Wheels Australia — August 2016

SPECS

@wheelsaustralia 37

FIRST
OVERSEAS
DRIVE

FOR the first time

since the R35 Nissan

GT-R was introduced,

new buyers are now

given a visual indication

the brand new model they are

paying nearly $200,000 for is

different to its older siblings.

The MY17 GT-R is the biggest

update to Godzilla since the

R35 was introduced in 2007,

though it’s hardly an impressive

engineering feat, with merely an

extra 15kW, plus a new grille and

bumper design shadowing years

of marginal power increases.

But at least the worrying

interior sounds are fixed.

“A lot of the motorsport-

inspired noises have gone,”

confirms R35 program director

Bob Laishley. He is half-smiling

at his off-the-cuff response to

questions about whether this

update addresses concerns the

R35 could feel or sound like

something was going to go bang

as it approaches old age. Think

clunks and clangs, the sorts of

things that made earlier versions

of the mighty GT-R more about

the ‘R’ than the ‘GT’.

Indeed, it’s refinement that

is most obvious with the MY17

version of Japan’s fastest car.

There’s still some mild whining

Model

Engine

Max Power

Max Torque

Transmission

Weight

0-100km/h

Fuel economy

Price

On sale

Nissan GT-R

3799cc V6 (60°), dohc, 24v, twin-turbo

419kW @ 6800rpm

637Nm @ 3300-5800rpm

6-speed dual-clutch

1752kg

3.2sec (estimated)

12.0L/100km

$180,000 (estimated)

September

(^42) SUBARU LEVORG 48 MAZDA CX-9 (^52) TESLA MODEL X