Regarded as the God of supercars, the R35 GT-R is easily among the most revered, even the most feared, car models available today. The GT-R, in its latest generation, has almost revolutionized the world of supercars. It uses a combination of precision engineering, some cutting edge technologies and a handcrafted Twin Turbo’d V6 to give most big boys from the supercar world many sleepless nights. Yet, it costs several times lesser and is among the most affordable supercars on sale today. No, this is not a budget supercar; it’s a true supercar in every sense of word, but what it misses out on, for example, is the supremely high level of refinement of a Ferrari, and the sense of occasion that comes associated with driving a Lamborghini. Yet, the R35 GT-R has been acknowledged as a performance benchmark since its global launch back in October 2007. And with the MY 2015, the GT-R has got more power, higher grip levels, and is even more aerodynamic than all its predecessors. The 2015 Nissan GT-R goes on to build on Nissan’s promise of making high performance levels accessible to ‘anyone, any time, anywhere’. Thanks to all the fine tuning since the R35 GT-R first saw the light of the day, Nissan has once again outdone itself by further sharpening the most lethal sword in its arsenal. So, does it mean that the monster that Nissan has created is at its ultimate limits? Also, in spite of head-spinning performance numbers, is the GT-R as exciting as the aforementioned exotics? We tried finding our answers during a rendezvous with the Godzilla at the Buddh International Circuit. Check out our 2015 Nissan GT-R Review here for all the details –
Not Pretty, But Fast
Okay, the R35 GT-R won’t win any beauty contests. It’s surely not even half as pretty as most of its rivals and I don’t see myself buying this car purely for its aesthetic value. However, there’s no denying the huge street presence that the GT-R commands. Like we said, this car isn’t exactly pretty, but we really can’t think of many cars that have the imposing stance of this car’s angular coupe. The wide track, giant end cans, stretched back headlights, big spoiler and huge mag wheels – the 2015 GT-R looks every bit a purpose-built track tool. The biggest highlight of the latest GT-R’s styling is the set of high-intensity, multi-LED headlights that create a distinctive “lightning” motif. Also, the trademark four-ring taillamps get coherent circles of illumination. Another highlight of the enhanced visual package is the introduction of the new Gold Flake Red Pearl body colour. There are many other additions, such as a set of new bumpers that help improve the underfloor cooling and reduce air resistance. Overall, the visual appeal of the ’15 GT-R isn’t really higher than the earlier R35s, but there’s no denying that this car, even after over 7 years of existence, manages to look as dramatic and as sharp as it first did.
The cabin feels even less special. While the exterior design, polished over the years, holds its own among the fresher rivals, the interior does remind you of some supercars of the yore. Firstly, the design is a bit drab and not the one that you’d expect from a car brimming with all sorts of mind boggling and physics bending technologies. And then, some of the gazillion switches are reminiscent of hi-fi systems of the Nineties.
Like we’ve already said, the GT-R can’t hold a handle candle to some of its sensuous European rivals. Still, that’s not what the buyers of this car look for. All they want is unparalleled road performance and handling. And the GT-R delivers all of it in spades!
A Technological Tour De Force
Talking about the things that really matter, the ’15 GT-R’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 produces a max. power of 545 hp and an gut-wrenching peak torque of 628 Nm. All this means that this Japanese beast can sprint to 60 mph in much less than 3 seconds and even go on to hit a top whack of 316 km/h. Unfortunately, time constraints didn’t allow us to engage the viciously effective ‘R mode’ and time the ’15 GT-R to the quarter mile. However, we did experience the almost reckless power delivery along with registering a speedo-indicated top speed of over 180 mph. The GT-R is brutally quick, a large part of which has to do with the excellent six-speed twin-clutch transmission and the four wheel drive system. I’m not kidding, I’ve never experienced as many raw emotions as I did while accelerating down the circuit’s 1060m-long main straight. What we also experienced is a pure aural bliss from a high strung, forced-fed Japanese V6. Yet another highlight is the highly tractable nature of this beast. While the GT-R’s gut-wrenching acceleration can lead to orgasmic convulsions, it can be driven at city speeds almost effortlessly (The Peak Torque is developed at as low as 3,200 rpm).
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Defy the Laws of Physics
The MY 2015 GT-R boasts of updated suspension dampers that enhance this monster’s stability in the corners, more reassuring brakes, a more communicative steering, and stickier tires that seem to have a coating of the strongest adhesives known to the mankind. To put it simply, the GT-R is a physics-defying tool that can make any ham-fisted driver, like yours truly, look like a pro on a race track. There’s so much technological intervention at work that it is almost like this car drives itself! Drive the GT-R at slow speeds, and it almost gets a bit too boring. Basically, you are boring the car and it’s boring you back. Increase the speeds, go apex hunting, and what the heck, it’s still the same! See, the issue is that it is almost impossible to push this car to the limits, at least not without scaring yourself to death. There’s a colossal amount of grip on offer and there are absolutely no traces of body roll, not even when taking tight corners at high speeds. Make last minute corrections to your cornering line and the GT-R, quite simply, forgives the felony. The GT-R might remind you of the Playstation generation in more ways than one, but this car’s steering is no remote controller. It is wonderfully weighted and is as direct as a typical point and shoot. The GT-R can bloody well hold on to its lines better than even a locomotive. The GT-R is a God in the corners, and guess what, it makes you feel like one too!
Best yet to come?
If the Italian supercars are a showcase of passion, the GT-R is a Japanese technology superstore! The MY 2015 R35 GT-R is brutally quick and its AWD system, along with a gazillion other technologies, work in tandem to provide jaw-dropping performance on a race track. In a nutshell, the GT-R is just other-wordly. True, the GT-R misses out on the flair and doesn’t have the badge value of the Italians either, but in the grand scheme of things, complaints like these are simply overshadowed by the unparalled performance the Godzilla offers. There’s absolutely no doubt that the latest edition of the GT-R is Nissan’s best-ever mass produced supercar.The insatiable performance junkies in us, however, just can’t wait to meet the next incarnation of the legendary Japanese monster.
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