# GTR First Drive (long)



## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

I had my first drive/ride out in an R35 yesterday. I must have sub consciously been really looking forward to this because I couldn't get to sleep until gone 2.00am and was awake at 5.30am!!

My nearest HPC is Motorline Tunbridge Wells, it's 70 minutes away, and my trip there was in awful conditions, raining hard, terrible visibility, water logged roads and lots of spray...great day for a test drive then Nito!!

Thankfully it was just drizzling when I got to Motorline, visibility was good but the roads were still pretty sodden. I had visions of the salesman telling me its too wet to take out a 500bhp car or some nonsense. Anyway, out comes Jamie who couldn't have been more accomodating. We had a good chat before setting off, he talked me through the model years, showed me some service cars out back pointing out the differences and answered all my questions.

Jamie drives first in the MY11 demo car with 3k miles on the clock. We set off in auto and I'm astounded that the car seems to change up through all the gears one after the other almost instantaneously. By 35mph its in sixth!!

The other thing that strikes me is how quiet, solid and smooth it is. Pulling away I could quite easily have been in an Audi or a Merc almost, were it not for the bonkers MFD in front of me, yet all the time you can feel the under current that its just waiting to be let off its leash, lulling you into a false sense of security. It feels taught, the stiffness of the body shell has that 'machined from a solid piece of billet' to it and the ride is not harsh at all.

I had a lot of pre conceptions about this car, reading all the reviews, Top Gear coverage, messages posted here over the years, I must admit it caught me totally unawares. I expected the power and performance, what I didn't expect was the level of refinement Nissan have achieved with this car. I appreciate this in an MY11 and I haven't driven any other years so can't comment about them. 

I was expecting a clunky sequential type gearbox affair, a crashier ride with 20in runflats and didn't expect the heavy interior build quality. From the passenger seat I could get a glimpse of the torque on offer and the overall composure of the car. 

We pull over and Jamie talks me through the MFD, readouts, nav, music etc. We swap over and I get into the drivers seat. As I get into the car the steering look comes on, I instinctively look for the key to unlock it but its in Jamie's pocket. I wonder how this'll unlock then? So I put my foot on the brake as instructed and press the Big red button...the steering instantly clunks and self centres and the engine purrs into life. Even this is ultra refined you get the impression that you can take any passenger in this without upsetting their senses. It's almost slightly dissapointing that its so muffled, and yet satisfyingly discreet at the same time, I can see why so many owners change the Y pipe, but each to their own, the platform Nissan have created for the mainstream is undeniably perfect, particularly as these will no doubt be appealing to your stereotypically older male with the finances to afford it. Boy racer spec is out of the question then, this is something my Dad would like. He loves the look of the GTR but believes it'll be too racy for him, yet it's every bit as refined as his CL500. Its a mature car and there is seemingly nothing that hasn't been covered by Nissan. 

The 'omg this'll take a while to work' out MFD is perfectly intuitive, I hadn't realised it was touch screen and it appears to be very easy to navigate. I set the very comfortable seat up, and am nicely suprised by the way the steering wheel column and instrument binnacle move together, very cool.

So with 'A' engaed, I pull out of the layby onto the dual carriageway and immediately give it some beans to get up to speed. I cannot believe how smooth, fast and positively the gears engage. There is no clunk or hesitation, just seamless and instant up shifts. It Feels more like an automatic car than a manual, but none of the tiptronic style dissapointments here.

I flip the paddle and it goes into manual mode, very satisfyingly it seems to let you do whatever you want, you don't feel the interference of the box saying 'no you can't have that gear'. Going off track for a moment, my favourite cars I have owned have always been the Supra and the R34. In many respects I actually preferred the Supra for a couple of reasons. The way it musters up its torque, and the driving position and ergomomics, which together made the driving experience that of 'I don't want to stop driving this car'. It always had this 'proper car' feel to it whereas the 34 was less satisfying in this field, but on the flipside the 34 (ok, mine was an RB28 650bhp, but the same characteristics on its Nur engine) always felt on edge like it was just craving for you to unleash the revs. It didn't do cruising effortlessly, but when you unleashed the fury it was a big STFU to any criticisms you may have had, and then of course there was the way the 34 shrinks around you when the going gets fast, making it as agile as an Impreza through the twisties.

