- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
3.8TT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
419kW, 632Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 12L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec review: Track drive
The Nissan GT-R T-spec is the last hurrah for the R35 'Godzilla' in Australia, and with a blend of nostalgia and performance, it promises to go out with a bang. James hits Sandown Raceway to stretch the T-spec's legs.
- Nostalgic colour palette is fantastic. The Miidnight Purple colour flip is amazing.
- It's still incredibly fast. Everywhere.
- Nismo brakes a welcome adddition.
- Interior switchgear showing its age
- Noise still more purposeful than emotional
- Good luck finding one - and regardless of price (or speculator markup) it is still the last one. I'm not crying... you're crying
Introduction
Let’s wind the clock back to 1989, when a compact but subtly muscular coupe burst onto the automotive scene. It was then, as it is now, a technological showcase of what a modern sports car could be; all-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, twin-turbo, variable torque split, and more.
The list of features was only surpassed by the number of acronyms used to describe them – ATTESA E-TS (all-wheel drive), Super-HICAS (four-wheel steer), RB26DETT (RB-series, 2.6-litre, double-overhead cam, electronic fuel injection, twin-turbo).
The introduction of the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R wasn’t the first use of the nameplate, that honour goes to the KGC10 Skyline GT-R of 1972, but it was somewhat of a defining moment in the world of the Japanese techno-sportscar.
Fast forward through refined R32 and subsequent R33, R34 and R35 generations of the GT-R, and we’re at the other end of the bookcase. An end of an era for the badge (for now) and for what is the final GT-R of this generation, the 2021 R35 Nissan GT-R T-spec.
Based on the Premium Luxury-spec GT-R, the ‘T raids the Nissan parts bin to include the wider front fenders and carbon fibre rear spoiler from the Track-spec, Brembo ceramic brakes from the GT-R Nismo, an exclusive green interior (it sounds sketchy but it works) and unique 20-inch Rays forged wheels.
Just 100 examples of this final iteration GT-R have been built by Nissan, with all Australian cars now complied and essentially sold. There are no more to build, order or arrive.
This is it, the end, or as the Japanese say, owari da.
That is, until a whole new generation car is revealed…
Key details | 2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec |
Price | $256,700 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Midnight Purple |
Options | Premium paint – $1500 |
Price as tested | $257,200 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Porsche 911 Turbo | One of the other R35 GT-R variants we have seen over the past 15-years |
Style and Design
The long-serving R35 GT-R has, for the most part, aged well. It is now 15-years old, and even with a facelift in 2011 and another refresh in 2017, still pulls off the burly four-wheeled PlayStation flex.
The T-spec setup, using the fatter arches and naked-carbon spoiler from the GT-R Track Edition, with heat-treated titanium exhaust tips and bronze Rays wheels, really works with the R35’s bulky stance.
What seals the deal though, are the colour choices. Sure, you can choose Jet Black or Ivory Pearl White, but why would you when two old favourites make a colourful return.
Millennium Jade was first introduced on the R34 GT-R V-spec II Nur (no one does naming convention detail like Japan), with only 156 cars receiving the light platinum-green hue. It makes a comeback on the T-spec, as does Midnight Purple which although debuting as the hero colour on the 1995 R33 GT-R, now features a wild colour-flip paint structure more akin to the Midnight Purple Pearl III found on the R34 GT-R.
Yes, in shade it can look purple, but in the light it most definitely looks green… but then it’s almost black at night with a constant reflection of gold shimmering within. It looks amazing, but I shudder to think of the drama involved with having to repair or repaint a panel at any stage!
Inside
If you thought the outside was a bit extroverted, you’ll love the Mori Green interior. Yes, green.
To be clear, the top dash, main trim elements and switchgear are all black, as is the quilted Alcantara roof lining, but the leather and Alcantara seats, door panels and mid-dash materials are all green. And it works.
The trim quality is excellent, and there’s decent room for taller occupants, with some storage between the seats.
Noting the GT-R has a 315-litre boot and that there are actually rear seats feels a bit pointless as neither are particularly good at their job, and you probably don’t care anyway.
What is more notable though, is the more generic switchgear around the climate control unit and instrument binnacle are really showing their age.
