The first round of reviews hit the ‘Net yesterday in what was apparently a Euro-only embargo on driving impressions of the Nissan GT-R. The jurors from AutoExpress, Car and the Telegraph all came away from the drive with one resounding statement: this thing is fast! Adding that the brakes are the most impressive of any production car currently on sale. Lofty praise, no doubt.

While Car could barely contain its enthusiasm, AutoExpress and the Telegraph seemed to provide a more honest critique of the GT-R as a whole. AE’s Oliver Marriage and Car’s Gavin Green had some diverging viewpoints on how the GT-R handles low-speed cruising, but both recommend that jaunts around town are best when the seven-speed gearbox is left in “D.” AutoExpress’ scribe and the Telegraph’s Andrew English were less than impressed with the ride quality of Nissan’s new supercar, despite the dampers being set to “comfort” mode, with English saying that “even a Porsche 911 GT3 rides better.”

A few other choice quotes include Green saying that the GT-R is “quick enough to make a Porsche 911 Turbo feel unexciting,” continuing, “Quite simply, the new GT-R is the world’s most multi-faceted supercar… An M3 beater? Easily. M5? Think higher. This car is faster, more high-tech, sharper, more capable.”

We absolutely, positively can’t wait to get behind the wheel.

Source[AutoBlog]

With all the information about Nissan’s GT-R already out in the open, one question remains: how does it drive? Autoweek got a crack at it in Germany, and after flogging the GT-R on the autobahn and around the south-loop of the Nurburgring, Mark Vaughn proclaims that it lives up to the hype.

The account of his time behind the wheel of reads like a 4th grader let loose in a combination Chuck-E-Cheese/candy factory with unlimited quarters and an empty stomach. He hammered through the dual-clutch six-speed, impressed with the down shifts and rev-matching (0.2 seconds for shifts), ran the 473 HP 3.8L twin-turbo V6 up to 176 mph on the ‘bahn, tested the AWD-system’s ability to shuffle power to the wheels (anywhere between 50/50 to 2/98) and laid long stretches of rubber in the pits even when told to keep it under 35 mph.

Lag was inconsequential, particularly compared to the Porsche Turbo Nissan had on hand during the testing, and although the Porsche’s steering felt lighter and quicker, he preferred the GT-R’s ease of use and more “tied down” nature.

With power, pace and polished handling, there wasn’t much wrong with the original 350Z. Launched in 2003, the muscular Nissan two-seater was as good to look at as it was to drive, A minor update early last year only served to highlight the fact that relatively little needed improving. 

But the Japanese firm has been at it again, and is offering another facelift for both the roadster and coupé. Take a walk past the newcomer and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell it apart from the previous car.

While the bright orange finish is a new colour, the shape and details are otherwise identical. But move a little closer and you’ll see a power bulge in the bonnet that designers claim is inspired by the classic 240Z.

This subtle change offers a clue to some major heart surgery within. The 3.5-litre V6 has been tweaked by Nissan’s engineers to the point that it’s 80 per cent new.

Peak power has risen by only 9bhp, but the motor now revs to 7,500rpm, while 90 per cent of the 358Nm of torque has been made available from 2,000rpm, with neither economy or emissions suffering as a result.

Finally, the whole unit has been lowered by 15cm to drop the car’s centre of gravity. Although the bare figures show that the 0-60mph time has been shaved by only 0.1 seconds, the benefits feel much more potent.

The more tractable engine pulls harder from lower revs and emits a deep growl which turns into a spine-tingling yowl the harder it’s pushed. Some further modifications to the powertrain have also resulted in an even sweeter gearshift and less vibration while at idle and under load.

Other tweaks are less substantial. The suspension has been left as it was, but not at the expense of the driving experience. The steering is still well weighted and accurate, the chassis balance remains superb, thanks to the rear-wheel-drive set-up, and the Brembo brakes bring everything to a stop with strong bite and the minimum of fade. In this GT spec, the Nissan now weighs in at nearly £30,000 – around £1,000 more than the old model. But even at its new price, the 350Z is still hard to beat for driving thrills.

autoexpress.co.uk

The Jap­anese firm’s upmarket Infiniti brand will be launched in the UK in autumn 2008, and these sketches hint at two models that will make up part of the range.

Insiders describe Infiniti as the ‘Japanese BMW’ and think of Lexus as more of a ‘Japanese Mercedes’. By this they mean the Nissan-owned brand will focus on driver involvement and entertaining handling in an upmarket package, rather than outright luxury. As a result, all of Infiniti’s models will either be rear or four-wheel drive. The official sketch shows the Infiniti G Coupé, which will be unveiled at the New York Motor Show in April.

Designed to take on the BMW 3-Series Coupé, the new sports model will appear at the show alongside a compact SUV previewed by the outline sketch above.

The prestige brand’s UK line-up has yet to be finalised, but Auto Express has learned that the range will include the 3-Series-rivalling G35 saloon and coupé, the 5-Series-sized M model, plus two SUVs.

The firm’s BMW X5 challenger, the FX, is already on sale in the USA, while the second is the smaller SUV hinted at by the sketch.

SOURCE [Auto Express]

While the Japanese company has released these first official pictures and details of the facelifted 350Z, Auto Express can also exclusively reveal plans to produce a smaller version.

Nissan product strategy and planning boss, Pierre Loing, explained: “We all agree there is room below the 350Z for something. We are working on such a model at the moment.”

While the project has yet to be given the official green light and details are top-secret, Loing added: “It wouldn’t be a Lotus Elise-style model. The idea is to create something around half or two-thirds the cost of a 350Z.” That would pitch the new rear-wheel-drive machine bet­ween £13,500 and £20,500.

The news came as Nissan revealed its revised 350Z. Styling changes are minor, with the only significant modification being a bulging bonnet.

More noteworthy is the Coupé and Roadster’s V6 engine, which has had nearly 80 per cent of its major parts redesigned. With power up to 309bhp from the existing model’s 296bhp and torque increasing by 5Nm to 358Nm, the 350Z will be faster than ever.

Buyers can expect a slight price rise for the revised model when it goes on sale in the UK early in the summer.

Meanwhile, Loing also gave us an insight into the ongoing debate over whether his firm’s new GT-R supercar will be sold in the UK. It seems the sums are adding up for British fans, as the Nis­san chief told Auto Express: “There’s a 95 per cent chance it will come.”

Source [Auto Express]