My biggest concern with the 35 GTR, was whether I'd get on with the ergonomics, which for me is vital. The highest compliment I can pay the GTR is that it combines everything I loved about the Supra and GTR respectively and combines it into one. This means, fantastic GT cruiser that you could keep on driving all day, without having to make any apologies for the plastic interior, or the noise, or ride and at the same time enjoying that Prodigy style 'psychosomatic as you can see' schizoprenic GTR style rush of acceleration that means not just the satisfying push in the back that you get from prodigious torque, but the alarming rise in the rate of knots that tuned GTR's have always excelled at in an other worldly sort of way.

I had a good run out with a perfect mix of roads and played with all the various settings, once again the R mode for the vdc was refreshing in the amount of slip it allowed, I'm talking straight line slip here, given the conditions there was never going to be any cornering heroics in an unfamiliar car, but on pure acceleration I could feel the wheels spinning up underneath me, continuing through to the next gearchange without lifting all the while with no interference from the vdc.

The steering weight was perfect, as was the ratio of turns, and that gearbox is just incredible as is the engine. The torque on offer for a mainstream car is mind boggling. Upon returning, looking at the fuel economy logs we were at 25-30mpg for a lot of the drive and 10mpg on the faster bits. That Nissan can achieve this level of economy out of a 530bhp 3.8L twin turbo car wouldn't do the engineers justice if it were simply over looked.

Criticisms, there were some. Very annoyingly, the odo is always on display, its a constant reminder of how used your car is, its so much nicer to be able to substitute it for the trip and feel like your car is new. Next up, this maybe something to do with the settings I was using, but when in Auto mode, the paddle overide is great for downshifting before a bend, but it doesn't appear to revert straight back into auto so you have to then consciously shift up and keep shifting manually, If you'd wanted full manual you'd have put it in full manual, instead you have to reset it back into auto. I think I'd find this a bit of an annoyance. Perhaps there is scope there for differentiating the R and normal gearbox modes, or maybe there is already. Finally, the steering feedback, I didn't get quite the level of feel I would have liked from the front wheels, its not something I want to dwell on because the rest of the car is so fantastic and this is only a first immpression, it could have been down to the conditions or neutral geometry (perhaps the changes to the front suspension are to improve tyre wear?) but this was only apparent really at low speeds like small mini roundabouts where the cars size and weight become more apparent, something that the GTR masks incredibly well most of the time. Were talking degrees of criticism here though to keep things in context.

I left the dealership and got into my pickup truck, shaking my head, I couldn't quite get clear in my head what I thought, it was overwhelmingly good, not on performance which was always going to be good (and it definately didn't dissapoint, particularly the torque), but on everything else, its such a complete package and does such a good job of appealing to the widest possible audience. This is just scratching the surface, you get the impression that this'll be a car that continues to impress long into ownership, and this is stock straight from the factory without taking into account all the possible tuner/personalisation options. Personally I'd like it to be a touch more raucous, only a touch mind (Akrapovic slip on :chuckle, whereas my Father would love this exactly as it is. 

It really is an epic car this GTR. Well done Nissan. :bowdown1: A car that I would want to drive all day.

Big thanks go to Jamie at Motorline Tunbridge Wells, its refreshing to find a genuine salesman who is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and honest about the product he represents. I didn't feel rushed or pressurised at any point :thumbsup:

Please remember this review is my first impressions of an MY11, I have not driven earlier cars yet! As an aside, I much prefer the premium seats of the demonstrator to the Recaros of the showroom car, which were too tight across the shoulders, again, great that Motorline have both available on site to compare.

Regards
Nito


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## WoREoD (Apr 27, 2008)

Nice write up. One small comment: I'm told the revised geometry at the front will mean *more* tyre wear than the MY09/10s.....

I *love* my MY11!


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## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

Thanks...It's an awesome car congratulations. Unfortunately I can't stretch to the MY11 so now that I've been ruined by the MY11, how dissapointed will I be in a 2010?? I'm hoping its degrees of excellence we're talking but I'll report back when I have.


