| Test drive | Nissan GT-R |
Key Facts
Model tested: Nissan GT-R 2014MY
Pricing: £77,995
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol
Transmission: six-speed dual-clutch auto, all-wheel drive
Body style: two-door coupé
Rivals: Aston Martin V12 Vantage S, Audi R8 V10 plus, Porsche 911 Turbo S
CO2 emissions: 275g/km
Combined economy: 23.9mpg
Top speed: 196mph
0-62mph: c.2.7 seconds
Power: 550hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 632Nm at 3,200- to 5,800rpm
Our view:
Poor old Nissan. This really is a case of the manufacturer who cried wolf. The revisions for the 2014MY car have been largely ignored, lost in a sea of disinterested shrugs from motoring enthusiasts. 'Huh', they snort. 'It's only another round of minor tweaks to a car they change every year, anyway.'
Now normally, we'd agree with the cynics. Asymmetrical suspension and changes to the lights are all well and good, but essentially, until this year, the basic GT-R package remained the same as it was when it appeared in 2008, when the R35 was a real sea-change - killing off the 'Skyline' badge and clearly targeting the Porsche 911, instead of lurid versions of the Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.
However, we'd argue this 2014MY car is the most significant development in the GT-R legend since the RB-engines went to the great casting hall in the sky. And there's another trifling distraction preventing this 550hp all-wheel drive machine from taking up precious column space in motoring magazines and on automotive websites, which is the impending Nismo model - a stupidly expensive track toy that will be as hard as several tonnes of nails and really, really quick around Tsukuba. We're sure it will be great, but it's relevant only to a tiny, tiny minority of people who can afford such showy luxuries.
The 'road-going' version is more pertinent, although we're not for a minute suggesting an eighty grand Nissan that chews through Super Unleaded at an alarming rate of knots is somehow an everyday motor for the masses. But if you want just one car to do everything - and everything includes the parameter 'must go bloody stupidly fast' - then this is it. Having driven it in France earlier in the year, another 300 or so miles here in the UK has only confirmed our suspicions: this is the best road-going GT-R, and indeed Nissan, yet built.
Let's quickly gloss over the looks inside and out, because you're familiar enough with them. This sensational colour, Vermilion Red, suits the angular muscularity of the R35 to a tee and is new, as are the comfy big chairs inside, which you can also have in different hues. Go for black. It still has the excellent display in the centre console that shows all manner of techy things, like the oil temperature in the gearbox, g-forces, lap times and so on, although the Tron-like grid of the satnav is archaic by today's standards. As is some of the switchgear and finishing, yet it remains, overall, a decent cabin.
And pace-wise, it's the same as it ever was. If we were being facetious, we could say that the only alternatives to getting from point A to point B as quickly as the GT-R would be a surface-to-surface missile or personal teleportation. Hyperbole, perhaps, but when you delve into the Nissan's war chest and deploy the VR38DETT's full firepower, it retains the haymaker punch to totally shock you. Maybe it's because you're always aware of the R35's weight, but you'll have a hard time convincing yourself that something 1,740kg is able to move with such startling alacrity. The noise is also suitably mechanical and menacing, more multi-layered and interesting than the 911 Turbo's muted warble. Also, the Nissan makes all sorts of low-speed chunters and grumbles, from various diffs and bits of machinery, to make it sound all motorsport even when you're bumbling about town. The Wife at one point asked if the car was OK, such was the GT-R's general hubbub.
No, it's the improved ride that stuns. Have the adjustable dampers in either 'R' or 'Normal' modes and the Nissan displays an edgy, angry nature when trying to deal with lumps and bumps, although its grip on the road is beyond tenacious. But knock it down to 'Comfort' and it's like the R35 transforms into a different car. OK, it's not quite at Bentley levels of suppleness, but it's near unrecognisable from any GT-R that has preceded it. And it remains thoroughly capable in this setting, even if you decide to once again unleash hell with your right boot. There's no doubt you could live with one day to day. Yes, I'm conveniently forgetting its mid-teens fuel economy, upkeep and insurance costs, but work with me here...
The 2014MY GT-R is completely magnificent. It's the best R35 yet for those of us who daydream wildly about running something so overtly performance orientated. The fact it can now drive in a civil manner at legal speeds reverts its £77,995 asking price to the status of 'bargain'; equivalent cars from Porsche, Aston or Bentley will cost tens of thousands of pounds more than the Nissan, yet will not be able to scale the absolute heights of its dynamic prowess. Forget the Nismo model, forget 1,200hp aftermarket tuned versions - the most rounded and majestic Nissan GT-R of all is the basic one. And everyone's ignoring it.
Alternatives:
Porsche 911 Turbo S: another phenomenally ballistic machine, which is still more civilised than the GT-R, but perhaps not as involving when driven fast. Also £60,000 more expensive. And statistically slower.
Audi R8 V10 plus: wonderful noise and Audi showing that it knows how to make a proper driver's car. Won't match the Nissan's blistering pace but it does have an interior that is light years ahead of the Japanese machine.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S: exudes a sense of style and badge cred the Nissan can only dream of, but nothing like as bombastic and hampered by a strange single-clutch semi-auto gearbox.
