Click here for Part 1: Background and Interior Impressions
Driving The Beast:
It whirs and clicks. “Mechanical” is the description that comes to mind over and over. You hear the whirring of the engine and robotic clicks of the dual clutch transmission behind you. I found it pretty cool, conveying its operations although the owner was talking about adding sound insulation.
Almost mind blowing was the way it rockets out of turns with no drama. It was simply uncanny and obscene how early and how hard it could accelerate right after the apex. No hint of oversteer or drift. At full throttle in the less aggressive drive mode setting, the shifts feel like it’s from an automatic transmission.
It’s very large yet the impression given in the turns is that it cannot be rocked when parked if you push it from the side. It’s as if the suspension tolerances are so tight that there is no slop in lateral movement. The ride is quite firm in the sport mode and the pogo effect can be faintly detected but isn’t intrusive. When hitting bumps, it’s as if they are minimized in height and duration and the tire is immediately back to the level surface. Just like any other car, yet seemingly far more responsive.
The steering wheel is small and reminded me of the Lotus Elise I drove with less feedback but very quick ratio. There are plenty of controls on the wheel as well. Despite its feel and not being used to the car and keeping its size in mind, I used the center lane as my reference point, never the right side.
In automatic mode driving in traffic works nicely. Downshifting is fun but the throttle blips are quiet with the stock exhaust and intake. One thing to keep in mind, never manually downshift from 2nd to 1st when coming to a stop – it’s a jerky transition like a sloppily driven manual if timed incorrectly.
The Rest:
Doing a walk around for photos at the summit of Skyline and Highway 9, the owner’s assertion that it’s a “Dude Magnet” was proven. A couple of admirers walked over to check it out and compliment it. After sitting in it and now taking a look at it, it’s like an Infiniti G37 Coupe on growth hormone. Or perhaps steroids, take your pick. It is quite purposeful in design, more militant and not curvy or particularly sexy. It looks good in white and ominous in black.
The G37 Coupe comparison brings up an interesting point. I feel this car should have been sold as an Infiniti. It is more suited to the Infiniti brand. Lexus has race cars, why shouldn’t Infiniti have a performance flagship? The 370Z should carry that banner with Nissan.
Those vents in the middle of the hood are not fake. They actually direct air downward towards the turbos to keep them cool. In fact, even in the heat and fairly aggressive driving the coolant temp stayed around 183 degrees. I found this quite interesting in this day of 200+ degree emission compliant thermostats. And the transmission oil temps never climbed either.
I asked to him to “pop the hatch” assuming the shape dictated a hatchback. I was wrong, it’s a trunk. Oddly shaped, it reminded me of the Camaro. It’s seems rather deep but doesn’t go very far back towards the rear seats.
The GT-R isn’t a sports car although it performs like one. It’s really a Grand Tourer. I would say it makes a better daily driver than the non-twin clutch Porsche 911 Twin Turbo. It is quieter, seems to have more cargo capacity and utilitarian. However it isn’t as intimate or as exotic. The 911 Twin Turbo may not show well vs. the Italian exotics, but it is sexier looking than the GT-R. I would reserve judgment about the dual- clutch 911 TT though. That transmission and the recent suspension revisions would put it back in 1st place in my mind.
So was launch control ever used? No, he has never used launch control. In my estimate, that means consistent low 1.9x 60fts at the drag strip rather than 1.8s. Not really a big deal.
Will it turn a 7:29 at the infamous Nurburgring in Germany? Well, it will definitely beat a non-PDK transmission 911 Twin Turbo. It should be noted that Randy Pobst ran a low 1:40.453 at Laguna Seca when testing with Motor Trend. Compare that to some other cars at Fastlaps.com and the pecking order seems representative.
It’s an amazing car, and perhaps it doesn’t have a soul as some say. What it does have, if one were attribute an organic quality, is personality.
______
Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc. Reach me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!
