How Good Is The GTR?

[Crispy]

I'm asking this because me and my dad are going to the Nissan Dealer to see the 370Z. I suggested taking a look at the GTR, so we might do that.

Now of course we aren't going to drive recklessly, its a dealer-owned car and thats just stupid. But I want to know, how much fun is it to drive on public roads?

I will upload some video from my phone afterwards, this seems like it may be some fun.

 

[xNEVER-ONEx]

So are you planning on buying the car(s), or just joy riding? Either way, GTR is a pretty fast car, though unless your taking it to the track, I doubt you'll get the full essence of it.

 

[Punknoodle]

My car is fun to drive on public roads. A 370Z is definately going to be fun on public roads. A [ insert sporty car here ] is going to be fun on public roads. So I'm pretty sure a GTR would be fun also.

Silly question is silly.

 

[Crispy]

Nah just joyriding. Some sports cars aren't too fun, like the G35. Although thats entirely my opinion.

 

[Cano]

G35 a sports car?


really?

 

[Azuremen]

In all odds, they won't let either of you drive it unless you pass a credit check. That is what a lot of dealers ended up doing with commonly joy-riden cars, like the EVO and STi.

The G35 isn't a sports car, its a GT at best, even if it is related to the 350Z.

As for the GT-R. Meh. PlayStation on wheels with some turbo things. Would honestly rather test drive the 370Z than the GT-R.

 

[Eric.]

On the road it'll probably just feel massive and fast. You wouldn't get to push it any to really appreciate the performance.

 

[baly]

GTR one word = awesome

friends got one , never ceases to amaze me on all levels.

Thats considering my circle of friends have 911, M5 & 3s, AMGs and a fezza.

So buy one ! :-)

 

[AlexGTV]

^Facebook friends?

 

[baly]

lol accoutants, dentist, banker, property developers :-)

 

[Keef]

I imagine the GT-R isn't a lick of fun to drive at all unless you're hammering the gas pedal. That's one of the car's appeals - it's perfectly comfortable on the day-to-day, but it can perform when you actually want it to.

The 370Z is smaller, lighter, noisier, less-fancy, smaller interior, and only two seats. It's the better sports car of the two. Though it can't perform outright like the GT-R can, it makes itself more known to the driver on a trip to the grocery.

Azuremen is probably right about the credit check before the test drive. That's common on expensive cars, especially at dealerships that don't concentrate on expensive cars. Even at Mercedes, they probably wouldn't let me test drive anything but a C-class if I walked in with anything less than a button up shirt.

 

[vfrmaverick]

Its not an exiting car to drive, its fast yes. But it just feels so blunt. Even on rain, now in a track with everything in R mode and giving it 10/10ths it steps out and misbehaves sometimes. But it doesnt compare to lets say a z06 or a gt3. They are each different things.

 

[baly]

not sure about it not being exciting.

the acceleration is ace. braking ace. cornering ie placing into bends ace,feel for what the tyres and chasis doing ace.

its not a light weight special model like 911 gt or rs variant.

but compare to 911 c4s, audi r8, and even some proper supercars it still holds it own as a drivers car. read Evo group test quite a result.

 

[Keef]

the acceleration is ace. braking ace. cornering ie placing into bends ace,feel for what the tyres and chasis doing ace.

None of this is really applicable to the daily commute to work and back. Consider why the Miata is the most successful sports car of all time.

 

[NLxAROSA]

If you can't have fun with a GTR on your daily commute, you probably can't have fun with a Miata (or insert any other car name) either.

Nah just joyriding.

Anyway, the whole discussion is pointless, he just wants to take a dealer car for a spin to post a video on the internet, with no intention of buying a car at all. So he might as well just try the 370Z at the first dealership and the GTR at the second.

 

[Azuremen]

not sure about it not being exciting.

the acceleration is ace. braking ace. cornering ie placing into bends ace,feel for what the tyres and chasis doing ace.

its not a light weight special model like 911 gt or rs variant.

but compare to 911 c4s, audi r8, and even some proper supercars it still holds it own as a drivers car. read Evo group test quite a result.

I'd still rather drive a Miata around day to day over a GT-R. The GT-R to me is just a fancy computer with a turbo strapped to it, I don't how much EVO or anyone else claims it is a driver's car.

 

[homeforsummer]

If you can't have fun with a GTR on your daily commute, you probably can't have fun with a Miata (or insert any other car name) either.

Probably not strictly true.

Amazing as something like a GT-R is, I suspect it's also a frustrating experience never being able to use it to its full potential on the road. Goes for any car with very, very high performance. Any car where you're breaking the legal limit in the first couple of gears and within three or four seconds is difficult to enjoy on anything but a completely empty and cop-free road.

