On this episode of Ignition
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00:00 This week on Ignition, we find out just how capable the new GT-R is.
00:07 What is left to be said about the Nissan GT-R? It is the defining feature of the GT-R. It
00:27 is the defining supercar from Japan, the product of unparalleled scrutiny by its engineers
00:32 who've made no compromises on their mission for outright speed. The GT-R is the culmination
00:37 of modern performance technology, and it is the standard by which others are judged. But
00:43 there's a problem. You see, recently I was checking our test
00:47 data, looking at the top ten best performing cars in each category. Acceleration, braking,
00:53 road holding, and I noticed something peculiar. The GT-R isn't there. It only holds two spots,
01:00 fifth place in zero to 60 acceleration and eighth place in figure eight lap time. Now
01:05 those results are nothing to scoff at, but I couldn't help but think that the supposedly
01:09 all-conquering GT-R should be capable of more. Good thing a new version is here. For 2013,
01:16 Nissan engineers went back to the twin-turbo V6 and improved its performance by a lot.
01:22 First, they increased the engine's performance and improved its intake efficiency. Then they
01:27 enlarged the intercooler's intake duct and improved exhaust flow. Now it makes 545 horsepower
01:34 and 463 pound-feet of torque. But the engineers didn't stop there. They also strengthened
01:41 the transmission and improved the suspension tuning, and now it comes with lighter forged
01:46 wheels. If there's ever been a time to set records,
01:49 it's to put the GT-R in the top ten of each performance category. Here's what I have ahead
01:54 of me. Acceleration requires that the GT-R covers 1,320 feet as fast as possible. Braking
02:01 demands that those full-floating Brembo rotors halt the GT-R from 60 miles an hour in less
02:06 than 100 feet. Setting a fast figure eight lap time, getting a high average lateral G
02:11 demands the utmost from the suspension tuning as well as from acceleration and braking.
02:16 Let's get started. We'd start with straight-line acceleration.
02:20 The quarter-mile test is one of the oldest and most widely recognized measurements of
02:25 performance in existence. It sounds deceivingly simple. Get from point A to point B. Only
02:32 it's not that simple. You have to be mindful of temperature, tire wear, clutch wear, gearing,
02:37 and so on. Each facet of the car has to be considered. Currently, the GT-R is fifth place
02:44 in zero to 60 acceleration, but it's 17th place in quarter-mile time. In order to get
02:50 into the top ten, it will need to make a pass in 11.1 seconds or less.
02:55 Now, the most crucial aspect of this test is the launch. You have to get out of the
02:59 hole as quickly as possible. Now, normally that means carefully judging the power band
03:03 and some tricky clutch work, but in the case of an all-wheel drive car with launch control,
03:07 it means hitting a few switches, planning the brake with your left foot, mashing the
03:12 gas with your right, and putting your faith in the miles and miles of wires underneath
03:16 the car to get it right.
03:17 Now, we're getting a little slip through first gear, which might slow us down a bit,
03:26 but that's okay because the first run typically is the fastest. The car has to learn the surface
03:32 and figure out the best way to put the power down.
03:34 All right, the surface is cleaned up. I got a good feeling about this.
03:40 [engine revving]
03:45 Really aggressive start, but we seem to be getting a little bit more speed than we have
03:49 before.
03:50 I like the way this run is feeling right now.
03:55 [engine revving]
03:59 All right. That felt really good. That felt really good.
04:05 [engine revving]
04:09 The official numbers are 0 to 60, 2.8 seconds, and the quarter mile, 11.1 at 124.8 miles
04:19 an hour. That sounds really good. Let me check the official figures here. 2.8 seconds to
04:24 60 ties us with the Lamborghini Aventador for second place, and the quarter mile, 11.1,
04:30 tied with the MP4-12C, the McLaren, well under 10th place. We did it.
04:36 With our acceleration mission complete, it was time for braking. This test consists of
04:43 repeated full ABS stops from 60 miles an hour and requires the best performance from the
04:49 brakes as well as the tires. The GT-R will need to stop from 60 miles an hour and under
04:55 97 feet in order to brake it into the top 10.
