Video: Fifth Gear drive the Nissan GT-R

By George Skentzos | February 27th, 2008

Any excuse to post a video of the phenomenal Nissan GT-R is fine by me. This time Fifth Gear’s Jason Plato takes the new GT-R to the track, and raises a few issues with its handling.

billy_bob_119

For the first TV test drive they could have done it a lot better and show how much better the car really is and a few more of its folts.
Lets hope Top Gear get the car they will do it so much better.
Captain Mainwaring

From all accounts this is a technically brilliant car, faster around a circuit than a 911 Turbo and easier to control on the limit. But the snobs won’t give it credit because it’s ‘not European old chap’, and it’s a shame that it looks like it’s made out of sheets of plywood.
http://navelcontemplation.blogspot.com Supercujo

Top Gear is miles better than Fifth Gear. Isn’t fifth Gear on a commercial network? Could that be why they never real bag a car out in a big way like Clarkson does?

‘R34GTR’ was the captcha, cool
Adam

I could be way off here, but is it really a good idea that a site which is quickly becoming one of Australia’s biggest car news sites is posting copyrighted video content?
/off topic

Some sources have the GT-R running 11.3 quarter miles and one here in Australia has run an 11.6 already.
http://www.formulaf1.com/ F1 Fun

Can’t wait until this is released in Australia… actually, I can because I have a lot of pennies to save between now and then…
The Original Tom

Yeah I’m not sure Clarkson will find much more to gripe about than a bit of understeer here, and some wanky electronic gimmicks there, which is pretty much what Fifth Gear did.

If Fifth Gear is the crap cousin to Top Gear, can you imagine what the Aussie Top Gear will be like?
http://antilag.com Tom Jakovljevic

Jason Plato is clueless.

First person in the world to take issue with the handling…. perhaps its not quite up the BTCC race cars with slicks he used to drive to mediocre results.
No Name

Fith gear is more orientated at the consumer, where as Top Gear well, completely banzai mad. I’ve no doubt TG will have the GT-R on the track in the spring but I won’t break the record set by the Ascari in the Autumn 2007 series.

Plywood car Captain…that’s great
No Name

If you want a wooden supercar go to: -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=516687&in_page_id=1770

If this page goes through CA
Andrew M

noname,
now that is a pretty cool supercar.

i would really love to see that one in the flesh.

those of you that didnt follow the link really should.

CA,
the link is worthy of a write up
Grant

pretty poor review… only the last 30secs was on how it drives. the rest was about its tech and specs
http://ford Nick

Jason Plato has a hidden agenda. He owns a 997 twin turbo. Now in this review of the GT-R he is trying to justify to himself that his car, which happens to cost almost double, fails to even deliver the same level of performance, let alone beat the GT-R.
Kenzo

Nick. you read my mind.
Flying High

Bit of understeer – is that it…? Maybe it was poor driving rather than the vehicle itself?

well to own one come about July 2009 would be nice – I guess I only need to save about $2000 per week between now and then, also chip in about 8K for insurance – yep should be right!

(Now where are those Microsoft shares I had lying around from about 20 years ago….)
Godspeed

Hmm he is very restrained isn’t he. He always stops short of saying it’s truly a great car – it’s simply a very…. very… good, car. and I (no, WE)…. like it. He managed to make it sound very very ordinary indeed, nothing special at all, and sounds like he doubts that it could get round the nurburgring in 7’38, even though pretty much every car enthusiast (of which he would profess to be one) knows about the video on YouTube that proves that the GTR did it, even whilst parts of the track were damp.
Lcat

^ agreed,
got the feeling there were nissan minders present & he was deliberately trying to unimpress with the understeer.
I’d guess JP is euro-centric his own cars include 911 turbo,
Z4 and seat leon cupra (seat being his bttc paymaster)

Anyone remember him crashing out of Bathurst when he was teamed up in the HRT with Brocky?
Bavarian Missile

Hey Godspeed…..wondering when you would show up here babe!

M3 a little dull today in 40 degree heat…..shes not happy!As I imagine this wouldn’t be either……
Godspeed

Hey BM.. yeah? sounds like she needs some fresh air and a drink with some punch in it! Here in Sydney there is a mass shortage of V-power, no-one seems to know when it’ll be back in stock. Hav had to use BP ultimate, seems okay so far.
Flying High

actually re V power and ‘had to use Ultimate’comment from God above, BP is the only company who guarantee that their Ultimate 98 IS actually 98 octane.

I stopped using Shells ‘Optimax’ now rebadged V power after it clogged up the internal arteries of my fuel system and made the car run like a dog – due to contaminents in Shell fuel – a fact that Shell knew about but conveniently forget to tell its loyal customers (like myself). I still haven’t lost the bad taste and will only use V Power if there really is nothing else and the fuel tank is down to fumes only.
Godspeed

Flying High – Really? Contaminants which they knew about..? Doesn’t sound good…

Which car were you running it in? Fuel is always a contentious issue but good to know that BP Ultimate is shaping up as a very real alternative for those of us who want higher octane.

I haven’t tried V-Power racing as yet, as I still have doubts about using petrol containing ethanol in a turbocharged motor.