GT-R delivers gut-churning performance

Nissan production vehicle bolsters fast reputation

To experience the full, gut-churning potential of Nissan's 2009 GT-R, you have to ride shotgun with Tochio Suzuki.

The legendary test driver took automotive writers for hot laps around the Autodromo Fernanda Pires Da Silva in Estoril, Portugal, recently as part of the 2009 model's introduction.

Suzuki still had his mojo working a few days after setting a record time for the GT-R of 7 minutes, 29 seconds at Germany's 22-kilometer Nurburgring. That shaved 9 seconds off the previous record and bolstered the GT-R's status as one of the fastest production cars in existence.

Even drivers who can't make it to the track can confirm the GT-R's 0-60 mph time of between 3.2 and 3.8 seconds. A video-game-inspired screen at the center of the dash displays mechanical and driving data, including a timer and information on acceleration, brake pedal pressure, steering angle and a recording function with playback. With Suzuki at the wheel, the screen was flashing out graphs and numbers like a HAL 9000 on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

At Estoril's nearly 2.6-mile track with four left turns and nine to the right, Suzuki drove a right-hand version of the GT-R over a period of several hours.

To say he put it to the test would be an understatement. On all 13 corners, Suzuki worked the throttle, brakes, steering wheel and paddle shifters with such skill that even other experienced race drivers at the track were in awe.

"His consistency is absolutely amazing," said one. "No one else can do the things he does."

On all the turns, Suzuki managed to drift through the corners while accelerating, which is challenging with an all-wheel-drive car. Through a slalom run, Suzuki never touched the brakes as he whipped through the cones at speeds in excess of 70 mph.

No video game can capture the g-forces that tug at a high-performance car, even in such skilled hands. You really don't have time to be afraid.

When it was my turn to take the car around the track, my only hope was to gain a sense of how the car responded to throttle, brakes and gears without embarrassing myself. My guide, Portuguese Formula 1 driver Pedro Moleiro, only had to intervene once, downshifting the automatic stick when I hit the brakes too late in a curve.

"If you don't have pretty special brakes, it's going to stop being fun and start being scary pretty quick," observed Moleiro, who considers Estoril his home track.

Not to dismiss the 3.8-liter, twin turbo, 480-horsepower V6 engine, but the brakes are pretty special.

The 15-inch Brembo vented discs are designed for track speeds with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers. The GT-R rides on lightweight forged 20-inch wheels, with special knurling to keep the tires on during hard acceleration or braking.

But, my oh my, that engine is amazing. Mounted lengthwise behind the front axle to balance the weight, the V6 puts out 430 pounds-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm, sending it through a six-speed automatic transaxle mounted towards the rear. The first-of-its-kind layout allows the suspension to operate independently, improving tire grip at each corner.

The drive train sends torque first to the rear tires, then splits evenly between front and rear as conditions require. GT-R's yaw-rate feedback control measures the differences between the target yaw rate calculated from steering angle and actual yaw rate detected by the yaw-rate sensor and G sensor to adjust torque bias.

It may be hard to believe for a car this powerful, but the twin-turbo engine actually meets ultra-low emission vehicle standards and achieves rather surprising fuel economy of 17 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

Although Nissan considered it important to offer four seats, the back two barely qualify. Most drivers will use the back buckets to throw their totes.

Four-ring taillights distinguish the tail while air flow above and below the vehicle is managed by the functional rear carbon fiber underbody diffuser, rear spoiler and large, integrated quad exhaust tips.

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