04:58 This is a difficult test for heavy cars with big wheels because they have so much more
05:03 mass to slow down. Nearly everything about physics is working against the GT-R. It is
05:08 a big, heavy car, and it's on 20-inch wheels, but physics isn't really something the GT-R
05:14 has ever really cared about.
05:16 Oh, a lot of movement, a lot of movement.
05:25 That didn't feel so good. And then again.
05:29 Not bad, not bad, not bad.
05:34 Felt pretty good.
05:38 Alright, now the braking test. Let's see what those results say. I see 109 feet, 107 feet,
05:52 105 feet, and nothing better. Looks like physics might have won that round. Our best stop is
06:00 105. Let's see where that ranks in the official numbers.
06:04 105 is not going to get us in the top 10.
06:10 Undeterred by the braking performance, we let the car cool for a bit. Then it was time
06:18 for the big test, the figure eight.
06:22 The figure eight test puts every piece of a vehicle's dynamics to work. It consists
06:27 of two 200-foot skid pads separated by 500 feet. The car must enter the first corner
06:34 as fast as possible, stay on the limits of the tires throughout the turn, and exit as
06:39 hard as it can, and then the process repeats with the next corner. The results come in
06:44 the form of a fastest lap time and the lateral g-averages the car generates in each corner.
06:51 This test demonstrates the effectiveness of the car's total package. Its engine, its
06:56 transmission, its suspension, its tires all have to work together and give the driver
07:00 the utmost confidence. Now, currently the GT-R is 15th in lateral acceleration and 8th
07:06 in lap time. I'm hoping that retuned suspension does its job.
07:10 Alright, entering at about 75 miles an hour, this thing turns in very sharp, moderate push
07:18 that you can easily fix with a big dose of throttle.
07:21 This car will slide on power, and that's probably one of the most delightful bits about it.
07:28 It gives you so much grip, you just have to be very judicious with your throttle application.
07:34 It's like you can just keep pushing it harder in each corner. Come on, give me that lap
07:43 that I want. That was a good entry.
07:49 And we're pushing too hard, I'm going way too fast through that corner, come on!
07:56 This car has the time in it, it has the speed, it has the power, it has the grip. It just
08:04 needs to all come together.
08:09 You have to be patient, restrain yourself, and that's a difficult thing to do when you
08:14 have 550 horsepower and all wheel drive.
08:18 Oh, no, no, no, come on!
08:22 Not overdriving it, not overdriving it, right on line.
08:27 A little bit of slip, but that's not a problem.
08:31 And this lap is feeling pretty good.
08:38 That felt really good, that one felt really good.
08:40 Alright, let's see what we got here. I see 23 seconds, that's really good.
08:58 Now what does the record say? 23 is the third best lap time we've ever recorded around the
09:10 figure eight. So this GTR is second only to the Porsche GT2 and the Corvette Z06, and
09:18 both of those cars had Michelin Cup racing tires on them. This thing doesn't, and it's
09:24 just tenths behind them. This is, we did it, we did it. This is the third fastest car we've
09:30 ever put around the figure eight. It beats the McLaren MP4-12C, it beats the GT3 RS,
09:37 it beats the Corvette ZR1, it beats the Lexus LFA. It's incredible.
09:42 The GTR's overall performance is extraordinary. Sure, we weren't able to get into the top
09:51 10 of every test, but the GTR's worst result is a 105 foot stop from 60 miles an hour.
09:57 That's incredible. As our test data shows, the GTR has world-class capabilities that
10:03 rival cars that cost twice as much, even three times as much as it does. And the GTR delivers
10:09 such astonishing performances without feeling uninvolving or alien. It's still fun.
10:17 The test results prove that the GTR is the supercar benchmark. And this isn't just any
10:23 GTR, this is our GTR. So the next year, we're going to be using it as the standard of fast,
10:30 pitting this against anything worth judging. If there's something you'd like to see try
10:34 to take this car on, use the comments section to let us know.
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