You can get your hands on the new 2014 Nissan GT-R at certified dealers in the United States beginning this January, but until then, here’s a look at the car you’ll be drooling over in the showroom. The Nissan GT-R boasts 545 horsepower and has been put through its paces on the Nurburgring. It is no slouch in the performance department and the development team behind the car has made myriad improvements to an already impressive vehicle.
There’s an increased engine response in the mid- and upper-rpm ranges, increased body rigidity and changes to the shock absorbers, front anti-roll bar and springs that give the car a lower center of gravity. This makes for better handling at high speeds and a more comfortable overall ride.
The 2014 Nissan GT-R is built on a Premium Midship platform that takes advantage of the world’s first independent rear transaxle all-wheel drive system. It puts the transmission, transfer case and final drive at the rear of the vehicle and gives the car a better weight distribution and improved handling. You can also adjust the transmission, shock absorbers and the Vehicle Dynamic Control to either Normal, Special or R to get the driving experience that’s right for you.
Every engine is hand-assembled in a special clean room by a single technician in a process similar to racing powerplant construction. For 2014, they’ve added an aluminum nameplate that’s attached to each engine and has the name of the technician who actually built the engine. It’s a bit like having an autographed copy of your favorite book.
As important as what’s under the hood is in a performance vehicle, passenger comfort can’t be ignored and the 2014 Nissan GT-R has been given a new interior with changes to color and materials that offer a better look and feel than prior models. There are also options for coordinating red accents and hand stitching that make it an even sportier ride.
The driver-surrounding instrument panel keeps everything at a uniform height to minimize head movement and includes a large center-mounted tachometer that’s easy to read at a glance. It seats four passengers and does so comfortably with bucket seats and padded dash pads and doors.
There’s a multi-function display with eleven pages of mechanical and driving information. Eleven pages. It includes information on acceleration, brake pedal pressure and steering angle and was designed in collaboration with Polyphony Digital. Who are they? They’re the creators of the Gran Turismo racing game. It can’t get much cooler than that, unless Q decides to leave the British Secret Service and join the private sector.
The team that worked on the 2014 Nissan GT-R have made improvements under the hood that will make this more fun than ever to drive along with interior design choices that will make it a comfortable everyday ride. You’ll be able to select from two models, either the GT-R Premium or the GT-R Black Edition which boasts sportier finishes inside and out. There will also be a Cold Weather Package and a Premium Interior Package available.
Regardless of which models and packages you choose, the 2014 Nissan GT-R is sure to be a fun ride that you’ll look forward to driving each day and to having a little fun with on the weekends.
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. When not drooling over cars, Nicole writes for Wired’s GeekMom.
