2011 Price

[crack]

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[OzStriker]

No news on delivery yet.

No info on the seats either, the salesmen think the only change is black inserts replacing the red, no Recaro branded seats.

[OzStriker]

A couple of 2010s, delivery kms, driveaway for $160ish at the moment!

[mattyneweraimports]

No news on delivery yet.

No info on the seats either, the salesmen think the only change is black inserts replacing the red, no Recaro branded seats.

Think thats wrong

This is my friends driving impressions of the 2011 car...

To cut a long story short - I found something to keep me preoccupied for a while. Que Aurora Blue R35.

Picked up the car brand new (30 kms on the ODO) about a week ago and have been getting a taste for what the R35 is all about. Although I did have the opportunity to take a quick trip in the previous year model for comparison, I will leave model-to-model commentary to those that have actually owned the earlier R35 - makes it far more credible. Anyway, here are a few quick points from a non-journalist type:

• Fit and finish of the interior is reasonably high quality - clean dashwork, some elegance with the brushed plastics and very accessible instruments.
• Suspension is tight and quite stiff for a factory car, road noise is about typical for a sport car on 20 inch tyres, and steering weight seems just heavy enough.
• Paint looks good and the color is quite striking in the right light - much darker than I thought.
• Wheels are a great match for the shape of the car (IMHO better than the Spec-V wheels that the US black edition will be getting but each to their own) and finished in a lustre that is typical of Rays aftermarket wheels.
• Transmission is very fluid with almost no delay on the low rev shifts and does not exhibit perceptible running noise - it felt quite different to the 2009 model I was in and discussion with the engineer at Nissan confirmed unofficially that the GR6 in the 2011 model has indeed had evolution changes from the prior model.

I cannot comment on the power delivery or true handling characteristics yet as I'm driving around at 4,000 rpms max while I run up the 2,000 kms needed to wear the engine in. Seriously, the dealers should have a service option for that! LOL! Anyway, basic driving is definitely a lot less involving/engaging than my previous ride. I know that I need to get used to that characteristic but so far its not a positive for me. Leaving the car in auto model reminds me of being in a Tokyo taxi - but maybe thats a testament to how refined the car is. More to come on that.

For all the positives that the car has, there is room for improvement. I guess that's where the many optional modifications come into play. Knowing how emotional everyone gets when you start to provide negative opinions on a GT-R board about GT-Rs, I am going to be careful here. These are just initial IMHOs and subject to future change (geez, I sound like a lawyer already). Anyway, some of the standard items will be high on my list of changes, including:

• Pure edition seats are very ordinary - uncomfortable for my 6ft 3in 210lb build (and the black edition recaros are similarly uncomfortable but definitely high quality in finish)
• Rear seat is a waste of space and added weight - unusable for my leg length and probably for many others
• Some of the interior parts are done in a way that looks like an after thought (plastic gear surround, CD player surround, grey headliner on pure edition)
• Intercooler engine hosing is very pliable/cheap (surprising given its a boosted engine), the engine hood is very heavy (feels like you are dropping a brick when you close it) and the splash panels on the lower front of the rear wheel arches look like a mistake in an otherwise uniform smooth finish