Jun 4, 2019, 11:05 AM by Mike Blake

With winter gone and spring here, it is fun car time. For some, it is Supercar time, and while I try to avoid over-use of the term, one car that arguably seems to fit the Supercar niche is the Nissan GT-R. For me, a Supercar could be a daily driver, around town or on long cruises, and while fewer than 600 GT-Rs are sold in north America each year, the car that its fans call “Godzilla, “ is certainly a car to behold … powerful, sexy, track-handling, tech-advanced, a head-turner and a very fun drive.

Called “unique” by Nissan chief creative officer, Shirō Nakamura, who compares it to the giant robots of the sci-fi “Gundam” series, Nakamura says “The GT-R is not simply a copy of a European-designed Sports car; it reflects the Japanese culture.” To that end, GT-R has been co-designed by Nissan's American designers, European designers and Polyphony Digital – creators of the “Gran Turismo” motor racing video games.  Emerging from the Nissan Skyline badge that began in 1969, with an unveiling in 2007 as a high-performance sports car, the GT-R last had a facelift in 2011, and continues with cosmetic and engine tweaks for 2019 as it now niches into the luxury sports car market. 

There are no significant changes for this year, but I finally got around to test driving it and it was worth the wait. Nissan says its team is working on an all-new edition with a new platform and powertrain, which he said will likely feature electrification, and technology borrowed from Nissan’s LMP-1 GT-R hybrid race car. While that version is still several years away, the 2019 Nissan GT-R is super as it is.

Staring with its architecture, GT-R is aggressive, sexy, fluid and functional. The V-motion grille, one of Nissan's design signatures, features a matte chrome finish and mesh pattern. The hood, with its pronounced character lines flowing flawlessly from the grille, is reinforced to enhance stability and aerodynamics during high-speed driving. The curving profile of the front under spoiler is slightly extended and lowered to maximize airflow at its lower edge; the C-pillars' upper portions are shaped to deliver better airflow management by preventing the generation of a smaller vortex; and the rear of the GT-R is defined by its iconic round taillights and character line that separate the lower black section from the body panel.  The GT-R is also outfitted with 20-inch wheels and massive 15-inch brake rotors. GT-R’s unibody construction, steel, carbon fiber, die-cast aluminum body on a Premium-Midship platform measures 185.4 inches long, 64.6 inches wide and 53.9 inches high on a 109.4-inch wheelbase weighing nearly two tons, at 3933 lbs.

Getting to the super aspect of GT-R, its 3.8-liter 24-valve twin-turbocharged V-6 engine delivers 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque. That super power delivers rocketlike acceleration. The manufacturer claims a 2.7-second zero-to-60mph capability, and my test runs on less-than-perfect surfaces and without special tuning, delivered a blazing sprint in 3.1 seconds during an 11.2-second quarter-mile, and I think it can go quicker than that. And the special NISMO-tuned engine can gallop out 600 horses and faster launch times.

The Electronic Nissan Direct Injection System and engine are rated at 16mpg in the city, 22 mpg/highway and 18mpg/combined. My week of tire smoking, hard-cornering and some lane-changing cruises still averaged 17.9mpg.

On the pavement, GT-R’s vehicle speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion, aluminum steering rack, four-point mounting, with stiff insulators was an auto-cross champ, and the independent double wishbone aluminum, integral tube-frame front suspension and independent multi-link aluminum rear suspension are track sticky with super driver’s feel.

Inside, the well-appointed and tech-savvy interior is adult comfortable up front and child-roomy in the rear, with 38.1 inches of front headroom and a neck-bending 33.5 in the rear seats; a roomy 44.6 inches of legroom ion row one and a child-worthy 26.4 inches on row two; and 54.3 inches of front shoulder room with 50.0 inches in back. Seamlessly wrapped in one continuous hide of the highest quality Nappa leather, the instrument panel adopts a “horizontal flow” while occupants sit in the leather-and-suede covered cushioned seats; and the 8.0-inch touch panel monitor features large icons on the display screen to allow the user to easily manage the audio system, navigation system, telephone controls and other infotainment functions.  

The 2019 Nissan GT-R is available in four trims. The PURE starts at $99,990; the Premium (my test ride), started at $110,540 and added Titanium exhaust with Exhaust Sound Control, Bose® audio system, Active Noise Cancellation and Active Sound Enhancement; the Track Edition started at $128,540 and added a NISMO-tuned suspension, carbon-fiber trunk lid, 20-inch NISMO black super-lightweight RAYS® forged-alloy wheels and a Black/Red interior treatment; and the track-worthy NISMO trim based at $175,540 and added a NISMO-tuned engine and about 35 more horses, aerodynamic body design, and more carbon fiber cosmetics, and NISMO Recaro® leather-appointed front seats with synthetic suede inserts.

My GT-R Premium added Super Silver Quadcoat exterior paint for $3000. The All-Weather Package was included for no charge, with Dunlop® SP Sport® 7010 all-season run-flat tires; Premium Sport floor mats with carbon fiber inserts added $1085; and Destination and handling added $1695, for a sticker-as-tested of $116,320.

> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>