2018 Nissan GT-R Road Test and Review

It’s hard to believe the Nissan GT-R was first introduced almost a decade ago. When the all-wheel drive supercar debuted in 2009, it was the fastest, most powerful and most expensive Nissan ever. It was also one of the best-performing cars in the world. America’s car enthusiast community became immediately obsessed with the twin-turbocharged coupe as GT-R mania swept the nation and broke the internet.

Nicknamed "Godzilla" by its followers, the GT-R remains one of the world’s most potent supercars, as well as one of the most exclusive. With up to 600 horsepower and prices starting around $100,000, the 2018 GT-R is reserved for those that are serious about what they drive, and Americans only buy about 45 GT-Rs a month. Last year, Nissan updated the GT-R with a long list of mechanical and design improvements, including a surge of horsepower. This year brought further enhancements, including a more affordable base price.

Designed and built in Japan, the 2018 Nissan GT-R comes in four trim levels: Pure, Premium, Track Edition, and Nismo. They are all powered by a twin-turbo, all-aluminum, double overhead cam 3.8-liter V6 and use a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard across the range along with huge Brembo brakes, forged aluminum 20-inch wheels, ultra high-performance Dunlop run-flat summer tires, adjustable suspension, leather, power heated front seats, and navigation.

The new 2018 GT-R Pure, which starts $99,990 before the $1,695 destination charge, packs the same 565 hp and 467 lb-ft of torque as the Premium and Track models. It’s essentially the same car as our $111,685 GT-R Premium test vehicle, only without that model’s 11-speaker Bose premium audio system, active noise cancellation and active sound enhancement systems, or lighter titanium exhaust system.

Nismo stands for Nissan Motorsports International. Basically, this in-house tuner shop increases the performance and image of Nissan vehicles by modifying their suspensions, their aerodynamics, and in some case their engines.

There are two versions of the 2018 Nissan GT-R that have been tweaked by Nismo engineers. The first is the GT-R Track Edition, which costs about $130,000. It gets more aggressive suspension tuning, lighter wheels, a carbon fiber rear spoiler, and red and black leather front seats. But the ultimate GT-R remains the Nismo. The GT-R Nismo is the most powerful, with 600 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque. And its aerodynamics package is the most aggressive, with a larger carbon fiber rear spoiler. It also features extra adhesive bonding to increase its rigidity. It costs $177,185.

When the GT-R debuted in 2009, its twin-turbocharged V6 engine was nothing short of rocket science for the time. Today, turbocharging is far more common, as are high-performance cars with over 500 hp. But the GT-R’s 3.8-liter powerplant remains on the list of the world’s most sophisticated engines.  

Last year, Nissan modified the V6’s ignition timing control and added more boost from its turbochargers, increasing power by 20 hp and 4 lb-ft of torque. Nissan also continues to take extreme measures when handcrafting each GT-R engine at a special assembly plant in Yokohama, Japan. Each engine takes about six hours to build by one of only four master craftsmen known as Takumi, who work in a clean-room environment to assure the engine’s precise tolerances. These workers even put their name on each completed engine to give the car’s new owner a connection with the individual who built it.

In the age of 840-hp Dodge Challengers and 755-hp Corvettes, the GT-R’s 565 hp isn’t as impressive at dinner parties as it once was. But on the street, it’s more than enough to strain your neck muscles and push your spleen against your spine. Use the GT-R’s launch control system, which maxes out its power output and traction, and Nissan says it will sprint to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. Hold your foot down through all six gears of its dual-clutch automatic transmission and you’re looking at 197 mph.

Considering that our GT-R Premium test car weighed just shy of 4,000 lbs, those performance numbers are that much more extraordinary. And while much of the credit should go to the monster under Godzilla’s hood, its seamless all-wheel drive must share in the glory. During normal driving, the high-tech system sends 100 percent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels, but it automatically diverts up to 50 percent of that thrust to the front tires depending on conditions that include speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle, tire slip, and road surface.

That all-wheel drive system, along with its massive set of sticky tires and a sophisticated stability control system, also give the 2018 Nissan GT-R incredible road-holding abilities. Its high-speed stability is exceptional. Even at well over 125 mph, the GT-R is as easy to drive as it is at legal speeds. Don’t tell my mother.

Its grip in the corners is also nothing short of remarkable, especially in faster, open sections of road where it corners flat and takes a nice set on those beefy Dunlops. In the tight stuff, the GT-R can feel a bit obese and it will understeer, but the effect is mild and the steering is precise and properly weighted.

Nissan has made other welcome changes to Godzilla's interior, and the improvements made our 2018 GT-R Premium comfortable to drive every day. First, Nissan tweaked the suspension to improve its ride quality. It’s still adjustable with a switch on the dashboard, along with settings for the transmission and stability control system. The enhanced suspension compliance does not come with floppy handling, as the GT-R is responsive and athletic even in its comfort setting.

Reshaped front seats are also more comfortable, and Nissan added active noise cancellation technology, new sound absorption materials, and a new acoustic glass windshield to quiet the GT-R’s interior. An Active Sound Enhancement system plumbs just enough of the engine’s growl into the cabin.

According to Nissan, the GT-R seats four, but the back seat is tight for adults. The interior is built with precision and the materials quality is high. I like the new dash design that debuted last year. It’s more modern, has far fewer buttons, and has a larger 8-inch screen. However, drivers control its functions with a knob on the console and the interface can be a little clumsy. Its red engine-start button remains but has moved to the shifter’s left.

The GT-R’s NissanConnect system lets you use your smartphone to remotely lock or unlock the car doors, call emergency services, or track the car if it’s stolen. A backup camera is also standard. However, safety systems like radar cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, a lane-departure warning, and a rear cross-traffic alert are unavailable on the GT-R. These are driver aids available on cars costing much less. Buyers may also be disappointed to learn that the GT-R’s infotainment system is not compatible with Android Auto and that onboard Wi-Fi is not available, but iPhone users will appreciate the new-for-2018 Apple CarPlay integration.

When you drive a GT-R, people notice. They watch you go by. Some give you a thumbs-up, especially young men. But women are attracted to this car too. There’s something about its shape, even after nine years on the market, that keep it from fading into the crowd. People know it’s something special. Parking the GT-R is not only an invitation for conversation, but Godzilla’s admirers pull their phones and the take pictures and videos. Some ask if it’s OK, but most do not. Back away quickly unless you want to appear with the machine on Snap stories and endless Insta feeds.

Despite its tight interior, the GT-R is a big car with a 185.4-inch overall length, which is about 6  inches longer than a Porsche 911. It wears its size well with perfect proportions and a sloping roofline, but its best features are the NACA ducts in its hood; its four large round taillights, which harken back to earlier GT-R generations; and its four massive exhaust pipes.

I recently found out that rock god Sammy Hagar is 70 years old. “How can that be?” I said. “I just saw him in concert. The man was rocking out like a teenager.”

It’s the same kind of thing with the 2018 Nissan GT-R. It’s been nearly a decade since its original debut, but the GT-R still rocks. It’s still something special. Somehow it defies age, remaining one of the world’s greatest high-performance cars. At a hundred grand, the GT-R Pure is really the way to go, but the better-equipped GT-R Premium like our test car is also a solid value for about $10,000 more. For those in the market for an all-wheel drive supercar, the 2018 Nissan GT-R is a very desirable choice.