Wheels Australia — August 2016

38 WheelsMag.com.au

elegantly, and the noises are less

intrusive, with the exception

of tyre roar on coarse surfaces,

which persists as a conversation-

stopper at speed.

Theridecanstillbealittle

sharp, but soften the adjustable

dampers and it’s supple enough

for bumpy backroads.

Full-throttle upshifts are

confident as the GT-R punches

towards its claimed 315km/h top

speed. And the all-wheel-drive

system is as intelligent as ever,

sending drive rearward until

traction is required up front.

It gets better the harder you

push, teaming with accurate

steering to make understeer less

intrusive than expected. Power

hard out of bends and you can

evenwagthetail,fryingthebroad

on dropping through every

gear when downshifting.

Cruising at 60km/h in sixth gear

then gunning it can lead to a

frustratingcoupleofsecondsas

it plucks fifth, then fourth, then

third, eventually unleashing the

637Nm torrent. And why won’t

it drop down to second, a ratio

good for blistering acceleration to

over 100km/h? That’s where the

paddle-shifters come into play.

Aero was a major focus for

MY17,especiallyabove200km/h,

with extra rigidity in the steel

bonnetandasmoothershape.

No qualms with its poise at

speed, but the direct steering

could do with more weight.

And there’s no hiding the

weight as pace increases. A

280km/h strap along a

German autobahn reveals it is

uber-brisk rather than ballistic.

Performance wasn’t overlooked

with project MY17. Power from

the hand-built 3.8-litre V6 is

now 419kW while peak torque is

available across a broader range.

Nissan chose one of the world’s

fastest, most challenging tracks

on which to unleash its new GT-R

• the legendary Spa in Belgium.
  The GT-R punches hard out
  of the hairpin that kicks off a
  lap and maintains impressive
  composure down the hill to the
  daunting Eau Rouge. The way it
  settles into the dipped left-right at
  speed highlights the maturity of
  its finessed dynamics.
  Six-piston Brembos resist
  punishment admirably, and the
  AWDsystemensureswheelspin
  is non-existent, yet – as with
  the autobahn – the long straight
  shows up the need for another
  ratioortwointhelargely
  unchanged six-speeder.
  While the GT-R is still a high-
  performance masterstroke, it’s
  also starting to show its age. That
  said, it’s still fast – brutally fast –
  and immensely capable. And now
  offers an element of refinement.
  TOBY HAGON

PLUS &

MINUS

Still feels heavy; six-speed gearbox showing its age; it’s no 911 Performance; clever AWD; forgiving handling; comfier than ever

aerodynamics and rigidity.

As well as the ‘V-motion’

grille, a stiffer bonnet

improves high-speed

stability and the revised

nose feeds 20 percent more

air into the engine bay for

improved cooling as part of

the MY17 power upgrade.

The C-pillar was revised

to reduce aerodynamic

turbulence at speed – among

extensive efforts to ensure

the additional cooling does

not adversely impact the

R35’s 0.26 drag coefficient

• and beneath the black
  A-pillar casings are stronger
  structures designed to
  improve turn-in.
  The Nismo-inspired rear
  bumper has sharper outer
  edges to better separate air
  for reduced turbulence.

fromthe rbox,and uc

catch the six-s d dual-clutch

out when reapplyin ower at l

speeds. But thingsmeshmore

elegantl and the noises ar l s

and sticky20-inch Dunlo in

the ocess.

Foibles continue, though. Like

the mission’s insis

on dropping thro gh e er

Aero upgrade

Subtle but s ificant

body changes are part

efforts to improve cooling,

aerodynamics and rigidity

The MY17 GT-R is the biggest update to Godzilla

since the R35 was introduced in 2007