Despite its blistering performance, the new GT-R’s advanced all-wheel drive chassis means it can be driven fast and skillfully by just about anyone
Nissan has unveiled the GT-R at the Delhi Auto Expo. Despite its blistering performance, the new GT-R’s advanced all-wheel drive chassis means it can be driven fast and skillfully by just about anyone
The extraordinary Nissan GT-R is one of the fastest vehicles in the world, capable of lapping the fearsome Nurburgring race in Germany in under 7mins 30 seconds, making it one of the fastest road cars in the world.
The figures are mind boggling. In its latest MY12 guise, the 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 engine develops a scarcely believable 550PS, to give a 0-100kph time of 2.84 seconds and a top speed near 320kph.
And yet the GT-R is so easy to drive, so docile in traffic and so well mannered and sure-footed that just about anyone can jump in and drive it away without being intimidated. The key is the immense flexibility of the engine allied to the stable and predictable handling characteristics of the all-wheel drive chassis.
Like Nissan LEAF and CSC, the new GT-R is not on sale in India. It is at DAE simply to give visitors an idea of the depth of the Nissan offering.
And although on paper the three cars appear to be a million miles apart, they actually have a great deal in common. All three encapsulate the innovation and excitement that Nissan injects into all its products
The GT-R story goes back decades, but the current GT-R is the first not to have been based on an existing mass-produced Nissan. And that allowed design director Shiro Nakamura, product chief designer Hiroshi Hasegawa and their team much greater freedom
The muscular GT-R has been clearly influenced by Japanese car culture and videogames. “The mission was to achieve a distinctive car, a supercar, but not a normal fast car – it's chunkier, more practical and more muscular,” says Nakamura
Yet it is also remarkably practical. “It's easy to get in and out of, has good visibility and is easy to drive. That functionality is reflected in the design. It is clearly not an Italian, German or American car – it is unmistakably Japanese.”
“Our objective was to create a flagship model to promote our technology, but also to develop a new type of supercar,” explains chief vehicle engineer and former racing driver Kazutoshi Mizuno. “Supercars have traditionally been aimed at drivers with advanced skills, but the GT-R supercar can be driven fast and skillfully by just about anybody under just about any road conditions.”
At its heart is the hand-built twin turbocharged VR38DETT 3.8-litre V6 engine, which has been specially developed for the GT-R.
. A perfect example of Nissan’s philosophy of constant development, its power output is forever increasing. From 485PS it was raised to 530PS for the 2011 Model Year and has now been increased again, this time to 550PS.
Power is delivered to all four wheels via Nissan’s GR-6 six-speed twin clutch transmission, which was also specially developed for the car
The driver can either shift gears manually via paddles – made from magnesium –located behind the steering wheel or opt instead for automatic changes as the mood dictates. Either way, since there is one wet clutch for odd gears and one wet clutch for even gears, the next gear is already preselected which allows for exceptionally fast shifting. There's also an automatic throttle blip on downshifts to precisely synchronise engine speed and give added driving satisfaction.
In automatic mode changes are made to maximise fuel efficiency. Higher gears are used whenever possible, making full use of the car’s long and flat torque curve which peaks at a massive 632Nm. As a result, the car can be driven in sixth gear for long periods at low speeds, and still offers good throttle response. Such docile behavior is at odds with most equivalently fast supercars and is one of the many unique aspects of this technology flagship
The double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension offers outstanding straight line stability at all speeds, plus class-leading handling and braking in all situations –from urban commutes, to snowy and slushy roads, to the racetrack.
The dampers can be adjusted by the driver to either Comfort, Sport (the normal setting and producing the best possible handling/ride balance) or R (high performance)settings
R mode delivers flat, hard cornering for high-speed and maximum feedback. Sensors measure 11 vehicle elements including speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle and engine, the data then analysed to provide appropriate damping forces for all situations.
All this is matched to one of the most advanced four-wheel drive systems ever developed in a production car, offering unmatched traction and handling security. The ATTESAET-S system features a rear mounted independent transaxle which packages the transmission, transfer case and limited slip rear differential in one compact assembly independently mounted on rubber bushes. Moving the transmission to the rear in this way gives the GT-R a superb weight balance, at the same time as enhancing front seat leg room
The four-wheel drive system continually adjusts torque between front and rear based on dynamic demands and road conditions; in normal conditions 100 per cent of torque is directed to the rear axle, with up to 50 per cent of torque fed to the front wheels to improve traction when necessary – in slippery conditions and to improve cornering performance.
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