Test Drive – 2009 R35 Nissan GT-R
By Joey Leh, Photos courtesy of Nissan
Past Nissans that bore the GT-R name were more homologation special than pure sports car. Based on the Japanese market Skyline model, they shared the same chassis with various lower GTS and GT models. The most famous of the GT-Rs happened to be hopped up with the stout iron-block RB26DETT engine and complicated all-wheel drive systems.
They made prodigious power (upwards of 1000whp in the aftermarket) and dominated Super GT and Group-A class road racing. Still, they had a heavy feel and lacked immediate driver feedback.
When it came time for Nissan to resurrect the nameplate with the new GT-R (chassis code CBA-R35), they started with a blank page. Chief Engineer Mizuno had his concepts – all seasons, all drivers, driving pleasure – and he knew what he had to create. The result is this 480hp twin-turbocharged all-wheel drive beast, one of the fastest cars that you can buy for under $100,000.
The recipe begins with the all-new chassis, a “Premium Midship” platform that utilizes carbon fiber understrays, tubular subframes and a rear-mounted transmission. That unit is a six-speed GR6-type dual-clutch sequential unit, installed in the back for space and weight balance concerns. Driveshafts send the power from the engine to the rear transmission and back again to the front wheels’ transfer housing.
There are computer controlled assists for the transmission, allowing for neck-straining launches and, in R mode, ultra-fast shift times. Snapping back on each magnesium paddle shifter causes the GT-R to switch gears as quick as you can select them, with a firm drivetrain jolt that lets you know you’re driving a car that doesn’t hold its punches.
The engine is all-new as well, loosely based on the 350Z’s VQ35 but altered significantly. The VR38DETT 3.8-liter V6 has been fit with two IHI turbochargers, each of which is given its own air-to-air intercooler. 480hp and 430lb/ft of torque is available to the driver and it feels like more. The all-wheel drive system doesn’t give up an ounce of power to tire slip unless you ask for it, making the GT-R feel like a rocket.
Roll on to the throttle and all you get is acceleration. Feel free to nail it, on dry or wet pavement, and the world is just going to blur. The turbos’ exhaust housings are cast into the exhaust manifold, making larger turbo upgrades a trickier and more expensive process that requires a complete turbo and manifold swap.
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