Ummmm. How about a comparo? Or can I borrow the keys?
:biggrin:
Ask and you shall receive (the comparo, not the keys).
There is no question that cars are getting bigger. Look at a 1950's corvette, a 70's Stingray, and even the early 90's compared to the huge C6. Even look at the 1990 Miata compared to the huge MX5 or even the Solistice which is how big the Corvette should be.
Driving home today I was overwhelmed by the size of a new CL63 which dwarfed most sedans on the road. The point is size is relative. Look at any current model car around you and they are gargantuan compared to their first generations.
The GTR is no different. When compared to a lowered NSX which is already a small and low car, the GTR looks like an SUV. But the size of the new GTR is right at home with any current model BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or any other car manufacturer. I must admit that that the photos exaggerate the size of the GTR a little and the size wouldn't be as shocking if I posted a picture of it next to a new 5-series BMW.
The NSX Experience:
Since this is an NSX forum, pretty much everyone has the experience of being around and driving an NSX. Walking up to the NSX with a roofline about the height of your hip and opening the 2-fingered latch located at the back of the window, you are welcomed by the abundance of high quality materials and leather.
Entering the NSX requires you to stretch over the high frame-rail door sills to sink down into the low supportive seat of the NSX. We have all experienced being inches off the ground with a small, thick steering wheel stretching out to us from the leather-wrapped low dashboard like a joystick. With relatively low gauges, the NSX gives us a clear view all around us like a cockpit of a jet-fighter. We are all use to having a clear view of the ground feet from the front bumper in our simple interior which has all the necessary information and controls within easy reach of the driver.
Driving the NSX is a pleasure that truly gives the driver a rewarding and communicative experience. With no quirks or habits that need to be catered to the NSX is a small and easy car to drive. When pushed to the limits, the NSX will reward the driver with a pure experience that not many cars can claim today.
The GTR Experience:
Walking up to the new GTR is like walking up to a current sedan. The roof line is about the same height as a new BMW 5 series, but after hopping out of the NSX any car would seem huge. The door latch of the GTR is a pretty trick billet piece of aluminum which requires you to push in one end with your thumb so the main handle swing out for you to grab with the rest of your hand. Pull the lever until the door clicks open and hop in. After getting use to it, the door latch becomes pretty natural.
You don’t quite wear the GTR as an extension of your body like you do in the NSX, but rather just sit in it. The seating position feels high relative to the ground which is helpful since you have a really high hood to look over. The seats are pretty ergonomic and comfortable wrapped in nice leather and perforated alcantara-like material. While offering a lot of cornering support, they don’t quite conform to your back like the NSXs. Once in the GTR you have the nice small diameter, thick steering wheel at your fingertips with console-mounted paddle shifters. Up-shift on the right, and down-shift on the left. The steering wheel is telescopic and height adjustable to find the perfect driving position. The gauge cluster moves with the steering wheel similar to the G35 and 350Z. Looking around the cockpit of the GTR you see a lot of carpet, the usual Japanese plastic whose texture is a little nicer than usual, as well as a few high-quality leather-wrapped dash and door trim pieces.
Like most modern cars, the GTR has a smaller greenhouse with higher doors sills. While restricting your view a little, the design of the downward sloping roofline does not cause a problematic blind spot. The overall environment isn’t as luxurious as a BMW or Porsche, but the nicer materials and leather-wrapped gauge clusters gives a little more refined feeling than the Japanese status-quo. There is even aluminum-accented a/c vents and center console. To your left (For U.S. models it will be your right) is the center console karaoke machine that houses your A/C and stereo controls, as well as the suspension, transmission, and traction control adjustments. Above that is your LCD display that toggles between lap times, data records peak G’s, boost pressure, temperatures, steering sensors, or a combination of any of them. There is almost everything you would ever need in a professional race car, which reduces the need for an aftermarket data logging system. Because of the almost endless screen options and while not being fluent in Japanese, I had limited time playing around with these functions which could keep even the most ADD Gran Turismo player occupied (the displays were designed by Gran Turismo engineers).
Driving the GTR:
Ok, now driving the car. In the center console resides the start button which brings the 3.8L twin turbo V6 to life. To me, starting a car is an emotional experience. But when starting the GTR, I just did not get that excitement that makes me feel like I was in a supercar. I don’t know if it was the relatively muted tone or the 350Z-esque feeling at startup, but it just did not feel like I was awaking a soul like a 911Turbo, Ferrari, or even the NSX for that matter. The engine has a deep rumble at idle, and the stiff motor mounts lightly transmit some shaking into the cabin but not enough to be annoying or feel like your hard-core buddies civic. The fly-by-wire throttle response is very sharp with a very rev-happy engine whose rpms climb and fall quickly as any sports car should.
