No Country for Porsches : 2009 Nissan GT-R Full Test

dlin submitted on 05/07/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 2:18 AM
from: www.edmunds.com

Tags: Porsche Nissan GT-R

Porsche Nissan GT-R

No Country for Porsches : 2009 Nissan GT-R Full Test

The Whole Point
Before you can answer, you're deep into throttle, looking at triple digits on the auxiliary digital speedo, and then hauling down for the stop sign 500 feet ahead. Your passenger breaks into a light sweat. Only a few seconds have gone by.

You never feel turbo lag or even a power peak. You never even hear an exhaust note, just a lot of intake whoosh instead. And though you take the trouble to work the shift paddles, it all happens so quickly that you struggle to remember it later.

On a warm, sunny day at our Southern California testing facility, our Super Silver Nissan GT-R finds a little more traction than the Solid Red JDM-spec car we tested on the bumpy airstrip in Japan. With launch control engaged, it hits 60 mph in 3.5 seconds (or 3.2 seconds with one foot of rollout like on an NHRA drag strip), while the Japanese GT-R needed 3.6 seconds (or 3.3 seconds with rollout).

Our U.S.-spec R35 loses its edge over the JDM GT-R by the quarter-mile mark, though. It runs an 11.7-second quarter-mile at 116.8 mph, while the Japanese car goes through in 11.6 seconds at 120.9 mph. Note that these latest numbers reflect our transition to reporting NHRA-style trap speed, which is the average of a car's speed over the last 66 feet of the quarter-mile. (The idea behind the switch in our testing protocol is that you can take your car to any drag strip and directly compare your time slip with our numbers; look for a feature story in the next couple of weeks on how we do our instrumented testing.)

Even if you look at the U.S.-spec GT-R's instantaneous quarter-mile speed of 117.7 mph, there's no denying it's slower than the JDM GT-R. The reason is, it's making fewer horsepower while running on our inferior 91-octane gasoline. The red GT-R benefited from the 94-to-95-octane fuel that's readily available in Japan.

So on this day, the 2009 Nissan GT-R does not beat the Porsche 911 Turbo, which recorded an 11.6-second quarter-mile at 118.5 mph during an '07 test. But it's still faster than every other production car on the planet.

Other Records Will Be Broken
The R35 GT-R stops shorter than any other car, too. Think about a 60-mph-to-0 braking distance in the double-digits.

Really. Ninety-eight feet. On the eighth run. That's a new Inside Line record, a title previously held by the 2008 BMW M3, which stops in 100 feet.

And yet the GT-R is not a lightweight car. Our Super Silver GT-R Premium weighs in at 3,900 pounds. Its 15-inch rotors are steel, not lightweight carbon ceramic. At the test track, everyone's asking, "What happened to the laws of physics?"

Even in normal traffic, you can tell these brakes are something special. The bite is immediate and powerful, yet response never feels too aggressive.

And Still Others Threatened
As you turn onto your favorite back road, the Nissan GT-R shrinks around you, leaving you just enough air to breathe. You're cornering faster than you usually do, even through the tight stuff that shouldn't be suitable for a car of such girth.

You feel the seriousness with which the R35 GT-R approaches the mission. It doesn't roll. It doesn't fumble over midcorner bumps. And its steering, which is quick and loaded with feel, is also quite heavy. Hope you like it heavy.

We also hope you like cars with four driven wheels, because the GT-R's ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system exerts huge authority over this car's cornering behavior.

Sometimes the 2009 Nissan GT-R acts like it's a rear-wheel-drive car, but more often, the AWD system is moving power between the wheels (up to an even split of 50 percent front/50 percent rear) to keep the R35 on the proper line. The system even determines a target yaw rate based on steering input and makes adjustments in the torque split using actual real-time data from the car's yaw and lateral-g sensors.