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## hockey-boy (Apr 16, 2006)

I have a my11 recaro and The manual auto part you get use to and in some ways is cool. In r mode it is fully manual and only does what u want. As for the steering when you get chance to give it some beans properly then you get the feed back. I went to nurburg other week its then that you realise how everything comes to life and it gives you the feed back. After going to nurburg with it I found a whole new respect for car. It is insane what they have done with it. I was only going to do a few laps in 35 and then run the 34 most of time as Justin drove my 34 out but ended running most of time in 35. I also hammered the car which a few people saw and also did laps with me. Paul-k wife went for a few laps and we were chasing all sorts down and after the laps which was around 25 to 30 over the 2 days I returned to middlehurst to get car checked out and had nothing to do on it. Brakes fine, tires fine and did not need any oil changes as I did not hit the 120 mark and at one point did 3 straight laps back to back and then had to come off to get fuel. I seriously don't regret buying mine and cannot wait to beats it's back side round nurburg again.


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## WoREoD (Apr 27, 2008)

I also loved my MY09 but there were a few niggles which seem to have all been sorted on the MY11.

There is one other car in my life (incidentally they both get their share of daily use!) and that has been a "keeper" since day of delivery six years ago.

Could never think of the MY09 like that always regarding it as "warranty period only", but fate took a hand and I'm now in a MY11 which is eating its way into my heart. 

So it gets alternate daily use plus odd track outings (but there is *only one* track, the Nordschleife!) - my problem now is keeping the miles down!


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## Adamantium (Jun 24, 2002)

I do t think the pre 11 will let you down. It's 90% the sane experience and a lot of what it lacks you can import!


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## Zed Ed (Oct 24, 2007)

Nito, you could have come to Brunters for a proper demo of the capability of all MYs !


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## ROG350Z (Jun 15, 2008)

Excellent write up really well written and obviously a fan. Drive an MY10 and then one with Stage 2 99 Tune and Ti Exhaust or Y pipe. 95 percent of 11 with more power - not as refined or 'complete' a car obviously but £20k buys you a lot of Eurotunnel tickets and 100 RON ring fuel ......


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## jcg (Oct 7, 2009)

or I guess you could buy UK spec MY09 car (which is the same as MY10) and save well over £30k


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## Karls (Jul 12, 2010)

WoREoD said:


> I also loved my MY09 but there were a few niggles which seem to have all been sorted on the MY11.
> 
> There is one other car in my life (incidentally they both get their share of daily use!) and that has been a "keeper" since day of delivery six years ago.
> 
> ...


What car is the 'keeper'?


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## Turbotwo (Jan 28, 2011)

Great Read Nito..really enjoyed what you had to say..are you on the hunt for your own now?!..


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## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

Thanks chaps,

I echo what Karls said, you can't make comments like that Woreod and then keep us in suspense by not telling us 

Hockey-boy, sounds like a lot of fun. I'm still waiting to do the ring, hopefully next year but in the GTS-T. 

Rog and jcg, VFM wise there's no question the 09s and 10s are where its at, I need to pull my finger out now and do the deed! Just need to go and see my friendly bank manager who's back off holiday tomorrow!

Zed, what happened at Brunters, is that a Nissan arranged thing or just a bunch of you on a track day?

Thanks
Regards
Nito


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## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

Hi Turbotwo,

Yes, I think I'll be going the MY10 route, although I've yet to drive one, but financially that's as high as I can sensibly go.

Regards
Nito


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## KingOfTheGT-R (May 21, 2011)

Nice read. Was you not blown away buy the burst when the twin turbos kick in the gut?


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## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

It was more impressive performance wise than I'd expected. I'm used to this level of power+ so the bar was already raised very high, which makes the commendation all the more complimentary. If you look at my garage on here you can see what I'm comparing it too. It's the torque and box that impressed me the most and they both compliment eachother perfectly. it's a very impressive car, I can only imagine how fast the stage 2 cars must feel. It's good to know that I can get back to my old Nur levels of performance with a fraction of the outlay as I never thought I'd ever own such a bonkers car again. 

Cheers
Nito


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## KingOfTheGT-R (May 21, 2011)

NITO said:


> It was more impressive performance wise than I'd expected. I'm used to this level of power+ so the bar was already raised very high, which makes the commendation all the more complimentary. If you look at my garage on here you can see what I'm comparing it too. It's the torque and box that impressed me the most and they both compliment eachother perfectly. it's a very impressive car, I can only imagine how fast the stage 2 cars must feel. It's good to know that I can get back to my old Nur levels of performance with a fraction of the outlay as I never thought I'd ever own such a bonkers car again.
> 
> Cheers
> Nito


 I guess. What did you think of the look of the car?


