Nissan GT-R "No GT2"

[fecurtis]

"The GT-R is, oh yes, a stunning car, a monumental feat of automotive engineering. I knew that the moment I climbed aboard: I haven't seen so many buttons since I rushed a preppy frat in college. With the twist of a few dials, you can summon more obscure and fascinating data than an immigration officer rifling through confidential passport files. Throttle-percentage graphs, acceleration and braking traces, lateral g's...I think the GT-R's displays can also chart your wife's fertility cycles and predict whether Mane Attraction is going to win, place, or show.

When the engine is on, there's a constant, dim whine in the cabin -- perhaps it's the fuel pump, or maybe a cooling fan buried somewhere. It's not irritating; just reminds you that you're riding in something special, high-strung, a Learjet idling on the ramp. Shift the console lever into the manual gate, dip into the throttle, flick the right paddle a few times, and...that can't be right. The speedo says I'm doing...wow, is this thing fast. The "60 mph" marker is barely above the stop for "0 mph" -- about where you'd find "10 mph" or "20 mph" on a normal car. It's also way below, ahem, where the needle is hovering at the moment...

The GT-R achieves speed like Laetitia Casta draws stares -- naturally, effortlessly, almost as if it doesn't realize how remarkable it is. The ride is quite good, even in its firm setting. Steering feel could be better, but for a big, heavy, four-wheel-drive car, the GT-R cuts a fine line. And even when driven hard, it's as cool and collected as an astronaut on the pad; with heroic feats to accomplish but the DNA and the moxie to pull them off with apparent ease. That it stickers for only about $70,000 is truly astonishing. For delivering so much at the price, the GT-R rightly deserves a seat atop the auto world's Olympus.

And yet...to read much of the breathless prose surrounding the new Nissan, you'd think it was the Second Coming, the Greatest Sports Car of All Time.

It isn't. Several weeks ago, I test-drove the new 2008 Porsche 911 GT2. Yes, the Porsche starts at $192,560, nearly three times the price of the GT-R. In a value fight, the Nissan wins in a runaway. But for those for whom cost is no object -- and there are many -- the Porsche delivers a driving experience the GT-R simply cannot match. I mentioned that the Nissan's steering feel could be better. The GT2's is near-perfection, your fingertips reading the tire treads like Braille, cornering forces building like a masseuse squeezing your trapezius muscles. And while the GT-R is blindingly quick, the GT2 is...otherworldly. True, at just 3.2 seconds the Nissan gets to 60 mph two tenths quicker -- thanks to four-wheel-drive traction and short gearing. But after that, all you can see from the GT-R is GT2 whale tail. By the time the Nissan reaches 100 mph (8 seconds flat), the Porsche has been there, done that (7.3 seconds). From that point on, the GT2 just disappears.

As this graph shows, it doesn't take $190K+ to out-gun the already fabled GT-R. After 110 mph, the Corvette Z06, the Viper SRT10, and the Ford GT are all pulling away. As for "involving driving experience," the players at, say, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lotus, Bugatti, and more have legitimate claims of superiority over the new GT-R."

Full blog:
http://blogs.motortrend.com/6238082/...gt2/index.html

[SDGenius]

yeah, the GT2 looks like a winner. as for what happens after 60mph... well, the BIG selling point for the GT-R is usable everyday power. i'd say it's a pretty good balance of a DD and a Track car. if i could have either car for free, i'd take the GT2. I might even take the 911 Turbo over the GT-R. I could always sell 'em & buy 2 or 3 GT-R's, hahahah.

[jl114]

Anybody can do acceleration, but from what I'm reading this car handles like a dream. And it has the numbers to show. Let's wait and see what the V-spec can do.

[Skaterbasist]

The 997 GT2 is in a different league in terms of performance & ofcourse, class.

One of the greatest Porsche's ever made!

.

[Klubbheads]

Man, i wish i could just drive a GT2 one day. It is fast and will kill u even faster if ur not careful. Whats better than that.