But then, I'm one of those people prepared to take a performance hit for something that you can enjoy as much at 10mph as you can at 100mph. Suspect the GT-R feels a bit like a big Micra at 10mph...

I don't how much EVO or anyone else claims it is a driver's car.

Heh. I see what you're getting at but Evo themselves don't really rave about the GT-R. They like it for sure, but as magazines go they don't seem to follow the "OMG AMAZING" theme of other car mags...

 

[Azuremen]

Heh. I see what you're getting at but Evo themselves don't really rave about the GT-R. They like it for sure, but as magazines go they don't seem to follow the "OMG AMAZING" theme of other car mags...

I don't follow the magazines too much, but my point was made. My bitter attitude could also stim from WRX and EVO owners being the most common "enthusiasts" for performance around here, and all they talk about is AWD and turbos. To them, there is nothing greater than the GT-R, and they will just talk about performance to value and numbers endlessly. They don't seem to care it is just a PlayStation on wheels And pretty much regard anything with a turbo and AWD as just not as good, regardless of figures. The discussions with them when they mention my M3 are generally hilarious talks on how AWD gives you better cornering and turbo power.

I don't know, I just find the GT-R and most AWD computer trickier cars a bit soulless. The GT-R even more so, since it is just huge and brutish I'd say.

/rant

 

[homeforsummer]

I know what you mean. They're cars I respect rather than desire.

 

[NLxAROSA]

Amazing as something like a GT-R is, I suspect it's also a frustrating experience never being able to use it to its full potential on the road. Goes for any car with very, very high performance. Any car where you're breaking the legal limit in the first couple of gears and within three or four seconds is difficult to enjoy on anything but a completely empty and cop-free road.

True, but with an ultra-high performance car, there's always a lower gear. That said, I probably would lose my drivers license really quickly with a car like the GTR, so it may not be the most practical for daily use.

My bitter attitude could also stim from WRX and EVO owners being the most common "enthusiasts" for performance around here, and all they talk about is AWD and turbos. To them, there is nothing greater than the GT-R, and they will just talk about performance to value and numbers endlessly.

Sounds a bit like Audi 'enthusiasts' over here.

I know what you mean. They're cars I respect rather than desire.

The GTR can kick other supercars arses all it wants, I'd probably still pick something different given the amount of cash. You can throw numbers around all you want, ultimately it's about how the car makes you feel.

And I can say from first hand, having owned a 350z: no, it's no match for a Porsche Cayman, even if it the performance numbers are roughly the same. Just step in the Porsche, and the same instant you will know why it's 20k more expensive (over here anyway ). I suspect that will apply to the GTR as well. If I had 120k euro to spare, it would definitely not go to Nissan.

 

[homeforsummer]

True, but with an ultra-high performance car, there's always a lower gear. That said, I probably would lose my drivers license really quickly with a car like the GTR, so it may not be the most practical for daily use.

That's what I'm getting at though. I expect (just guessing here) the GT-R can break the legal limit before it changes into third, so you're going to have limited fun with the acceleration because you can only enjoy it without risking your licence for a few seconds.

It's a bit like sleeping with a supermodel but only lasting a few seconds It'd be great for those few seconds, but I think most of us would prefer someone you could have fun with for hours...

 

[baly]

Most people dont buy high performance cars thinking will i have fun commuting to work. They normally buy a second car for that.

So yes stuck when stuck in traffic yes you cant really have fun.

You dont need to be going at 190mph to enjoy and appreciate what a car can do. Ask any biker, find a fatastic B twsisty b road youll probaly never hit over 80 on the twistys but you'll know within few miles what the cars purpose was.

computerised and awd dull factor. please sit in one or drive one for a bit.

like i said I've driven, and this aint showing off, 911s, the M cars, AMGs, a small 40 minute blast in Ferrari 360 and 456, also some hot hatches, and not just me but the rest of the guys have all said the gtr is rather special and just as organic in feel as the other cars.

horse for courses, i love cars, but not in a fanboy way, but it is due credit.

 

[Famine]

I'd still rather drive a Miata around day to day over a GT-R.

Yep.

Suspect the GT-R feels a bit like a big Micra at 10mph...

Slightly more frustrating, oddly. It's quiet, relaxed, boring and everything you could possibly want from a car you're just commuting in. But there's a nagging sensation of it being held in a cage, rattling the bars yelling "LET ME OUT!".

A commute in a GT-R (or an Atom 300 ) would be fine. A pootle would be agonising. MX-5s (and Atom 300s) are hilarious at any speed. For that matter they're hilarious even while not moving.

I don't know, I just find the GT-R and most AWD computer trickier cars a bit soulless.

