We’ve had a few in photoshoots already, but we finally got our chance behind the wheel of Nissan’s monster, still affectionately named Godzilla by enthusiasts the world over, last week.
I approached this car with more than a healthy dose of skepticism. I’ve just never bought the supercar hype that the company is projecting for it. The “affordable” price tag, enough tech to make it all the way into outer space, the butch but portly bodywork, and a twin-turbo V6 that revs to just 7000 – and that’s before even getting to the badge on the bonnet! It’s just not convincing. More worrying still, AWD with a dual-clutch tranny and electronic safety nets that can’t be disabled for fear of your warrenty being butchered on the floor of the NHPC all suggest a car which, regardless of how fast or capable it really is, suggested a numb, detached driving experience. That was the nub of all of my trepidation as I climbed in.
It takes all of half a kilometre though for these concerns to be blowing in the feroscious wake of the beast, tossed out the window and forgotten like the rubbish they clearly were. The GT-R is sensationally sorted, and rich in visceral, organic feedback from every control surface. The steering in particular is absolutely perfect. Weighty at all speeds but highlighting in laser-locked precision, talkative enough to humble Julius Malema himself, and just a lovely thing to hold with it’s bold GT-R-branded boss.
And the power? Well, it’s nothing short of epic. There’s minimal lag when you flatten the throttle even from cruising revs, and then without too much fuss the turbos spool up and simply punch you down the road like one of Mike Tyson’s grade-A haymakers. It’s viscious, oh yes.
Even the interior is suitably focussed, the over-complicated on-board telemetry system notwithstanding, it’s classy in there. Great quality in every material, a little snug but roomy enough even for a 7-footer like me, and easily comfortable enough to be a daily driver.
We’ll go into all the details when we feature it in the next issue of Drive Magazine at the end of the month. Suffice to say, for now, I was utterly wrong. It happens…
But the GT-R is a genuinely enthralling drive which leaves you gasping for more.
Still not convinced of it’s full-blown membership to the supercar club though.
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