There’s a lot of ‘Nissan’ in these components, which we’re all sort of used to now, and naturally this does nothing to dampen the performance of the car, but its perhaps the area where the car is most obviously over a decade old.
The analogue instrument cluster itself is clean and easy to read, with the tachometer taking center stage, but don’t expect fancy trip data or nifty graphics as the monochrome display is still the only digital element (along with the current gear read out).
Any clever info you need can be handled by the central multi-function display…
2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 315L |
Length | 4710mm |
Width | 1895mm |
Height | 1370mm |
Wheelbase | 2780mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
I’ll be honest. There’s an 11-speaker Bose premium sound system in the GT-R, but during my short time with the car I didn’t turn it on.
I barely used the customisable display on the 8.0-inch central touch screen either, as the Nissan team, had preconfigured it to show all the key temperature and pressure readouts you need when punting hard around a racetrack.
This system was improved for the 2011 update and was famously designed by the team at Polyphony Digital, who are responsible for the GranTurismo PlayStation game series.
It’s a pretty cool part of the GT-R, and a strong nerdy nod to the data-savvy, tech-friendly position that the GT-R has carved for itself.
Safety & Technology
I doubt you’re worrying about ANCAP scores at 200km/h on the front straight, but the GT-R has never been tested in Australia or in Europe (by EuroNCAP).
There are six airbags (dual front, side and curtain), and it’s got massive brakes… but that’s it.
No adaptive cruise control or lane keeping aids here, just you and 1751kg of Japanese road weapon to keep your mind on the game.
In fact it was safety compliance that ended the GT-R’s life in Australia with the car among the list of those which cannot meet the new ADR 85 side impact design rules.
2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec | |
ANCAP rating | Not tested |
Value for Money
At $256,700 before options and on-road costs, the T-spec is in the middle of the five-model GT-R range. That it asks $56,900 more than a Premium Luxury GT-R ($199,800) or is $121,300 more affordable than a GT-R Nismo ($378,000) makes it feel like contextual good value.
The fact that you cannot buy one anymore and that speculators are trying to quadruple their investment only further supports this, as does the fact a base 911 Turbo runs about $148,200 more on the balance sheet.
At a glance | 2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec |
Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000km |
Servicing costs | Condition based |
Fun fact, I used to own an R33 GT-R V-Spec, which I overpaid for in 2002 and had trouble selling for about $35k in 2005. If I had kept it, it would be worth somewhere north of $150k right now, which is pretty frankly, bonkers.
My point being, GT-R values are up across the board and so if you managed to snare a T-spec for anywhere close to retail, all power to you.
Your GT-R can only be serviced at one of six Nissan 'High Performance' dealerships, and pricing varies as to how you drive your car.
Fuel Consumption - brought to you by bp
Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 12L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | Lots more than that |
Fuel type | 98 Octane |
Fuel tank size | 74L |
Driving
This is what it all boils down to.
Forget what it looks like, what colour the seats are, or which generation Navara uses the same trip-meter button, the GT-R is all about brutal and accessible performance, as from the get go the car makes it clear that refinement and subtlety are not its thing.
Push the big red Start button and the car fires up with an almost dieseleque chortle. Clunk it into gear through the Lego-like stepped gate and even with brakes on, at idle, you can hear the myriad system of high pressure pumps and component control systems working away.
Easing onto the circuit, the noises change to that of air being drawn in and pushed out from the VR38DETT twin-turbo six under the bonnet. There are whooshes and whines, whistles and groans from beneath as you start to wind things out.
Power in the T-spec is the same as a ‘regular’ GT-R; 419kW at 6800rpm and a massive 632Nm between 3300 and 5800rpm. Nissan claim a 0-100km/h sprint time of 2.7-seconds, with all-four wheels working to propel the 1751kg GT-R forward as fast as possible.
At moderate speeds, the car feels compliant and well behaved. The ride is firm but so much so that using the ripple strips on the corner apexes with cause you harm. Things are stiff though, as you’ll note in the photos, the car has no qualms in lifting an occasional wheel when pushed.
Comfortable with my surroundings, and approaching Sandown’s long back straight, it’s time to really work that big V6.