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## WoREoD (Apr 27, 2008)

I'm sorry - just didnt want to divert the thread. Bit of background, many years ago I bought from new a Ford Escort (Mk1) RS1600 (with the 16-valve BDA engine) which I rallied for a few years and enjoyed every moment - its the only car I regret selling - I knew every nut and bolt on it!

Years later (after children, families, practical cars!) I re-discovered rear-wheel drive plus manual gearbox - oh deep joy! So....

It's a Nissan 350Z 35th Anniversary (GT4) edition. There's something really nice about being in control......


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## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

I hear what you're saying, it's why I have an R33 GTS-T tucked away in the garage :thumbsup:

Cheers
Nito


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## w8pmc (Sep 16, 2010)

jcg said:


> or I guess you could buy UK spec MY09 car (which is the same as MY10) and save well over £30k


Is this correct? I know visually they are but I though their were some very subtle changes to the MY10 car (not of course as many as in the MY11)

Either way, great write up & they are indeed fantastic cars


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## jcg (Oct 7, 2009)

They are fundamentally the same car, set-up and performance (albeit all MY10 had satnav). What you get if you buy MY10 vs MY09 is the advantage of a less old car but that is about it (and it was for this reason that a number of colleagues waited for the 2011 model to bother get in to GTR ownership/to change model). It now seems also that the changes to MY2011 are perhaps not as profound as initially thought or at least the changes are replicable to a great extent in MY09 and 10 cars without inordinate cost


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## Adamantium (Jun 24, 2002)

jcg said:


> They are fundamentally the same car, set-up and performance (albeit all MY10 had satnav). What you get if you buy MY10 vs MY09 is the advantage of a less old car but that is about it (and it was for this reason that a number of colleagues waited for the 2011 model to bother get in to GTR ownership/to change model). It now seems also that the changes to MY2011 are perhaps not as profound as initially thought or at least the changes are replicable to a great extent in MY09 and 10 cars without inordinate cost


Not sure that is the case.

There are many individually insignificant changes that combined make a substantial difference.

Many of these cannot easily be replicated.

Consider the list:

- Looks with the added aerodynamic/cooling/downforce advantage.

- Interior appearance - would be very expensive to retrofit

- Bracing in the chassis - can be retrofitted

- Leather strap to close boot - might be retrofittable

- Lighter wheels - high cost

- bigger brakes - high cost

Some of the above will be important to some, and not others.

Now the control strategy of the gearboxes is a different thing. it looks like they can import the launch control parameters to allow the quick launches, but this doesn't get covered by warranty as it does in the 2011. The snow mode has not been replaced by save mode yet, and the 2wd for manouvering isn't available - which makes for a nicer car at low speeds.

The service interval change on the 2011 cannot be replicated, which while less significant once the cars are beyond three years old, could put off buyers of second hand cars if the 6 month schedule is not adhered to.


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## w8pmc (Sep 16, 2010)

Still pretty sure a few differences other than just the addition of sat nav were differences between 09 & 10. Was the power not lifted but 7bhp, MFD was altered, tweaks to TCM & suspension? Could be wrong but I'm sure I read the above.

Differences between 10 & 11 are of course way more significant.


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## sin (Dec 3, 2007)

w8pmc said:


> Still pretty sure a few differences other than just the addition of sat nav were differences between 09 & 10. Was the power not lifted but 7bhp, MFD was altered, tweaks to TCM & suspension? Could be wrong but I'm sure I read the above.
> 
> Differences between 10 & 11 are of course way more significant.


Paul, you are correct with mfd (higher res), but the suspension tweaks were already in place on EDM MY09 cars from the original JDMs. Never heard of any power increases or tcm changes. Basically just the sat nav and the screen that shows it as far as i was aware.


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## w8pmc (Sep 16, 2010)

sin said:


> Paul, you are correct with mfd (higher res), but the suspension tweaks were already in place on EDM MY09 cars from the original JDMs. Never heard of any power increases or tcm changes. Basically just the sat nav and the screen that shows it as far as i was aware.


Oleg dokey, thought the MY10 had aloft from 478 to 485 & some alteration to TCM. I'm often confused

You coming to the AGM?


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## sumo69 (Mar 31, 2008)

All EDM models were 485ps which I believe (its late) is 478bhp.

Res on nav cars MFD was miles better than on 09 and i think the same as 10 plates.

D


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## WoREoD (Apr 27, 2008)

ISTR that MY10's had a slightly modified undertray to aid transmission cooling?