There's similar technology featured by the Mitsubishi Evo X, but the GT-R's execution feels very different, and not just because it's built from rear-drive platform architecture and aimed at a more elite crowd. It doesn't really give its driver a chance to make mistakes. It finds the fastest way through a corner no matter what.

Of course there's a flip side to this sophistication. The GT-R doesn't play. If you revel in the way a 911 can be tossed into a corner, or the way a Corvette Z06 loves a powerslide, or the way a CLK63 Black Series abuses corners of all persuasions, the R35 GT-R can seem cold, perhaps even too narrowly focused on the efficient physics of performance.

Then you watch the GT-R go through the slalom at 74 mph (1 mph faster than the JDM-spec car thanks to better surface conditions) and wonder how you could think such a thing. This is only 0.2 mph slower than the '08 Dodge Viper and that car wears ridiculously huge 345/30ZR19 rear meats.

Only on the skid pad do the 2009 Nissan GT-R's considerable mass and slight stubbornness become liabilities — and only if the goal is 1.0g. The GT-R pulls 0.96g, just the same as the 2,000-pound Lotus Exige S.

Best Car Ever?
Depending on your drive to work, you might have some words for Nissan about the GT-R's ride quality. There's a center-stack switch for adjusting the Bilstein adaptive dampers, and after bludgeoning our first expansion joint, we waste no time selecting "Comf." But comf never comes. We can't detect any change in the damping at all.

Maybe this means we're not hard-core enough to drive a 2009 Nissan GT-R. Or maybe it means a grand-touring suspension package will turn up in a few years. But there's an easier solution if you want in on the R35 Skyline GT-R experience. Don't take the freeway to work. Use the back roads instead.

You'll drive them faster than you ever have before. Maybe you'll never know exactly what the GT-R is up to behind the scenes, but when you can out-accelerate, out-handle and out-brake anything short of a Formula 1 car, do you really care? Read Article

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dlin - 5/7/2008 2:20:53 AM

+5 Boost

0-60 : 3.2 sec
60-0 : 98 feet
slalom: 74 mph
skidpad: 0.96g

How much did you say this car weigh?

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abcd - 5/7/2008 12:58:30 PM

-4 Boost

"skidpad: 0.96g"
not the best number e.g. lancer evo X about 0.99 - 1.01 in tests . maybe tires aren`t as good ? or worser AWD than evo X ?

qweasdzxc - 5/7/2008 3:57:18 PM

+1 Boost

"The GT-R pulls 0.96g, just the same as the 2,000-pound Lotus Exige S."

hao420 - 5/7/2008 9:35:51 PM

+1 Boost

Consider the GTR weight,>>lost laws of physics<<

TheBoss - 5/7/2008 11:25:57 AM

-3 Boost

"when you can out-accelerate, out-handle and out-brake anything short of a Formula 1 car"

Wait til the revised Sonata comes out.

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EL34 - 5/7/2008 12:38:13 PM

-4 Boost

"No Country for Porsches : 2009 Nissan GT-R Full Test"

Yeah but, the GT-R is not a good looking car like the 911.

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TheBoss - 5/7/2008 1:51:54 PM

-2 Boost

GODzilla looks better than a squashed turtle.

Agent63 - 5/7/2008 4:48:13 PM

+2 Boost

The squashed turtle is a timeless design. The GT-R will likely change every 5-6 years.

hao420 - 5/7/2008 9:37:23 PM

0 Boost

EL34
It looks better than you Oldsmobile

EL44 - 5/9/2008 7:40:08 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

EL34 why you hate so much Japanese cars?? Realy tell us why?

PerformanceGuy - 5/7/2008 1:09:42 PM

+3 Boost

The GT-R continues to reign over its competition!

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USCCayman - 5/7/2008 1:22:32 PM

+1 Boost

Oh yeah, the GT-R is sure puttin' a hurtin' on the Porsche GT3, Viper, vettes, and modded Cayman in One Lap of America. A few BMW's and even a lowly SRT-4 are nicely duking it out the GT-R. I have news for you: no one has been dethroned yet.

