Nissan GT-R

Your mate has just bagged himself a new Porsche 911 GT3. He’s very pleased with himself – and so he should be – but the time has now come for you to put him and his Beetle back in their place. How? The latest Nissan GT-R is certainly a strong candidate in this game of supercar Top Trumps.

First Impressions

Despite the Nissan GT-R being over a decade old now, it’s still a striking thing to behold in the metal. The bulbous bonnet, steeply raked roofline and blunt rear end are all synonymous with the R35 incarnation – it’s not what you would call a pretty car, but it sure looks purposeful.

Revisions for 2017 include an extra 20bhp from the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine: 562bhp and 466lb ft of torque is now enough to get the GT-R from 0-62mph in less than three seconds. That’s over half a second quicker than its last major facelift in 2011. Top speed is just shy of 200mph. Porsche 911 GT3-humbling numbers, for sure.

Other changes include reworked aerodynamics that enable the GT-R to cut through the air more efficiently, while inside there’s more leather, and a new 8-inch touchscreen greatly reduces the number of buttons on the centre console. Go for Recaro trim and the car comes with a pair of body-hugging sports seats, which are something of a necessity in a car that specialises in pulling outrageous lateral g-forces. The GT-R is a 2+2, but those rear posts are only really suitable for children.

How does it drive?

It’s safe to say that the Nissan GT-R recipe is still i...