Just three years after successfully launching its flagship performance vehicle on our shores, the engineers at Nissan have introduced a subtly but completely reworked supercar. The engine has more power, the suspension has been revised, the wheels are lighter, the seats have been redesigned, the brakes are bigger, the chassis is stiffer and the aerodynamics have been reconfigured to improve cooling and provide more downforce. This isn't a manufacturer's token "mid-cycle refresh" to boost sales; these are changes that improve the overall drivability and performance of the GT-R so significantly that most will be inclined to consider it nothing short of a second-generation rebirth.
For starters, how does 0-60 in 2.88 seconds sound?
For starters, how does 0-60 in 2.88 seconds sound?
The first GTR was 480-horsepower, 430-pound-foot-of-torque twin-turbocharged.This one is more powerful with 530 horsepower available at 6400 rpm and 448 pound-feet of torque coming at 5200 rpm (the result of a raised turbo boost pressure to 13 psi from 11 psi, revised valve timing, air mixture ratio, less restrictive air intake, exhaust, and catalytic converter), but it is more refined thanks to a litany of suspension, driveline, and exterior improvements. Beginning at the front, the lower chin spoiler extends slightly to improve downforce. To either side of the gaping lower air intake (which feeds and cools the twin intercoolers) resides a trio of canards (with LED daytime running lights) that better deflect passing air around the car and improve downforce.
The upper front grille grows wider in order to give the car more visual girth, and also assists in cooling the 3.8-liter VR38DETT engine. (Radiator temperatures during high-speed Nurburgring development tests, for example, were 50 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. There is also a bigger thermostat onboard.)