After watching Youtube videos, I acquired the knowledge that launch control is activated by turning the transmission to “R”, suspension to “R”, then traction control “off”. Left foot on the brake, grab 1st gear, give it full throttle and the computer holds the revs at 4,000rpm, let off the brake and we were off. For as stiff as the motor mounts were, there was a lot of drivetrain hops, thuds, and movement, but the car hooked up with mild wheelspin and immediately required me to grab 2nd, 160K (90mph) followed seconds later. The engine doesn’t quite scream like a Ferrari, nor does it have the rumble of a V8. The Twin Turbos mute a lot of the V6’s sound while producing its own unique roar comprised of wooshing and howling noises. Inside the cabin is quite civil with muted engine, turbo, and drivetrain noises during all of this chaos.
This car is a videogame. You keep grabbing gears and the twin-clutch DSG box keeps you pinned in the seat seamlessly. I’ve read this feeling a million times but trust me, you don’t know until you experience a DSG first hand. I personally like the little lurches of a BMW/Ferrari SMG gear changes (which are dialed out with a quick lift off the throttle), but I’m sure the DSG is faster and requires less thought to control the car at the limits. The almost never ending seamless power is weird at first and you have a higher sensation of speed as a driver than as a passenger, which is backwards from the usual perceptions. Scrubbing speed was not difficult in this nearly 4,000lb car as 6-piston front and 4-piston rear Brembo Monoblock calipers clamped down on huge 15” rotors. The brake pedal was solid and did not move at all, making brake modulation a function of pressure application, not brake pedal travel. I think these brakes have a good chance at holding up to long track sessions even given the cars weight.
After slowing down, the first thing you notice is how stiff the chassis is, the car doesn’t creak or bend at all driving diagonally out of a steep driveway or over broken roads. Like any sports car, the ride quality is stiff and communicative, but not jarring even when offroading in the streets of Southern California. Driving around town the car feels like big sedan. Trying to stay in your narrow lane in downtown ____ proved to be a bit of a challenge as the GTR is much more at home in the modern wider streets. Adjusting the dampers from “R” to “Comfort” softened the ride noticeably and made the ride much more compliant, but still communicative enough to send you necessary feedback through your seat. Don’t get me wrong, the “comfort” mode is not a Mercedes. Switching the transmission from “R” back to normal made the shifts a little lazier but not really any smoother, I personally just left the gearbox in “R”. If pulling paddles is too much of a workout, you could always leave the transmission in automatic mode. I didn’t spend too much time in automatic mode, but the electronics made the gearshifts predictable at the appropriate times. The DSG does wonders in this department of keeping the power delivery smooth for everyday driving.
Tossing the car into turns brings out a different side of the GTR. With the wide, grippy Bridgestone RE070 tires, the car doesn’t feel like it weighs almost 4,000lbs full of fuel with me in it. With its transaxle configuration, a lot of the cars weight (over 300lbs) is low to the ground in the back giving the GTR a much better weight distribution. There is very little body roll in the GTR and at relatively low speeds, just a hint of turn-in and mid-corner understeer. The steering feel was very responsive with a proper amount of weight to it which is a nice change from the typical over-assisted and light steering of most Japanese cars. The car begged to be taken to the track where its true potential, characteristics, and electronics can shine as the car is far too capable to show its character on the street.
The GTR is big, but most cars today are big as well. There are plenty of capable large sedans that can give a Z06, Gallardo, or F430 a run for its money in a straight line (M5, E63). Driving the GTR feels like driving a M5 or E63 sized car, it will more than likely be in the same ballpark if not faster in a straight line as GTRs have dynoed at 480whp (not crank) in Japan. The GTR weighs almost the same as the M5 and E63, but the tire choice and sizing, brake package, and AWD electronics may be enough to make this car beat a 911Turbo, GT3, or what have you on a track.
In short, the GTR is an impressive machine. As a street car, it is rare and has the prestige of being the first American-spec Skyline GTR with decades of impressive racing heritage. Looks are subjective and you need to see one on the street to get a better impression.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it delivers performance numbers right there with the best cars out for a fraction of the cost. It also has gadgets and technology not available from any current car that will improve the ability of most drivers on the track. But does the GTR have a similar and engaging “soul” that Ferraris and Porsches have created over the decades? Or will all of the techno-gadgetry take away the involvement and experience that makes track driving and racing fun? Hopefully that will be another test that I can write about soon.
-Billy Johnson
In a completely objective and non-biased way:
Having driven 350, 400, 450, 500 and higher whp Turbocharged NSXs, I personally feel that an NSX with equivalent power, brakes, and tire would be much faster than the GTR. Many Turbocharged NSXs have posted 1/4mile times and trap speeds much higher than the GTR. I personally think the 1,000lbs advantage of the NSX is enough to overcome the GTR’s advantages in electronics on the track as well.
Am I right? It’s hard to give justice to the GTR without tracking it. But from tracking 911Turbos, Turbocharged NSXs, and seeing the comparisons of the GTR vs. 911Turbos, I think it would be an entertaining test that I would be more than happy to partake in.
