thanks for posting that. their review looks very thorough and fair. in fact this feels like one of the better, more real world reviews out there. most others are just summarizing the PR and echoing what we already know. this offers new insights.

so i dont see it being a bad review, just honest.

most of the other reviews thus far have been disappointing imo.
im glad they were able to have the opportunity to drive it.

 

so i dont see it being a bad review, just honest.

we have at least 2 reviews from people who actually drove it saying the same thing: praticality is curretnly restricted by 2 things
1) trans is bit clunky for stop and go
2) the suspension settings are not appropriate for street driving, even on most compliant setting

i believe this info is real. there is always some sorting out to do. presumably nissan will take the feedback seriously as well.

 

So they Motor mag got a 4.0 sec 0-62 so far?

 

Here's what I got from the article, and TYVM for the link:

Terrific fun car, not-so-much an everyday car.

Hopefully the tranny and suspension will be tweaked before year 2 in the States (assuming year 1 is sold out and unobtainable at MSRP)

 

0-62 in 4 secs will give a good opportunity for the naysayers ...

Why would Nissan exagerate data that can be easily verified?

 

They didnt exagerate as this is the norm. Independent testers generally do not achieve the performance specs listed from a manufacturer. Take independent tests with a grain of salt as they all will vary. The 300ZX TT was listed from Nissan as doing 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, independent magazines listed 0-60 anywhere from 5.2-6.5.

 

They said it's still a 11-sec car, if not for the limiter kicking in.

 

Nissan better not make any adjustments to the suspension, if someone wants a soft riding car, they shouldnt be looking at a GT-R in the first place, thats not what its about. For .99g+ of lateral grip, I dont care if I break teeth driving over squashed soda cans!

And how smooth can you really expect .2 -.5 second shift times to be? People need to go buy a luxury car if comfort is what they are looking for.

 

Exactly
If any of them had driven any previous GT-R, they would have realised that the suspensions were never soft.
Those who want car for soft tushes should go buy a Lexus.

 

It's a first year car. First year cars are never 100% perfect. There will always be little things to work on.

I was also thinking that Nissan may leave some room for an M-Spec variant that would be a little softer, possibly badged as an Infiniti here in the states. It seems like many gripes about the base GT-R could be solved with an M-Spec. The R-34 roughly had the same issues, and was the reason Nissan created the M-Spec.

Just my $.02.

 

I have to agree. Why would someone be looking at this car and want to complain that it doesn't have a cushy suspension. Also, for the transmission being a bit clunky at low speeds, who really cars. If the primary purpose of buying this car is driving stop and go city traffic all the time and things like the suspension being to stiff and the transmission being clunky at slow speed are a problem, looks for a different car. The car can't do what it's designed to do at speed, and still be completely smooth on surface streets and stop and go traffic. I think Nissan has designed the perfect balance and I sincerely hope they don't change it to satisfy someone looking for a smooth ride at low speed city driving and in turn sacrifice the handling and performance at speed.

 

I have to agree. Why would someone be looking at this car and want to complain that it doesn't have a cushy suspension. Also, for the transmission being a bit clunky at low speeds, who really cars. If the primary purpose of buying this car is driving stop and go city traffic all the time and things like the suspension being to stiff and the transmission being clunky at slow speed are a problem, looks for a different car. The car can't do what it's designed to do at speed, and still be completely smooth on surface streets and stop and go traffic. I think Nissan has designed the perfect balance and I sincerely hope they don't change it to satisfy someone looking for a smooth ride at low speed city driving and in turn sacrifice the handling and performance at speed.

+1000
Only the sisies complain about hard suspension.

Also, the 4 sec on 0-62mph is comparable to the 3.6sec claimed by Nissan. Both are true and are good indications that Nissan is not a liar in their tests.

 

With as much hype as there has been around here about this be an everyday car that also happens to be a supercar you'd expect criticism.. Make up you mind Nissan, is it a supercar or a GT car? If the suspensions is too stiff, why the 4 seats? Ok the 911 has back seats too....

Also wtf do the back seats not fold down? Or do they?

 

I read that the back seats do not fold.

 

the bottom line on the transmission is that it works. no one said it didnt work.
the only possible issue raised is that the suspension is too stiff, so that might not 'work'

 

btw, the reviewers didn't just say, "ouch, thith car is too harsh on my delicate tush" , they said it bounced around and was difficult to control when driven fast on real pavement. that this is contrued as pussy talk is not too surprising but strikes me as wishful thinking. an F1 machine would in fact make a perfectly shitty street car--does anybody disagree with that?
i for one spend very little time on the track, although i wish i could.

yours,

sissy

 

I think the car will ride just fine and the tranny issues that some of the reviewers talk won’t be as bad as they make it seem. Nissan knows what American buyers want and they will deliver. They tested the car in CA on the freeways and the secondary roads so they know what they have to do to make the car acceptable to the “soft American driver” that can afford a $90k car. I believe when the car gets here they will soften the “comfort” setting more inline with the BMW and Merc class and leave the other settings alone. I like firm-riding sports-cars but I no longer like blood in my urine. I am more concerned with the low-profile tires and how potholes will treat the wheels.

 

were they in R mode when they did the 0-60 and the 400m?

 

re: suspension

for my money, the R setting should give you N'Ring performance
AND the street setting should be right for the street.

why else have the frikkin switch?

 

There is a noticable difference in the R, Normal, and Snow settings, but even in its softest state, it won't have the feel of a Caddy. Personally, I think thats asking waayyy too much for a sportscar.

