Our Home at the End of 2018

Last year at the end of December, my daughters and I spent about a week at my parents’ house, while my husband enjoyed driving alone and going on free-spirited tours during that time. Actually, this is our family’s usual way of spending year-end and long holidays. I get a break from childcare and housework at my parents’, my husband can tour freely like when he was single, the kids have a blast playing with their grandparents, and the grandparents are happy to spend quality time with their beloved grandchildren.

From an outsider’s perspective, this might seem unusual, but for us, it’s the best way for everyone to be happy in their own way.

During this time, my husband even had the chance to test drive a friend’s GT-R on the Royu Driveway.

Oh, that’s nice~

About the GT-R

When I asked my husband, “GT-R, that’s Nissan, right?” (I must admit, I don’t know much about cars other than Porsche)

He said, “Yeah, it’s Nissan’s high-end sports car. Quite a while ago, it was reported that during a GT-R test run at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, it set the fastest lap time for a production car at the time. Apparently, it was even faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo…”
＊GT-R vs Porsche: The Out-of-Track Battle Between Japanese and German Makers

Wow, I didn’t know that. Checking Nissan’s GT-R website, the price starts at about 10 million yen. That’s impressive… definitely a luxury sports car (；ﾟДﾟ)! I took a closer look at the GT-R’s design on the site, and I think I’ve occasionally spotted cars with that rear look around town.

By the way, the model my husband test drove was the 2018 Nissan GT-R Black Edition. The GT-R’s dedicated VR38DETT engine delivers a maximum output of 419 kW (570 PS) and a peak torque of 637 N·m.

So, as usual, I asked him for his “test drive impressions.”

GT-R Test Drive Review

Interior Scent

To open the door, you push in a recessed part to pop up the lever. When he grabbed the door handle and got inside, he noticed a somewhat nostalgic scent. It wasn’t like any imported car’s smell, but a distinctly Japanese car scent.

That’s what he said. The pop-up lever reminded me of the Lamborghini Huracán I rode before. (I was totally lost at first and panicked. By the way, this is what it looks like↓↓)

Even though he said “Japanese car scent,” my image of that is just the strong, mixed smell of air fresheners, pomade, and other things from my grandfather’s car when I was a kid… My Prius at my parents’ place doesn’t really have much scent… I’d love to properly smell a pure Japanese car scent once.

Cockpit / Driver’s Seat

The cockpit felt less like a super high-performance car and more like somehow calm and composed. It’s a bit tight side-to-side, which gave a comfortable sense of being wrapped in. The front visibility was excellent. The Recaro seats held well and didn’t cause discomfort even during long drives, he said.

I see… Indeed, it’s a bit different from the interior image you’d expect from a luxury sports car costing over 10 million yen, but it does have a calm vibe.

When pressing the start button, the engine quietly wakes up without any flashy effects, he said. At that moment, he felt like he was just driving a normal sports car, but once he got going, he quickly realized it was a completely different beast.

Transmission

The GT-R’s transmission is a “dual-clutch transmission,” the same type as Porsche’s PDK.

There was no shift shock, and before he knew it, the gears kept climbing. He tried downshifting with the paddles to raise the engine revs, and the shift speed wasn’t particularly fast nor slow. It was just right and sufficient. As the revs rose, he could hear mechanical noises from the gears and moving parts and feel the torque surge. Being a modern turbo engine, it didn’t have the sudden torque spikes of older cars. It felt like it delivered ample torque smoothly from low to high revs.

Interesting. He also said, “Compared to the Panamera Turbo’s engine, the GT-R feels like it delivers torque more evenly. The Panamera Turbo’s torque seems to scale proportionally with revs.”

Handling

He was also very impressed with the handling:

He hasn’t driven it on a circuit, so he can’t say for sure, but on regular winding roads, the handling felt very straightforward and honest. There’s no gimmick to artificially boost responsiveness; when you turn the wheel, it turns exactly as much as you steer. Compared to imported cars in general, the steering, brakes, and accelerator felt lighter, as if driving a lighter car. But it had none of the flimsy or unstable feeling common in many Japanese cars, so he felt confident driving it.

All-Wheel Drive Performance

The GT-R is AWD, but he didn’t feel any typical AWD traits. Whether going a bit too fast or slow, or whether weight was on the wheels or not, it was very easy to drive. His strongest impression was that “this is a car anyone can drive fast.”

It doesn’t have the “drive faster, push harder” feel of a GT3. Nor does it have the aggressive, heavy, dual personality of a Panamera Turbo that seems to carve up the road. It’s also very different from Ferrari or Lamborghini, and it doesn’t have the terrifyingly precise handling of a McLaren.

When I asked, “So, what exactly is it then? (-_-)” he said,

It’s hard to describe, but it’s like a car that doesn’t show off intensity or passion but “coolly goes insanely fast.” In comparison, it’s like a milder version of the GT3’s excitement and McLaren’s handling. But “mild” doesn’t mean “slow.” Also, the engine and exhaust note are relatively quiet for a car with this power level. Honestly, when focused on driving, you barely notice the sound. So when asked “What does the GT-R sound like?” it’s hard to answer.

I see. Since my husband usually drives cars with “engines that really sing,” it makes sense that the GT-R feels quieter by comparison.

Stability

Since the test drive was brief and didn’t include highway driving, he can’t give a precise review, but he said the stability is at a very high level.

Even when he picked up speed on a straight, he didn’t really feel the speed. As for the claim “You can have a conversation at 300 km/h,” he can’t confirm that, but the stability is definitely more than enough. He doesn’t remember much about ride comfort because he was focused on driving, but he thinks it was quite good. On rough roads, he felt some pitching but no discomfort at all.

Everyday Usability

Another memorable point was that visibility and sightlines while driving are excellent. Although the car isn’t very tall, the driver’s eye point is quite high, making it easy to see the road ahead and very easy to drive. He thinks this is a feature that surpasses any super sports car.

The car is also thoughtfully designed for daily use, with a very spacious trunk. According to the owner, it can fit two golf bags. My husband said, “No wonder it’s a car from a country known for its hospitality.”

He also said it’s easy to park without worrying much about wheel stops, so it seems perfectly usable as an everyday car.

A sports car that’s fun to drive, can carry lots of luggage, and doesn’t require worrying about ride height—what a well-thought-out car!

Overall Impression

So, here’s my husband’s overall impression:

I test drove the 2018 Nissan GT-R Black Edition, and it was better than I imagined. If I had to choose a car in the same class besides Porsche, it would definitely be on my list. The interior quality could be improved a bit, but personally, it’s acceptable. What really attracted me was its high driving performance. It’s an all-weather, ultra-high-performance sports car that’s perfectly fine for daily use. I think I like that contradictory aspect. If I get the chance, I’d like to try the NISMO GT-R.

Listening to him, I could tell this car really suits his taste.

I don’t know much about the GT-R myself, and this is just my first impression as a wife who knows almost nothing about it, but somehow the GT-R gives me the image of a touge (mountain pass) street racer. So if my husband said he wanted to buy a GT-R, I probably wouldn’t ride it much… ^^; (Sorry for saying this based on just an image without knowing anything about the GT-R)

So, that’s my husband’s GT-R test drive review.