Driving The Beast:
It whirs and clicks. “Mechanical” is the description that comes to mind over and over. You hear the whirring of the engine and robotic clicks of the dual clutch transmission behind you. I found it pretty cool, conveying its operations although the owner was talking about adding sound insulation.
Almost mind blowing was the way it rockets out of turns with no drama. It was simply uncanny and obscene how early and how hard it could accelerate right after the apex. No hint of oversteer or drift. At full throttle in the less aggressive drive mode setting, the shifts feel like it’s from an automatic transmission.
It’s very large yet the impression given in the turns is that it cannot be rocked when parked if you push it from the side. It’s as if the suspension tolerances are so tight that there is no slop in lateral movement. The ride is quite firm in the sport mode and the pogo effect can be faintly detected but isn’t intrusive. When hitting bumps, it’s as if they are minimized in height and duration and the tire is immediately back to the level surface. Just like any other car, yet seemingly far more responsive.
The steering wheel is small and reminded me of the Lotus Elise I drove with less feedback but very quick ratio. There are plenty of controls on the wheel as well. Despite its feel and not being used to the car and keeping its size in mind, I used the center lane as my reference point, never the right side.
In automatic mode driving in traffic works nicely. Downshifting is fun but the throttle blips are quiet with the stock exhaust and intake. One thing to keep in mind, never manually downshift from 2nd to 1st when coming to a stop – it’s a jerky transition like a sloppily driven manual if timed incorrectly.
The Rest:
Doing a walk around for photos at the summit of Skyline and Highway 9, the owner’s assertion that it’s a “Dude Magnet” was proven. A couple of admirers walked over to check it out and compliment it. After sitting in it and now taking a look at it, it’s like an Infiniti G37 Coupe on growth hormone. Or perhaps steroids, take your pick. It is quite purposeful in design, more militant and not curvy or particularly sexy. It looks good in white and ominous in black.
The G37 Coupe comparison brings up an interesting point. I feel this car should have been sold as an Infiniti. It is more suited to the Infiniti brand. Lexus has race cars, why shouldn’t Infiniti have a performance flagship? The 370Z should carry that banner with Nissan.
Those vents in the middle of the hood are not fake. They actually direct air downward towards the turbos to keep them cool. In fact, even in the heat and fairly aggressive driving the coolant temp stayed around 183 degrees. I found this quite interesting in this day of 200+ degree emission compliant thermostats. And the transmission oil temps never climbed either.
I asked to him to “pop the hatch” assuming the shape dictated a hatchback. I was wrong, it’s a trunk. Oddly shaped, it reminded me of the Camaro. It’s seems rather deep but doesn’t go very far back towards the rear seats.
The GT-R isn’t a sports car although it performs like one. It’s really a Grand Tourer. I would say it makes a better daily driver than the non-twin clutch Porsche 911 Twin Turbo. It is quieter, seems to have more cargo capacity and utilitarian. However it isn’t as intimate or as exotic. The 911 Twin Turbo may not show well vs. the Italian exotics, but it is sexier looking than the GT-R. I would reserve judgment about the dual- clutch 911 TT though. That transmission and the recent suspension revisions would put it back in 1st place in my mind.
So was launch control ever used? No, he has never used launch control. In my estimate, that means consistent low 1.9x 60fts at the drag strip rather than 1.8s. Not really a big deal.
Will it turn a 7:29 at the infamous Nurburgring in Germany? Well, it will definitely beat a non-PDK transmission 911 Twin Turbo. It should be noted that Randy Pobst ran a low 1:40.453 at Laguna Seca when testing with Motor Trend. Compare that to some other cars at Fastlaps.com and the pecking order seems representative.
It’s an amazing car, and perhaps it doesn’t have a soul as some say. What it does have, if one were attribute an organic quality, is personality.
______
Have a question about cars you would like answered? Want to know about performance, racing, modifying, shopping, makes, models, events, etc. Reach me here: AskRobAboutCars@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer your question and publish it here on Examiner.com!
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