Nissan GT-R revised

From January Nissan's GT-R supercar will deliver a better ride without losing any of the hard-edge performance from its 357kW twin-turbocharged V6.  Apart from the suspension, Nissan engineers have fine-tuned the brakes, gearbox and cooling system.

Nissan Australia spokesman, Jeff Fisher, is unsure of the specific suspension improvements and has asked Japan to clarify what work has been done.  "We've sent a request to Japan for confirmation on just exactly what the engineers have changed," he says.

The $155,000 GT-R has been a sales winner locally.  The company had originally expected to sell 200 a year but 240 have been sold since its April launch.  "We're looking at doing a constant 200 a year through it's model life," Fisher says.  "The early signs are that demand will continue to exceed our expectations."

Pricing for the 2010 car will remain the same, despite the favourable Australian dollar.  "Pricing is set several months in advance and manufacturers hedge on the exchange rate," Fisher says.

Fisher says GT-R buyers are migrating from Euro brands like Porsche but others are adding a GT-R to their high-performance garages, which often include Aston Martins and Jaguar XKs.  The GT-R's drive system has also be revised to reduce rear-axle binding when the all-wheel drive components are cold while better cooling is provided for the exhaust and gearbox.

The six-speed dual clutch transmission has been altered to give a later downshift from sixth gear to fifth when being driven in automatic mode. A more aggressive downshift pattern has been provided from fourth to third and third to second.  The front transmission mount has also been stiffened to reduce vibration through the driveline under hard acceleration.

Nissan engineers have moved the electronic brakeforce distribution bias rearwards for better braking stability in dry conditions and changes to the rear air deflector design has improved rear brake cooling.  The twin-turbo V6 now complies with tough Euro 5 emissions requirements without any power or performance loss, while CO2 emissions having dropped 3g to 295g/km.

Visually, the front and rear bumpers get a double coat of clear paint, giving a deeper finish.  Inside the speedo and rev counter now sport metallic finishes.  The audio and navigation system gets 40GB of storage space, three-dimensional navigation, voice-control and higher resolution 7-inch screen.