My Incredible First Experience Of The Nissan GT-R Proves That The Internet Is Wrong

The Nissan GT-R R35 has been around in one form or another since 2007, and in that time it has attracted a huge fanbase, which comes as no surprise: ballistic performance for a reasonable price? Yes please! But over the years, ‘Godzilla’ has also gained its fair share of haters. If you trawl through the comments on various R35 YouTube videos it won’t take you long to find the same comments time and again: ‘the GT-R practically drives itself’, ‘it’s not a true driver’s car’, ‘it has no character’. So when I was invited to drive an R35 for the first time at Silverstone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It would obviously be fast, but would it feel as detached as everyone has told me?

The GT-R I would be testing on the Silverstone Stowe circuit would be the new Track Edition engineered by Nismo. Now, before you start getting over excited about a paired-back, half-caged track weapon, the Track Edition is not that. The best way to think of this variant is a half-way house between the base-spec £78,030 GT-R and the monumentally expensive £125,000 Nismo. Basically, the £88,560 Track Edition borrows the Nismo’s clever suspension, hollow rear anti-roll bar, 20-inch Rays wheels and stiffer, specially bonded body.

You don’t receive any power gains for your extra £10,000, with the Track Edition producing the standard 542bhp and 466lb ft of torque from its 3.8-litre VR38DETT twin-turbo V6. The exterior and interior also remain fairly stock, with the two standout additions being flared front arches with incorporated air ducts and new Recaro seats. So in Porsche terms, it’s more of a Carrera GTS than a stripped out GT3.

But as I pulled into the wet and windy Silverstone paddock, any preconceived notions that I held were pushed to the back of my mind. I was just excited to see what the GT-R had in store for me. On arrival, I was met by a beautifully preserved Nissan Bluebird, a clean 350Z Nismo, and a completely stock R34 Skyline (the same car in our Skyline vs R35 GT-R video).

With my time on track with the GT-R now fast approaching, I did a few laps in the 370Z Nismo to get my eye in, and then switched over to the big daddy just as the heavens began to open up. With only 10 minutes of track time available, I was ready to push relatively hard right from the off; I’ve tested at Stowe previously in Formula Ford, so I knew the track well already.

From the very first corner, the GT-R revealed its dynamic capabilities. I had a preconceived idea that the R35 would be heavy and prone to understeer, especially in the wet, but to my surprise, the Track Pack had brilliant turn in. From the very first lap, the car clipped every apex and powered out cleanly and every time I expected the car to push wide, the GT-R valiantly held its line.

But that doesn’t mean the car was boring and predictable. When I did push harder, the back axle immediately wanted to play. For the majority of the bends, namely on entry, mid-corner and early exit, the car felt rear driven. In the wet the GT-R actively encourages you to trail brake into the corner, which allows it to rotate in a smooth and controlled manner. You can then set the car up to hold a beautiful four-wheel drift all the way to the exit. Only then do you feel the full effect of the clever diffs working their magic to pull you out of the bend at warp speed. I did have the sneaking suspicion that the standard R-35 with its slightly softer suspension and more pliant dampers would have actually been quicker in the bad conditions, but then again, it wouldn’t have been as much fun.

On corner exits and down the straights, the R35 is absolutely ballistic. You have a brief phase of aggressive oversteer if you get on the power too hard at the exit, but after that, the front diff just hooks up and throws the car at the horizon. This side of a superbike, I’ve never felt acceleration like it.

Perhaps even more impressive, after multiple laps of hard deceleration, the six-piston 390mm front (380mm at the rear) brakes showed no sign of fade; frankly astounding when you consider that the car weighs a whopping 1740kg. The only disappointment of the whole experience was the outdated six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. For a premium performance car with ‘track’ in the title, it really should downshift when you ask it to. But lap after lap I found it hesitant and dim-witted when braking from forth gear down to first for the tight front straight hairpin.

I pulled in after 12 minutes of track time, and for a while I just sat there listening to the car cool down, trying to get my thoughts together. My first experience behind the wheel of a GT-R was certainly an education. Never have I driven a car where the reality of its dynamics were so far away from its reputation on the internet. Yes, it’s relatively easy to drive fast, but it feels mechanical and emotional, and it certainly doesn’t do the driving for you. It can do the quick and consistent lap times like a GT3, but it also lets you have a laugh like a rear wheel drive Jaguar F-Type. In the GT-R you can pick and choose when you want to be a hooligan. It’s the perfect compromise.

Now to answer a question. Is the GT-R Track Edition worth the extra £10,000 over the base car? For me, all those small modifications help to create a package that feels so special. And even though my previous experience of a normal R35 was limited to the passenger seat, the Nismo suspension and three-stage adjustable Bilstein dampers gives the Track Edition far superior body control. Factor in a full Nissan warranty and I think you have a winner.

But there will always be someone who would prefer to buy a standard GT-R and add their own £10,000-worth of modifications.