Nissan GT-R 2010 Review

A saturated Phillip Island circuit is a long way from the Nurburgring, but for Nissan test driver Tochio Suzuki it's just another demonstration of how good the GT-R is.

Suzuki set the production car lap record at the famous German track in 2008, but today he's chauffeuring journalists on a series of hot laps on Australia's best bit of bitumen in weather that even has the Cape Barren geese grounded.

Hot laps in these conditions is a succession of high-speed drifts and even higher plumes of water as Suzuki prods ridiculous speeds from the twin turbo 3.8-litre V6, then overcomes the grip of the four-wheel drive machine with a flick of the wheel. The conditions are, frankly, crap, and it's in situations like this the GT-R proves its worth.

There's already 270-odd Australian owners of Nissan's $160,000 supercar - 30 per cent above sales estimates - and the 2010-11 update has a host of small refinements to improve the experience.

Chief among them are revised suspension settings which Nissan says improve steering stability and ride comfort. A modified exhaust system boosts low and mid-range engine response, though there's no change in the 357kW/588Nm outputs.

The wipers now adjust according to the speed, the headlights are automatic, the navigation system is stored on a hard drive and the Nissan now accepts Bluetooth and USB/iPod connections.

Nissan communications head Jeff Fisher admits the improvements are incremental, but notes so much work went in to developing the GT-R that there's little to be done.

"The MY10 GT-R is an update in line with Nissan's normal model evolution,'' he says. "Remember, we're talking about a car that has won 66 awards in the two years since it was launched. There isn't a lot of room for improvement with the current model."

It's a sentiment echoed by the man responsible for creating the GT-R, Kazutoshi Mizuno, who says the project brief was to create a supercar literally from the ground up. Mizuno replaces marketing spin with maths and science as he explains how the car's weight (at 1470kg it's heavy by supercar standards) is a direct function of the need to maximise grip in all situations.

Following the "give Godzilla grip" formula led him to install a V6 rather than a V8, 10 or 12-cylinder engine.

"The most important performance essence and a key element to car design is tyre grip force," he says. "Rear tyre grip decides front tyre grip, which decides weight centre... and then engine specification. Normally supercar designers decide on the engine specifications separately although I can't understand why.''

Anyone who drives the GT-R, especially in the wet, will be inclined to agree with him.

NISSAN GT-R

Price: from $158,800 (plus dealer delivery and statutory charges)
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged 24-valve V6
Power: 357kW@6,400 rpm
Torque: 588Nm @3,200-5,200 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed Dual Clutch, auto shift or full manual
Economy: 12.4 litres/100km
Fuel: Premium unleaded, tank capacity 74L
Susupension: Double-wishbone w aluminium upper arms (front), multi-link w aluminium upper links (rear)
Brakes: Nissan Brembo 4-wheel disc brakes - 380mm front and rear
Dimensions: Wheelbase 2780mm, length 4650mmm, width 1895mm, height 1370mm
Wheels: Lightweight forged-aluminium wheels, 20" alloys in black or chrome
Tyres: Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST (GT-R), Bridgestone RE070R (GT-R Premium)
Safety: Dual-stage driver and passenger front and side-impact and roof-mounted curtain airbags, pretension seatbelts, front and rear crumple zones, Advanced Vehicle Dynamic Control, Anti-lock Braking System, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, immobiliser and security System.