Nissan GT-R Nismo Review: The Final Run of an Icon

Introduction

The latest Nissan GT-R Nismo needs little introduction, even though this is the last and final run-out example with a number of tweaks from Nissan. Visually it is a touch sharper than before, literally. The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 produces no more power or torque than its predecessor: 592bhp and 481 lb-ft, with a claimed top speed of 196mph.

At its claimed top speed the GT-R generates just over 100kg of downforce, and although its chassis is still defined by a complex and still brilliant four-wheel-drive system, its weight of 1,725kg no longer seems quite as Titanic as it once did. It is actually 16kg lighter than the car before it.

Who This Product Is For

Not everyone in the performance car world likes the GT-R. A lot of people think it is too heavy, too clumsy, too technical and too complex, unnatural in the way it drives. This car is not for them.

It is for drivers who appreciate the engineering approach: a car that feels a little like a mobile space shuttle at times, but rewards commitment with enormous traction and speed. If you simply point it into corners without understanding it, it just understeers everywhere and you will wonder what all the fuss is about.

How It Drives On The Limit

Get it right and it can feel like quite a wild ride, because it does oversteer fairly often. The trick is getting it into a position where you can open the throttle fully and extract loads of traction, and ultimately loads of speed.

The recipe on track is to be committed under brakes, send it into most corners, then have the confidence to get on the throttle as early as possible to kill the understeer and manage the resulting balance. It sounds outrageous, and the traction is genuinely startling: the car is simply going forwards at a huge rate. With 592bhp and 1,720-odd kilograms it is not the ideal recipe for a killer lap time on paper, but in practice it is pretty rapid.

Performance And Technology

The brakes are carbon ceramics this time, a meaningful change for repeated track use. The claimed 0-62mph time remains an eye-watering 2.6 seconds.

The chassis remains defined by its complex four-wheel-drive system, which is still brilliant in the way it deploys the power. The 16kg weight reduction helps the car feel less heavy than the old perception of the GT-R suggests.

Things To Consider Before Buying

This is a complex, technical machine that asks something of its driver. If you drive it at seven tenths without learning its rhythm, the understeer will dominate and it will feel big and clumsy. Commit to it, and it delivers a level of traction and speed that feels almost untouchable.

Track Verdict

Around Anglesey, a lap time of 1 minute 14.5 seconds puts it on a par with the McLaren 570S, well ahead of a 991-generation 911 Turbo, and only a couple of tenths shy of the Ford GT and the Ferrari 458 Speciale.

Yet on the road it feels even faster than that somehow, as if almost nothing could touch it at any price. Whatever the truth of it, it is hard not to say goodbye to this icon of speed and technical innovation with a heavy heart, because there will not be cars like this in years to come.

Conclusion

The final Nissan GT-R Nismo is a fitting send-off for one of the most distinctive performance cars ever made. It is heavy by supercar standards, complex by any standard, and utterly brilliant when driven with commitment. Its lap time proves the engineering still works, and its character ensures there will be nothing quite like it again.