Power comes on quickly and strongly, but not in the almost jarring way we’ve seen from some electric vehicles. The car dispatches the 100km/h zone very quickly and builds to around 250km/h before the crest of the hill, where attention moves from the speedo to the braking markers and corner entry points down the other side.
The big (390mm front, 380mm rear) Nismo carbon ceramic brakes wash off speed very quickly, with the car moving and squirming on the Dunlop SportMax tyres as it prepares for the next corner to attack.
And attack it will.
Turn in is very accurate and you can feed on the power enthusiastically for a very fast and confident exit.
The GT-R’s ATTESA E-TS (deep breath… Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-terrain with Electronic Torque Split) enables up to 50 per cent of the car’s power to run to the front wheels, which gives you phenomenal exit performance.
Things have improved over the years, with the R32 and R33 cars reverting to 100 per cent rear drive as soon as you got off the throttle, requiring a very committed and brave driver to push the early GT-Rs to the limit.
Here, the limit is further away, but more easily reached (at least, my limit is) with the system now working in near symbiosis with the driver. The car knows your steering angle, lateral g-force, throttle position and traction control setting, and does its best to help you do what you are trying to get done.
At highway speeds, this might be considered a somewhat ‘point and shoot’ scenario, but considering where we are, highway speeds aren’t wholly relevant.
You are still, very much driving this car.
Key details | 2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec |
Engine | 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol |
Power | 419kW @ 6800rpm |
Torque | 632Nm @ 3300-5800rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Six-speed dual clutch automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 239.3kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 1751kg |
Ground clearance | 107mm |
The straight-line performance seems unending, with the T-spec pulling smoothly all the way past the 200km/h mark, only to be transformed from freight train to attack fighter for the 90-degree entry into turn-one.
Grip is impressive, especially on road tyres, and there is enough communication through the wheel to let you know just how well the Dunlops are holding on. Too much throttle though, and the rear will wiggle and push, forcing more oomph to the front wheels to drag you where you need to go.
Shifts are fast (0.15 seconds), and the six-ratios reasonably short, which further keeps you in the game of being a driver.
Weight balance is excellent due to the almost mid-mount location of the engine and rear axle placement of the transmission
Even in the short sections between bends, the car builds speed so impressively quickly. The ‘laggy off boost’ comments that can impact the GT-R’s performance on the road, no longer an issue with the engine constantly spinning above 3500rpm, ready for every input that you can provide.
Does the snazzy carbon fibre spoiler help? Do the 20-inch forged Rays wheels give it more lateral adhesion? Will that colour-flip paint shave tenths off your lap time?
I know for me it wont, but in a car like the GT-R T-spec, who really cares.
There are plenty who will pilot this car faster than I can, and plenty who will explore that envelope of grip and intelligent torque-splittery deeper than I will. But that doesn’t stop the car from being an absolute blast to drive, and in many ways underscores the real beauty of a GT-R.
It can be the car you need it to be regardless of your ability. That the performance is so attainable, that the car is so willing, only makes it more fun – especially at pace.
Conclusion
It’s almost harder to write a review about a car you can’t buy, as what I say can in no way govern your choice as to which colour you’ll pop on the order sheet.
A car like this is one where you’ve already made up your mind whether you want one or not. Comparing the GT-R to a 911 Turbo isn’t really a thing beyond the numbers; you tend to be in one camp or the other, or you simply buy both.
The GT-R is the performance car for the PlayStation generation. Fast, complex, clever and undeniably capable… but it is now more PlayStation 3 than 5, a high-definition car now playing in an 8K world.
That 2.7-second acceleration is fast, but an electric sedan from Porsche or Tesla can match it. Those 0.15-sec shifts are quick, but so are most modern dual-clutch systems. On board telemetry is cool, but some cars let you download and analyse.
Make no mistake, the 2021 Nissan GT-R T-spec is a masterful end of an era, a respectful ‘owari da’ for what has become an iconic super sports car.
It looks the part, is brilliantly quick, has green seats, and is most assuredly special and collectible, but ADR85 bringing an end to the GT-R’s game in Australia is almost a timely circumstance.
We’re moving into the next evolution of performance motoring, and the R35 is one of the last of the old guard. It’s time to say goodbye to this legend, and wait for the next.
As if the arrival of a new generation ‘R36’ GT-R is anything like its predecessors, the game will change all over again.