2023 Nissan GT-R Performance

Whatever else you can say about the R35 Nissan GT-R, you can't deny its performance ability. That 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 may have been around for the better part of a decade, but it was highly advanced at its time of launch and is still competitive today. Sure, some components have been refined over the years to deal with the strains of more power, but the basic configuration of the engine is still the same. Speaking of power, today's GT-R generates a potent 565 hp and 467 lb-ft of torque, with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic with launch control helping you get from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds in real-world testing. With the Sport Chrono package, the 911 Turbo is capable of the same time, but you're spending a lot more money for the German sports car. The GT-R impresses on a long, straight road too. Nissan no longer brags about acceleration and top speed figures, but the GT-R was previously claimed to have a top end of 205 mph, which is more than you'll ever need and enough to keep some much more expensive metal in your rearview mirror. However, for all its brilliance in terms of acceleration and outright speed, the GT-R is best when put to work on a track or a winding mountain road.

Just one configuration is offered in the current Nissan GT-R offering, with the exception of the extreme Nismo model. Called the Premium, this variant of the GT-R is more luxurious than any before it but it still has the go to match the show. A 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine delivers the grunt, of which there is plenty. The GT-R produces 565 hp and 467 lb-ft of torque and it does so in a way that makes it clear that you're not in a typical supercar. It's rorty and unrefined, and all the better for it. The acceleration in any gear, under any circumstance, is brutal and brazen. There's noise and a sense of old-school mechanical engagement that makes it impossible for you to lie and say you didn't know you were speeding when you inevitably get pulled over. Funny how that works, since when it was first launched, the GT-R was accused of being too digital and devoid of feel. Still, there's a limit to how much "mechanical feel" is good, and the GT-R's six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with rev-matching is one of the parts that highlight just how old the R35 is getting. It's quick and responsive, but not exactly smooth. It can be particularly clunky at lower speeds and lacks the intelligence of Porsche's PDK, but for a racecar in the suit of a usable sports car, it's still pretty damn good.

Fuel economy and good gas mileage are not phrases typically associated with cars of this caliber, but you may be surprised to learn that the GT-R will potter along for around 350 miles if you're conservative with the loud pedal. This is thanks to official EPA test results indicating that the GT-R will return 16/22/18 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles. The gas tank is capable of holding 19.5 gallons of premium, so although its EPA figures are identical to those of the base Mercedes-AMG GT, it'll stop a little sooner than the German car with its 19.8-gallon tank. That's the cost of Nissan GT-R ownership, though.