Nissan has done it again. The new model GT-R is even more powerful than the previous one. Zero to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds is neck snapping and quicker than the current (about to be phased out) GT-R which takes 2.8 seconds for the same trip!
Nissan claim the outputs for the 3.8 liter twin-turbo six cylinder are unchanged at 404 kW and 628 Nm, but they have added new high-output injectors to improve response across the rev band, a new turbo relief valve and a new oil pan.
Further improvements for the new model include increased body rigidity via reinforcements to the dash panel bar and instrument panel member and new cam bolts to the front suspension to improve camber accuracy and cornering stability.
Nissan GT-R.
Nissan also made adjustments to the dampers, springs and front anti-roll bar to lower the center of gravity, while the torque-carrying capacity of the driveshafts to the hub bearings has been increased to improve reliability in high-stress situations such as track driving. With 628 Nm on tap, it would not be too difficult to screw the ends off the axles!
GT-R creator Kazutoshi Mizuno said in an official launch video that Nissan aimed not just to make the GT-R faster, but also safer and more refined. “What is important for Nissan as an auto-maker is our commitment to areas such as safety,” he said.
“We not only contend that in a GT-R a normal car conversation is possible at 300 km/h on the German autobahn, or that the car can do a lap at Nurburgring in seven minutes 18 seconds, but we consider areas that other competitors don’t.”
“How do we design a car to endure a flat tyre at 300 km/h that can make it to the repair shop?’ or ‘How do we protect the passenger in case of an accident at 200 km/h?’ or ‘How do we activate the VDC (vehicle dynamics control) system at over 250km/h’?”
“Overall, besides just marketing tag lines, we need to develop technologies of trust that other manufacturers don’t. That contributes to the Nissan brand and what I want to push.”
Forget the price in Thailand, but elsewhere, the GT-R is still the performance bargain of all time.
