Watching a rerun of Top Gear they were doing a piece on the Nissan GTR against the Jag XK S and the Nissan came out tops on all tests anyone got one or tried them

Looks like a beast alright, and they certainly have a presence on the road having seen a couple.

haven't tried one myself, as I have a deep rooted aversion to Japanese cars since my dad was a Honda fan, which turned me against them as a teenager!

I can only imagine it would be a hoot to drive but like all of the recent Japanese "tours des forces" the techonology might get somewhat annoying after a while........ Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Yes, I had a 40 minute test drive in a Nissan GT-R. The 11 year model they had on Top Gear.

Yes, it goes like a friggin rocket.
The acceleration was so fierce the blood came out of my lower legs and I got pins and needles in my feet.
And when I tested the brakes out I felt like my face was being sucked off due to the g force.

Believe me. You realy need to experience it.

It also makes you realise that you need to be a racing driver to use it properly.
I class myself as a reasonable driver, but the GT-R made me feel that it was just so much better, I'd never be able to use 80% of what it could do without scaring myself s less.
If you buy one, you need a fair bit of track training to use it IMO.

Bare in mind I already have a track based road legal car and three weeks ago I was beating TVRs down the Santa Pod dragstrip. So I do have a fair idea about fast driving.

Nissan GT-R I salute you.

Interesting reply Mr Fox

As i race and have a bit of knowledge on the cars

The GTR is a interesting car and will flatter many people , even round the Ring in modest hands it will post amazing times , but it takes away many the feelings of DRIVING a car with its electronics taking over so much , had the same issues with my later 911's .

If you want a fast road car that will do it all without throwing you in a hedge then yes a worthy buy, but will not always leave your hair standing on end with its lack of driver feedback. Try a Caterham R500 or similar depending on the type of thrill you are looking for. Far to many gone...

tboner001 wrote:

but it takes away many the feelings of DRIVING a car with its electronics taking over so much

Sorry disagree kept mine 4 mths found the drive very much disconnected and 2 very well known PRO ( Ex race and current race drivers ) felt the same. Gives awesome bang for your buck , I hope by reviewers you are not talking about Top Fing gear by the way LOL.

Also disable all and put in race mode means a £550 service within 300 miles or no warranty on engine or drive train , a bit like the stupid launch controls on a few of the current cars out there that will only do 6-12 runs before clutches scream no more and 3+k thanks very much  Far to many gone...

No, not talking about Top Gear - evo, for example, found it far more involving than a V10 R8 or 997TT (no surprise there). We'll have to disagree on that aspect.

The servicing and warranty "issues" aren't issues outside of the internet (although I'd go independent for servicing).

Launch control is just a novelty, but the current GT-R version of it is nothing like as brutal as the first.

tboner001 wrote:

As i race and have a bit of knowledge on the cars

The GTR is a interesting car and will flatter many people , even round the Ring in modest hands it will post amazing times , but it takes away many the feelings of DRIVING a car with its electronics taking over so much , had the same issues with my later 911's .

If you want a fast road car that will do it all without throwing you in a hedge then yes a worthy buy, but will not always leave your hair standing on end with its lack of driver feedback. Try a Caterham R500 or similar depending on the type of thrill you are looking for.

I like top gear, but had to agree with what evo said about the XKR review: -

Quote:

I don’t actually watch Top Gear very often these days, but last night I happened to be on the sofa and tuned in. There had been reports that the new series actually had some car stuff in it so I was quite intrigued. Cue caravans pretending to be railway carriages catching fire…! Anyway, Rowan Atkinson was truly brilliant, as always, and I really want to try the V16 Phantom.

However, what’s caused me to write this blog is that first up in the show Clarkson was driving the very same Jaguar XKR-S that I drove round the Mille Miglia a few weeks ago. There was lots of lovely camera work that, as always, somehow manages to make Dunsfold Aerodrome look a lot more special than it really is. Jeremy seemed to be enthusing and then he mentioned something about the ride being harsh. What? But the ride in the XKR-S is fantastic – it’s a proper GT. Ah well, let it go.

Then they brought out the Jag’s competitor for the sketch – a new Nissan GT-R. Slightly odd given that they are separated by about £30,000 but, hey, it’s an interesting comparison. No mention of the Nissan’s harsh ride I notice… No mention of it being four-wheel drive either as they line up for a drag race, in the wet. The Nissan only really appears to beat the Jag in the race because of its superior traction off the line, but that’s never explained – instead it’s just heralded as some sort of miracle. I’m starting to get annoyed now.

Then comes the crowning moment; Clarkson looks straight at the camera and says that the Jaguar takes 9 minutes to lap the Nurburgring, whereas the Nissan is capable of a 7min24sec lap. WHAT?!?! I would say that a researcher ought to be hauled outside and told to lick the tread off a Cherokee (no offence to any Native Americans intended) except that Clarkson himself, if he is even a vague percentile of the car lover he purports to be, should know that a 9 minute lap for the Jag is just preposterous. A hatchback can lap in under 8min10sec, for crying out loud. One phone call to Jaguar would have elicited the information that the XKR-S is capable of a sub 8min lap.

I really like both the Jag and the Nissan – equally probably – so I’m not sticking up for the Jag out of some kind of misplaced favouritism. And the Nissan is undoubtedly faster, so the underlying premise of what Clarkson is espousing is correct, but I just wish the whole thing was portrayed accurately. You can still have the hyperbole, just with a factually accurate test rather than a skewed scripted one. I just think they owe it to all the people that take Clarkson’s word as gospel.

Quote:

If you want a fast road car that will do it all without throwing you in a hedge then yes a worthy buy, but will not always leave your hair standing on end with its lack of driver feedback. Try a Caterham R500 or similar depending on the type of thrill you are looking for.

KurtVerbose wrote:

I have a VX220 turbo and a friend of mine wants a GTR. I don't doubt the GTR would be far quicker, but I don't think he'd have any more fun in it, and the vx220 is cheap to run.