First Impressions From Driving The R35

[Munkyb0y]

nice write up man. the car sounds awesome

and points to you for bravery. it takes some guts to be so open about your gheyness on a forum like this

[lcy]

a good read!!

part 3 please....

ps: doesnt the need a 5000k run-in?? was told it needs a 5k run-in. saw the new r35 at Barbagello last week and the owner says it need at least 5k run-in b4 he can give the car a good rev.

[leetom]

welldone adam,enjoyed the read, you've got a bit of talent m'boy,

keep it up.....the writing i mean

[sewid]

Good work mate. I'm reliving all the memories of my drive vicariously through your post knowing it's going to be a long time until I drive another one.

I for one don't mind reading all the back story, good reviews are never just about numbers and boring facts most of us already knew anyway.

[Zoggy]

wow, one of the best reviews i have read...

Can you please dab a bit on the negatives ??

[GUN_METAL_GTR32]

give it 3 years and ill have one for sure

im trying to talk my dad into getting one instead of a new m5, i dont know if its working lol

nice read bro

[R338OY]

and points to you for bravery.

+1

[Sarumatix]

Enjoyed that review a lot . There is a lot more to presenting details on a car that cold hard numbers. Top gear understand this very well.

[Angus Smart]

Great read! Thanks for that Adam what we've all been wanting to hear really!

lucky bugger.

[m3gtr]

This almost sounds like a story you'd read in the Penthouse Forum

After all the wining and dining, did Koichi put out for you at the end of the night or were you left wanting?

hahah.

Jealous.

Thanks to all those who enjoyed the read and left some nice comments, much appreciated.

Edited February 6, 2008 by m3gtr

[Blitz]

nick, f**k off.

Sorry dude, did you leave your sense of humour in the back seat of the R35 ?

[m3gtr]

Sorry dude, did you leave your sense of humour in the back seat of the R35 ?

damn, too quick for the edit.

[m3gtr]

hahah.

Jealous.

Moving on, Thanks to all those who enjoyed the read and left some nice comments, much appreciated.

Ill be on part 3 this arvo. All's not perfect with the GTR, that much i can say.

[sidewayssam]

sounds awsome, did lil bit of wee come out when u first hopped in?

[ricsvtr]

An iron fist in your velvet glove eh? that must've hurt

[m3gtr]

Part 3...

30 minutes into the drive across Tokyo bay and in towards the skyscraper district known as Shinjuku, I'm feeling quite comfortable behind the wheel of the GTR. To me at least, its quite a user friendly vehicle - loads of power, stable, well behaved and solidly engineered. That slight lack of involvement, from a drivers point of view is one of the few problems the GTR has as its easy to become complacent with it from behind the wheel. The GTR almost does everything for you. More on that later.

I decide to change the suspension again to see what the "comfort" setting is like and much like the "R" setting, once activated, a change is almost immediately noticeable. In comfort, there is definitely more suspension travel. The GTR becomes more supple over the bumps and undulations and there is less of the rawness through the seat compared to "R" mode. It doesn't exactly float but you do notice the change in the way it deals with the road surface. I can't really tell if there has been any change in ride height, but when changing direction at speed or negotiating corners the GTR seems to roll a little more. Its not disconcerting, just not as hard edged.

The GTR's seats are very firm and grip the driver well, almost too well. While they have been beautifully crafted and offer a snug fit, i feel they wouldn't offer a big enough concession for the rigors of every day driving. They feel to me to have been engineered and designed on the side of performance over comfort which for certain applications is just fine but for others, may become a discomfort.

It tracks supremely well, and responds to steering input with precision. I quite like the way it handles. As I've already said, you get a lot of confidence through the wheel that the GTR isn't going to do something you haven't asked of it at any speed.

Overtaking is a breeze, in either A or M mode, just select a gear, plant the throttle and you are instantly transported around whatever was in front of you. This is also one of the GTR's short fallings. It lacks something fundamental in driver involvement. I feel like ive been slightly anesthetized, desensitized, behind the wheel of the GTR. While it is involving on a pure and raw level in regards to outright speed, feedback and handling, the lack of a clutch pedal and a 6 speed gate do detract from the pleasure that can be extracted from it. Whatever Nissan care to say about their choice in gearbox, i will say in the rear mounted dual clutched box's defense, that its design takes away the probability of NOT being able to extract what the car was originally made to deliver. Its foolproof in that respect but again, i know the GTR could even be more fun to drive, if ever there was a possibility of that actually being the case!

For real world users, the GTR's gearbox is perfect. It's the super car for dummies as you would, and doesn't have the fragility or highly strung temperament of many Italian or German cars that spring to mind. If you are a purist however, you will find yourself craving for a manual shifter. Nissan would be silly not to take a leaf out of Ferraris' book for example and include both the paddle shifter and manual versions in its future lineup.

In regards to stopping, the GTR's brakes are confidence inspiring and do their job more than adequately. Pedal travel is minimal and there is no shudder under heavy braking. A firm push of the well weighted pedal scrubs speed off rapidly. The pedal has a nice feel to it and decelerating quickly to negotiate a number of 90 degree bends from around 140kph didn't even so much as unsettle the car in any way. I was tempted to push the brakes further but thought better of it as this was my first time in the car. That and the fact that it had been snowing heavily in Tokyo the previous 2 days and the roads weren't completely empty.

With traffic and buildings becoming denser by the minute, i feel i just have to have another crack at the engine before we get boxed in. The road clears ahead of me, i wind the window down to hear the sound of the exhaust and engine - the air outside is chilled and crisp. I change down again into 3rd gear this time mashing the pedal to the floor, the GTR willingly, effortlessly, gets up and bolts ahead, blurring the scenery. Like a drug, the sheer speed that you can extract from the GTR will just have you coming back for more. I shoot into a tunnel- the exhaust note reverberates off the tunnel walls and as the revs pick up to a raucous rasping growl, 4th, 5th and 6th its Fast, too fast, have to back off. It can scare you silly if you let it. The engine note is understated at low revs but still signals ferocious intent further up the rev range. It really does go from kitten to clawed beast in a matter of seconds.

Final part later on.

thanx 4 reading.

Edited February 6, 2008 by m3gtr

[R338OY]

"Adam and Koichi's excellent adventure"

[Shaolin242]

mate does it sound any good in real life? from all the vids ive seen it sounds like a magna when its being revved - is it at least mean sounding or is it all muted and "refined"

[m3gtr]

a good read!!

part 3 please....

ps: doesnt the need a 5000k run-in?? was told it needs a 5k run-in. saw the new r35 at Barbagello last week and the owner says it need at least 5k run-in b4 he can give the car a good rev.

I havent heard that before. Perhaps youre right? Not sure, maybe others on the forum know the true answer. I wouldnt say i drove it excessively hard, but i did put it through its paces at certain points

[Beer Baron]

lol, 5,000km run in? whoever told lcy that is having a laugh. by that measure it would take most owners about a year to get it run in. they are pretty much good to go from the factory but 500km or so is good practice before really giving it any boot.

it reminds me of the rumour about needing engine teardown every 12 months...