You know... it's not. Though my experience of absolutely spanking one of them is somewhat limited, the computery gubbins really isn't all that intrusive - and it really doesn't feel like the colossal block of lead-lined concrete it appears to be from the size and weight. You really can drive it like a Miata.

But I'd take the Miata down the shops.

 

[Punknoodle]

Anyway, the whole discussion is pointless, he just wants to take a dealer car for a spin to post a video on the internet, with no intention of buying a car at all. So he might as well just try the 370Z at the first dealership and the GTR at the second.

Exactly. It was an immature original post and what do you know, it never happened. Big surprise there!

 

[homeforsummer]

Most people dont buy high performance cars thinking will i have fun commuting to work. They normally buy a second car for that.

You'd be surprised.

You dont need to be going at 190mph to enjoy and appreciate what a car can do. Ask any biker, find a fatastic B twsisty b road youll probaly never hit over 80 on the twistys but you'll know within few miles what the cars purpose was.

Bad example. You're much, much more involved in the process of riding a bike at any speed than you are in a car. I know bikers who love the challenge of riding around town as much as they do a country road thrash. Cars are very different.

like i said I've driven, and this aint showing off, 911s, the M cars, AMGs, a small 40 minute blast in Ferrari 360 and 456, also some hot hatches, and not just me but the rest of the guys have all said the gtr is rather special and just as organic in feel as the other cars.

The feel of a car isn't 100% of the experience. I'm almost certain a Ferrari 360 would be a better experience at 10mph in traffic than a GT-R. It's a less accomplished car, but the Ferrari gurgles and snorts the whole time anyway and the GT-R is, as I suggested before, just a big Nissan whose talents only really start to show the quicker you drive it. If you can't utilise all the performance, such as in traffic, there's a lot to be said for having that Ferrari badge on your steering wheel rather than the same badge you'll find in a Micra.

Snobbish definitely, but the truth too.

horse for courses, i love cars, but not in a fanboy way, but it is due credit.

Don't get me wrong, I have massive respect for the GT-R, and I'm rather jealous of both Famine and my brother, both who've driven one as it's meant to be driven, but I'd join the others in saying that I'd much prefer to drive something every day that felt special even at lower speeds, rather than something where all the potential was being wasted.

 

[baly]

Cars invoke such mixed feelings, its what i love about them.

My bike comparison , yeh i know a bike is a different animal all together, but both machines can be appreciated without maxing out.

Sometimes a little point and shoot on a bit of straight can satisfy the soul, as well as finding that road with that stretch of twisties.

I notice that in the UK I see bikers and a certain type of car on very specific b roads, so they are all appreciating something quite similar but in a different way.

Anyway as mentioned a bit pointless as the guy never got the car, but its good to have a little chat about cars.

ps my fave car to go to shops in, my wifes Audi diesal, perfect for going to waitrose etc etc.

 

[JJ72]

In real world terms my impression is it is too big and steering lacks some feel for it to be a driver's car, in where I live when there's always traffic on highway the most fun is to be had in some back roads, at which I can really sense the size of it being a limiting factor.

 

[YSSMAN]

Most people dont buy high performance cars thinking will i have fun commuting to work. They normally buy a second car for that.

You've never been to Michigan, then. The number of high performance daily drivers is quite silly, especially when you consider the weather that we have four months out of the year. Neighbors with Z06s, Elises, GTOs, Mustangs, 911s and even Testarossas never cease to amaze me. Snow on the road? WHY THE HELL NOT?



Nevertheless, for the amount of money you spend on a GT-R, why bother? Between the already high MSRP, dealer markups, and presumably outrageous repair costs, you may as well buy a stripped out Carrera and get the purest driving experience possible aside from an MX-5.

That, or be a man and buy a proper sports car that will send the right shivers (read: fear) down your spine. You know, the ones that are stuck together with horse glue and have the suspension tuning done a few years after they've gone on-sale to the public...

 

[Eric.]

The feel of a car isn't 100% of the experience. I'm almost certain a Ferrari 360 would be a better experience at 10mph in traffic than a GT-R.

Except if its on fire. Then I'd rather be in the GT-R. I can't imagine that being in a Ferrari has any improving effect on being engulfed in flames.

 

[Zenith]

Except if its on fire. Then I'd rather be in the GT-R. I can't imagine that being in a Ferrari has any improving effect on being engulfed in flames.

For having fun on public roads, I'd stick to something that's lightweight and naturally aspirated. Cars like the Miata feel more connected with the road, easier to throw around, and you get better response all around. It's no secret that the GT-R is quick, but it's hard to see anyone having more fun in the GT-R than they would in a Miata.

Of course, this are just my views, I bet there are hundreds of people on this forum with Evo's who enjoy them on the road for their own reasons.