2017 Nissan GT-R | We tag along with 'Cars with Luke'
Gojira's latest incarnation
2017 Nissan GT-R
My phone rang during a cold evening last November, it was Luke who casually informed me that "Nissan confirmed the press car" and asked me if I was interested in "tagging along?" Yes. I mean, who can say no to a few days of playing around with a 2017 Nissan GT-R? I sure as hell couldn't say no, and I'm happy I didn't. Luke made a total of two videos of the car while he had it, and I had plenty of time for photos the few days I assisted him. You'll find both our work here, as well as my experiences from the days I tagged along. Nissan did a major overhaul on the 2017 GT-R, for the first time non-car-enthusiast could recognize the differences. Mostly giving a more imposing look, the revisions also had a function: more downforce up front and the new grill feeds the hungry VR38DETT twin-turbo V-6 more air than ever. It needs it, as it now pushes out 570 metric horsepower and 637 Nm. A power gain Nissan acquired by upping boost-pressure for the turbos, and by reworking the timing of the ignition. How does that feel? Well, basically like a big, torque-rich diesel engine at low RPM, after which it switches to a typical high-output petrol engine. The best of both worlds really, minus the insane fuel consumption of 30l/100km we managed.
Austria and snow
2017 Nissan GT-R
Kitzbühel, Austria is where we met up. We had the pleasure of being invited to stay in a chalet, one in the middle of a ski resort. Plenty of snow was around, but nothing was forecasted to drop anytime soon. That was something Luke was looking for, and I couldn't blame him, there was this majestic contrast the orange car showed in the white surroundings. I just kept looking at it, for all 4 days I could lay my eyes on it. This car is the one that grows on you while looking at it, one that makes you look back 20 times when you walk away after parking it. No snow fell during our time in Austria, and thus Luke suggested heading towards the 2017 Nissan GT-R's natural habitat: the Autobahn. And so we did, after a few days in Austria. I tagged along with my trusty BMW 535d, casually keeping up on the crowded roads. Until the traffic calmed down, at that point the orange creature would shoot off into the distance. It flies, it leaps across the German roads whilst the torque shifts around the axels on demand, and all that without you noticing the exhaust one single damn time. You only notice the lack of it, but maybe I was fooling myself with the anticipation of the new titanium exhaust, hoping it would make Gojira sing. It didn't. It never did. The old god was silent, yet effective.
Ending grip
We never came close to testing the insane zero-to-a-hundred-time of just 2.7 seconds, the weather was simply too crappy, and the winter tires weren't helping either. Struggling to find traction, the 2017 Nissan GT-R was a scary car to drive, mostly because of the fear when it would find grip and suddenly launch you into the back of your seat. A push that would still kick in at speeds above 200 kph with the same force as it hits you with from standstill. In a straight line, this car is a beast, in corners, it managed to hide its weight very well but the understeer was too present for my liking. That weight was hidden until you hit the brakes, I lost count how many times Luke was wishing out loud he had more braking power. About the only thing, Nissan didn't balance properly in this car, for the amount of acceleration it offers doesn't even out against the amount of stopping power.
We had a few decent runs on the Autobahn, got stopped by police and got lost while at it. My days with this car were drawing to an end, and yet again I felt remorse. I felt it for the same reason I can love about any car out here, but this 2017 Nissan GT-R made me lovesick. And it really felt like lovesickness, the bad kind though. She costs way too much to maintain, she looks good at a first impression after which you find out about the bad layer underneath (I’m referring to the bad interior build quality here), and your friends will always say she’s too quiet. And yet it all works. It does.
