corners like the Southern Loop and Lukey Heights, where measured throttle input and steering angle are crucial. The occasional bout of understeer and oversteer are both prevalent reminders that the GT-R needs to be driven judiciously to be fast.

Nonetheless, the GT-R is a superb track weapon, with immense levels of grip and an inherent connection between car and driver – both considerable factors given its 1752kg kerb weight. The car felt composed and controlled throughout the circuit’s 4.45km stretch; in corners rolling slightly to a point, gripping and then maintaining its balance upon exit.

High-speed stability also impressed as we passed over the crest of the main straight at speeds of over 250km/h. By the same token, Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes washed off speed superbly, resisting the temptation to fade despite repeated laps.

So does the GT-R disarm a track as clinically as a 911 Turbo? Not nearly, but for a vehicle of this size and price, it does a pretty good take on one.

In pure ownership terms, the GT-R is also favourable against the European set – but it still has its foibles. Transmission oil needs to be replaced every 5000km if you are reaching critical temperature levels (we didn’t at the Island), with fluid which still costs about $100 per litre and requires eight or nine litres to fill.

Service intervals are set at every six months or 10,000km, too, meaning you’ll be on a first-name basis with the local Nissan mechanic.

Another feature distinguishing this car and vehicles like the 911 Turbo and Mercedes-AMG GT is its interior finish. Nissan’s senior boffins point out the tactility of the car’s revised air-conditioning controls and the fact there are 16 fewer switches and dials helped by a larger, 8.0-inch touch-screen.

But for $200K, the GT-R’s four-seat cabin leaves a little to be desired. While the rear seats are basically non-functional, you do get a large boot and excellent ingress and egress, the drawback being a higher-than-normal set seat position.

Ultimately, though, the GT-R has always been about the engine, and that's still largely the case for 2017. For the first time ‘Godzilla’ offers a notable performance/comfort balance. Keeping in mind that it retains all the regular GT-R hallmarks while doing so, you come away with the impression that this may just be Nissan’s finest engineering effort yet.