For your money, it's still the most versatile production sportscar ever made. You'll still be able to have fun driving this car more often in various weather conditions. Can you name a sportscar, in any class, that can make the same claim?

 

What some of you are missing it that....the only reason they are complaining about the suspension is because the car is being developed to suit the need of daily driving, long distance cruising, and high track performance. Yes the balance is hard to achieve, but when they are comparing it to the 997 Turbo ( a well known daily driving machine capable of making long hauls) a suspension that seems too jaring can be an important trait to some. If you are used to driving a very stiff suspension car, then yes, it will probably feel just fine.....but to most of the people who will actually be buying this car (affording) decent long distance comfort and livablility will probably be a merit.

Also, the base GTR is not the dedicated track monster that its variants will be, so a softer, more forgiving setup may be applicable.

Im not saying it should be softer, because I could care less about a few jars here and there, I am simply stating why they are complaining. They all want it to be perfect, but the truth is that to run the times it has with its extra mass, it has to make up for it somewhere.....maybe it is in the ride comfort????

 

I agree:

Try to eliminate body roll in a 1900 pound piglet (okay, a really fast technologically advanced piglet on speed)with "soft" suspension. I imagine there was compromises that had to be made within the range of adjustments the bilsteins travel through, but remember the GT-R is a performance car that can be daily driven, not a daily driver made into a performance car aka RS-4, M3... just my 2 cents.

 

Here's a question:

Just how bad are Oz's roads neways?

 

did not recognize the precise roads refered too, but sydney is a nice city and i wouldnt say the streets are anything like those in cambodia. for instance..

 

Listen up people, bottom line if a mag a person or whoever does a review on a car I dont care who it is 50% of that review will be there personal perspective on the car, so never mind most of these reviews

 

Hi guys,

New here. Great site!

Anyway, regarding the harsh ride, I just read on the latest issue of Road & Track that the suspension has been re-tuned (for the US spec version at least). The article says the handling balance, steering feel and ride have all been improved as a result. They said the chief engineer wanted to make the GT-R less harsh.

It seems a lot of these first drives happened a few months back and the suspension has been since retuned. Also read somewhere (don't remember) that the production settings for the suspension was only finalized in September (which is probably a few months after these first drives).

 

Welcome to the fray! I remember reading that article recently as well. Time will tell how much better these adjustments are. Nissan can't afford not to be consciencious about these things, I'm glad they are commited to the best reception possible for this car, and I believe they have been as prudent as can be.

 

Yes, there is a range of settings available, but ultimately, there's a limit on how wide the range will be.

And I don't think you can please everybody. Get it soft enough for all the dainty derrieres and you'd probably have less composure for some of the more aggressive sweepers on your favourite track.

And even with the SAME setup, I am reading different comments abt the softest settings.. one of the reviews I read recently even said the car "rolled" with the softest suspension settings!

 

body roll would definitely suck, although if it is only on the softest of 3 settings then who cares. the priority for me is control , on the street which is where i will be. can't get to the backroads from greater LA without dealing with traffic so hopefully it isnt so high strung that can't cope with the tarmac and ole stop and go. i am not going to trailer it out of town.

but also, for the money spent, i need this thing to be my business suit, drive to professional events in lieu of beemer, so hoping for enough composure it doesnt freak the occasional passenger and that the valet doesnt screw the thing up, like one did to my daily car.

i appreciate all the posts from members, realize now that the middle switch is for the shocks, not for the ride as a whole which i was hoping was being actively integrated by computer, eg, compression and spring preload and maybe more. what a day dearmer i am! too bad. if its just the valves in the shocks, i agree that won't do a hell of a lot, esp in heavy car.

other reports are starting to filter in, hopefully we'll get a better feel for just how hard the ride really is and what the control is like going fast on real roads, instead of assumptions and speculation.

 

From what I can glean from perusing the reviews, the GT-R's suspension, if anything, has been tuned in such a way that it performs better the more aggressively you drive it.

 

The GT-R is like a big hairy pussy cat, see (tiger). All soft and purring at low speeds, but hard and ready eat you if you fuck around with it!!
So to all those who think tigers make great house pets, you will be fucked!!!
It was never a soft driver, having R34 II Nur, and at that weight and enhanced performance, I am not surprised some find the ride a little jarring for their taste.
Well I like my cars, just the way Bond loved his martinis: shaken-not stirred: a man's car!!

 

sure wish i could drive one so that i know what the deal is with the ride. sounds like the older versions have a certain tradition for being stiff. maybe it will carry over.
but no way for me to know what that means by reading posts. i can tell you that my laverda 1000 jota was a man's bike but that doesnt tell you what it was like if you never rode one. maybe you would like it, maybe not. i enjoyed it, at least for the first hour or 2 of each ride. harley is reputed "man's bike" but most of them just plain suck. in my opinion.

 

lol
Harleys are for posuers, all bark and no bite!!!
Like I said before the GT-R is like a big hairy jungle cat:
- grace and speed of a cheetah,
-sleath and cunning of a panther,
-soft and cuddly like a housecat,
-strength of a lion, and
the "I will fuck you up" of the tiger.

 

i think you must be a zen poet!

maybe you can write the above in japanes caligraphy and i will paste it onto a scroll panting with a tiger slinking down a mountain like the type they sell in singapore. that would be pretty cool as far as garage art goes

 

I will do that

 

cool!