[IVRY PRL]

I need to re-register as Captain Obvious and make a post about how the Bugatti Veyron, Zonda F, Koeniggsegg CCX, etc are all better cars than the GT-R.

[fecurtis]

Yeah I'd personally (if it were ever to be a viable option) would take a GT2 or even a Z06 over a GT-R or GT-R V-Spec even.

If I were to buy a vehicle of that sorta caliber, I'd like to have one that I can take on road courses and actually be taught how to drive and maneuver it. That way, if I get an awesome lap time, I knew it was because of my driving abilities...not some sub procedures execution time. It seems the GT-R has all the algorithms do the driving for you.

I'd get jealous if I were ever on a road course and saw a Porsche driving doing most everything I was doing in a GT-R knowing that I'd probably just kill myself if I were driving the Porsche.

[Skaterbasist]

Originally Posted by IVRY PRL

I need to re-register as Captain Obvious and make a post about how the Bugatti Veyron, Zonda F, Koeniggsegg CCX, etc are all better cars than the GT-R.

Don't mention that to GTR nuthuggers. They'll jump all over you for saying such blasphemy.

.

[Klubbheads]

Originally Posted by Skaterbasist

Don't mention that to GTR nuthuggers. They'll jump all over you for saying such blasphemy.

.

[CrazyRuskie]

Originally Posted by Skaterbasist

Don't mention that to GTR nuthuggers. They'll jump all over you for saying such blasphemy.

.

You're joking, right? I guarantee you ANYONE would take all of those cars over a GT-R any day. The problem is, most people can never afford those cars, while a GT-R is within reach for many.

I would take a GT2 over a GT-R any day of the week. Would I buy a GT2? Probably not. Would I buy a GT-R? I might. If I was spending GT2 money, I'd rather be in a Ferrari.

[CrazyRuskie]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Yeah I'd personally (if it were ever to be a viable option) would take a GT2 or even a Z06 over a GT-R or GT-R V-Spec even.

If I were to buy a vehicle of that sorta caliber, I'd like to have one that I can take on road courses and actually be taught how to drive and maneuver it. That way, if I get an awesome lap time, I knew it was because of my driving abilities...not some sub procedures execution time. It seems the GT-R has all the algorithms do the driving for you.

I'd get jealous if I were ever on a road course and saw a Porsche driving doing most everything I was doing in a GT-R knowing that I'd probably just kill myself if I were driving the Porsche.

I'd like to see you drive a GT-R at any track and come close to any of the times that are given. GT-R is just easier to learn to control and is more predictable then the other cars. If you think you can drive a GT-R like a pro, you are sadly mistaken.

[SDGeneralCounsel]

Originally Posted by CrazyRuskie

You're joking, right? I guarantee you ANYONE would take all of those cars over a GT-R any day. The problem is, most people can never afford those cars, while a GT-R is within reach for many.

I would take a GT2 over a GT-R any day of the week. Would I buy a GT2? Probably not. Would I buy a GT-R? I might. If I was spending GT2 money, I'd rather be in a Ferrari.

So you wouldn't take a GT2 over a GT-R....LMAO!!!

[CrazyRuskie]

Originally Posted by Lawy'dU

So you wouldn't take a GT2 over a GT-R....LMAO!!!

Do you not know how to read? I said I wouldn't BUY a GT2 over a GT-R. If they were free, I would take the GT2 any day.

If I had $200k to spend on 1 car, it would be a F430, hands down.

[Klubbheads]

Originally Posted by Lawy'dU

So you wouldn't take a GT2 over a GT-R....LMAO!!!

he would, but when it comes to the price of the GT2 he still rather take the ferrari i guess.

[SDGeneralCounsel]

Originally Posted by CrazyRuskie

Do you not know how to read? I said I wouldn't BUY a GT2 over a GT-R. If they were free, I would take the GT2 any day.

If I had $200k to spend on 1 car, it would be a F430, hands down.

I read it lol. You can always take the GT2 and sell it, then by a F430. Sorry, I guess I was just thinking outside the box.