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## NITO (Nov 19, 2003)

From the Middlehurst website:

KEY POINTS DURING THE GT-R LIFECYCLE TO DATE INCLUDE:
Spring 2008 - Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) launch specification upgraded to U.S Market launch specification
Modified spring rate by 0.1 kg/mm
Stiffer engine mounts and an uprated transaxle mount

*2009MY Non Nav*
Winter 2008 - U.S Market launch specification to EU Market (non Sat Nav) launch specification
Power increase from 480 to 485 PS
Revised Spring and Damper rates
Revised (darker) wheel colours
New Metallic White (in place of solid white)
Fuel tank capacity increased from 71 to 73.8 litres

*2009MY Nav*
Summer 2009; EU Market Launch (non Sat Nav) to Sat Nav
Introduction of Satellite Navigation
Improved screen resolution
DVD Player
USB Port
Bluetooth Audio Streaming
Revised lettering on Brake Calipers; Brembo to Nissan (no change in technical design)
Reversing Buzzer

*2010MY*
Winter 2009; EU Market (Sat Nav) to MY10 EU Market
'Base' Grade removed from EU Market
Second NACA duct in rear diffuser
Revised ABS Characteristics for improved rear brake bias
Revised rear brake spigot shape and pad chamfer
Improved front transmission mount rigidity
Revised front spring rate and damper
Revised rear transfer link bushing
Increased water pipe diameter for transmission oil cooler
Revised Transmission Control Unit
Revised auto shift schedule; 6th > 5th and 4th > 3rd to 2nd
Increased Battery Capacity

Spring 2010
Introduction of SpecV variant to European Market

*2011MY*
Winter 2010; EU Market MY10 to MY11
Power increased to 530 PS @ 6,400 rpm from 485 PS @ 6,400 (+9 %)
Torque increased to 612 Nm @ 3,200; 6,000 rpm from 588 Nm @ 3,200; 5,200 rpm (+4 %)
Coefficient of drag (cd) improved to 0.26
Downforce increased by up to +10%
Front brake disc diameter increased by +10 mm to 390 mm
Reintroduction of full R-mode acceleration system
Revised front torque distribution
Carbon Composite Strut in the engine bay
Front suspension ; revised dampers, stabiliser bar ratio and caster angle
Rear suspension ; revised suspension geometry (toe and roll centre height)
New Wheel design; stiffer and lighter
Tyre design ; new tyre structure and compound
New seat stitching and padding (both grades) with exclusive Black Edition Interior Recaro design
Carbon finish around centre console HVAC and audio dials
Darker trim around door handles and gearshift
Pull-strap in boot lid
New engine cover colour in red
Magnesium Paddle Shifts
Wider opening for front air intake and front nose section
Revised front spoiler with additional aerodynamic canards
LED daytime running lights at the front
LED rear foglight and revised rear grille
New exterior colours
Revised carbon rear diffuser
Additional outlets in the lower rear bumper section
Larger exhaust tip diameter

regards
Nito


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## WoREoD (Apr 27, 2008)

"Increased water pipe diameter for transmission oil cooler"

..thats what I was thinking of for the MY10!


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## jcg (Oct 7, 2009)

Yes the increased power was implemented (as were the set up tweaks) for all UK 2009 cars (ie functionally the car is the same UK MY09 to MY10). You are right that the MFD was given better resolution for MY10 (although this would not be a compelling reason for choosing MY10 over MY09). I was not aware of any meaningful cooling changes and certainly (if there were) have not experienced or heard of any changes in temperature characteristics between the 2 cars on road or track (for the latter you need additional non-OEM cooling and the MY11 has not improved the situation in a worthwhile way)


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## w8pmc (Sep 16, 2010)

Was a little bit right then & it was that list that I recalled reading a few weeks ago. Knew I'd seen a power increase but didn't realise it was the year before.

Anyone know what the TCM changes were or was it just a hardware alteration.


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## bcl (Apr 28, 2011)

I now have 5000kms in my 2011.
I love the car, and have always had at least 1 turbo car in my garage since 1982. 
Probably my biggest apprehension would be if could be used as a daily driver, if I was to offload some of my other turbo cars.
Answer is an overwhelming yes.
Biggest irritation is the way auto mode tries to get into auto mode as quick as it can, but I use manual mode almost all the time.
Just get one, whatever you can afford.
Brian


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