Need4Speed - 5/7/2008 1:28:12 PM

+3 Boost

Then it must have taken a day off that day...

"So on this day, the 2009 Nissan GT-R does not beat the Porsche 911 Turbo..."

TheBoss - 5/7/2008 1:54:32 PM

-1 Boost

One Lap of America is a lame ghetto annual event. GT-R just came out, most people haven't even receive their cars yet. GT-R can't kickass if it ain't at the event.

mercuryguy - 5/7/2008 1:11:33 PM

-4 Boost

I like the Gauges and dash on the Audi S5, much better.

The S5 is much more car for the money.

reply to this comment

mercuryguy - 5/7/2008 1:12:56 PM

-4 Boost

the reasale on the S5 would be a lot better too.

What will the GT-R be worth when you trade it in a few years from now?

reply to this comment

macker83 - 5/7/2008 1:21:20 PM

+7 Boost

there is going to be a limited production of GTrs so they should hold their value allot better than the s5.

montyz81 - 5/7/2008 2:15:54 PM

+3 Boost

Remember the commercial that Porsche did a few years back about 0-60 and back to 0 in less then 8 seconds. I bet the GT-R could do it in less then 6

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Auto_expert - 5/7/2008 2:18:45 PM

0 Boost

Amazing numbers...

HOWEVER, if given a choice between a 911 Turbo, 911 GT2/GT3, M3, C63, S5, Cayman S, and the GT-R, the GT-R would get picked last every time. Why? I would miss the fun, quality, and style the other possess gobs of. I really hate heavy cars too.

If you want to modify a old Supra to produce a crazy amount of power, you can do that. If you want to take an old muscle car and get your 1/4-mile times in the 10s you can do that too. But, it's not just about the raw speed.

SORRY NISSAN!

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M35MT - 5/7/2008 4:33:15 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

Have read a single review on this car? The actual driving experience is what's winning them over.

Go buy an Audi S5 and dont forget your mascara and lip stick before you hit the road.

Need4Speed - 5/7/2008 4:40:25 PM

+1 Boost

"Of course there's a flip side to this sophistication. The GT-R doesn't play. If you revel in the way a 911 can be tossed into a corner, or the way a Corvette Z06 loves a powerslide, or the way a CLK63 Black Series abuses corners of all persuasions, the R35 GT-R can seem cold, perhaps even too narrowly focused on the efficient physics of performance."

hmmm... "..Cold and narrowly focused..." ...can't wait!

EL34 - 5/7/2008 3:19:26 PM

+1 Boost

I read the review on his car in the June '08 Motor Trend and they had this car at the former El Toro Marine Air Station and since I live just 4 miles from this old base and future Great Park, I want that car off of that base ASAP!!!

:-|

reply to this comment

M35MT - 5/7/2008 4:35:26 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

Before it eats your imaginary Ferrari and craps on your lawn?

:-|

mercuryguy - 5/8/2008 1:55:28 AM

+1 Boost

I still like the Ford GT500. The documentary on them was cool and spotlighted their enduring quality.

The Audi R8 Diesel Supercar is the ultmate car.

or The Viper or Aston Martins with there V10s.

reply to this comment

mercuryguy - 5/8/2008 2:03:42 AM

+1 Boost

Motor Trend. the same guys that gave rave reviews the VW Tiguan Diesel. I love VW, but when I sat inside the Tiguan, it was just too small, and too cheaply made. And the Germans rarely make anything cheap, but I was surprisingly, very disappointed.

I don't think Motor Trend uses real world benchmarks for reviews. I think they get excited like kids in a candy shop, and discuss demographics on what they believe consumers might want. This works for selling laundry detergent, but certainly not cars.

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mercuryguy - 5/8/2008 5:59:56 PM

+1 Boost

All right. I was impressed with the video, but at that price I could buy an Audi A8L, have great performance, and have room for 4 business executives and their luggage.

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