2014 Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is the successor of the Nissan Skyline GTR
yet retains the nickname “Godzilla” and rightfully so. This beast of car was
unveiled in Japan in 2007, in North America in 2008 and to the rest of the
world in 2009. It is one of the safest high performance and high speed cars on
the planet and is claimed to be the most technologically advanced car in the
world today. Launched in 2007 in Japan, where production first started, over
6000 cars have been sold all over the world. It even had a facelift in 2011 and
every year better packages are offered for the car.
The chassis of the Godzilla is a monocoque structure made by
using steel reinforced at some points with carbon fibre. The other parts such
as hood and trunk are made of light weight aluminum. The chassis is made to be
light yet strong and stiff to withstand high speed turns on the track or road.
The 2014 version boasts a new roll bar for added stiffness along with improved
shocks and springs to improve the driving experience. The front suspension is a
double wish bone system while the rear suspension is a multi link suspension
system. Both suspensions are independent systems.
The GT-R was designed to be Japan’s ultimate, and eventually
be its iconic, supercar. The GT-R is very similar in design to the GT-R PROTO
displayed at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. The design was received a great
positive response and thus was chosen to be the reference for the production
GT-R. However, the front had to be redesigned to make it better suited for
crashes and impacts. The designers wanted an original shape, something that
would make the Godzilla stand out from other supercars, a design that was
unmistakably Japanese. The GT-R is muscular, large shouldered and has a low
ride height. It isn’t refined and elegant nor does it have curves rather it
looks heavy and edgy, after all it is inspired by masculine beauty. It is also
very aerodynamic for its heavy and beefy shape. The new GT-R further enhances
the design of the previous one: the same muscular theme has been followed only
made better. The front fenders and the "aero-blades" on the fenders'
edges provide optimum airflow around the tires and along the body. Even the
paint on the GT-R is so finely applied that it adds to the aerodynamics of the
car.
The GT-R has VR38DETT Twin Turbo V6 specially designed for
the new GT-R. The new 2014 model boasts an improved version of the V6 churning
out 542 bhp and a total torque of 628 Nm. This makes it the most powerful
Japanese road car and the most powerful car made by Nissan. One of the main
features on the Nissan GT-R’s V6 is that the engine is environmentally
friendly. It has been made according to Japan’s U-LEV standards. It has separate
and independent intake and exhaust systems which not only boost efficiency of
the engine but also increase responsiveness and allow for smooth and resistance
free flow of gas through the car’s systems. The bores of the engine are plasma
coated (which were an innovation at the time when the first GT-R came out).
This helps boost efficiency and power and also saves up to 3 kg in weight in
comparison with a standard V6. The Godzilla has a six speed gearbox and a rear
mounted dual clutch semi automatic transmission attached to an ATTESA E-TS
(Electronic Torques Splitting) unit. This allows power to go to all four wheels
improving traction. The 2014 model of GT-R has an improved engine: the standard
engine produced 485 bhp (390 kW) @6400 rpm and 588 Nm (451 lb.ft)@3200–5200 rpm
but the 2014 version produces 542 bhp (404 kW) and 628 Nm (463 lb.ft) of torque
at the same figures of rpm. The new accelerates the GT-R 0.8 seconds faster
from 0-60 mph than the original 2009 version.
The interior of the Godzilla is both beautiful and focuses
mainly on functionality. The GT-R’s interior is designed for both everyday
drivers to high end track riding racers. The sculpted bucket seats hold the
driver and passenger in complete comfort and safety making sure they don’t get
tossed around when cornering at high speeds. The soft pads make up the doors
and the dash. The floor is flat and the entire arrangement offers great driving
experience to all four people in the car. It even has boot space for about two
suit cases! The 2014 GT-R keeps with the original cockpit design of the dials
and meters. These are all kept at same height to minimize driver’s head
movements. The centre console has a very beautiful and ergonomically designed
gear shift pedal. The instrument panel is a multi-functional display that looks
to have been inspired by video games, just another unique Japanese touch added
to the GT-R to make it more far eastern. This display shows the information
about the car’s acceleration, speed, driving, steering, braking etc. It even
has a record and playback function. It even has SAT-NAV and GPS. The Nissan
GT-R comes with a standard 11 speaker Bose audio system mounted into cast
aluminum frames for better acoustic performance of the audio system, also very
Japan. Nissan also packed in seat belts and a whole array of airbags for safety
measures. These airbags are installed at the sides of the driver and passenger
seats (front and back), in the steering and dash and even in the roof!
The 2014 Nissan GT-R comes in two variants: The Premium and
The Black Edition. The Premium is pretty much the standard 2014 GT-R. It comes
with all the basic gear: the 542 bhp engine, the dual clutch transmission, the
Bose audio system and heated front seats. The Black Edition is the next level
variant with special aluminum alloy wheels, red and black interior, special
leather seats, carbon fibre spoiler and other goodies.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- ENGINE
- Engine Type: 3.8L VR38DETT twin-turbo V6
- Displacement: 3,799 cc
- Max. Power: 542 bhp @ 6,400 rpm
- Max Torque: 628 Nm @ 5,000 rpm
- Max. engine speed: 7,000 rpm
- Compression ratio: 9.0:1
- PERFORMANCE
- 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h): 2.7 s
- 0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 3.8 s
- ¼ mile time: < 10.8 s
- Max. speed: 196 mph (315 km/h)
- Braking distance: 37m
- DIMENSIONS
- Overall length: 4,671 mm
- Overall width: 1,902 mm
- Overall height: 1,372 mm
- Wheelbase: 2,780 mm
- WEIGHTS (kg)
- Dry weight: 1,730 kg (3,810 lb)
- Weight distribution(Front/Rear): 53/47
- TRANSMISSION
- Gearbox type: six speed dual clutch semi automatic gearbox
- BRAKES
- Front: ABS Disc brakes
- Rear: ABS Disc brakes
- TYRES AND WHEELS
- Front tyres : P255/40ZR20
- Rear tyres : P285/35ZR20
- CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS
- CO2 emissions : 279.0 g/km
