Making its debut in New York, the 2017 Nissan GT-R gets a major update that imparts visuals more in line with the automaker’s current styling. But more important, the 2017 GT-R receives a bump in horsepower and adds a welcome dose of refinement with interior revisions that make it more accommodating to all on board.
Highlighting the 2017 GT-R’s exterior remake is a more aggressive cast front fascia with a “V-motion” grille that offers improved engine cooling as well as a deeper front splitter that helps keep the nose more firmly planted. The redrawn hood gains character lines that add stiffness, which aids high-speed stability while more pronounced side sills do a better job of channeling airflow around the vehicle. The GT-R’s tail benefits from similar functional updating featuring revamped signature quad circular lamps and dual-paired exhaust outlets flanked by new aft air vents. To further elevate its profile, the 2017 GT-R also will be available in a new Blaze Metallic orange.
Interior makeover
Major changes also permeate the GT-R’s upgraded cabin. An all-new “horizontal flow” dash is wrapped in Nappa leather and features a larger 8.0-inch capacitive center touchscreen display. The switch count has been trimmed from 27 to just 11 and there’s a new Display Command controller on the center console as well as more user-friendly air vent actuators. Redesigned seats reduce weight while adding more comfort and support, and the shifter paddles have been relocated from the column to the steering wheel to better facilitate cog changes in mid-corner.
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Nissan also addressed a longstanding NVH issue in the GT-R by adding Active Noise Cancellation technology, an acoustic glass windshield and considerably more sound-attenuation material that make the passenger compartment “much quieter at all speeds.” For those seeking a bit more luxury, the Premium Edition offers its softer semi-aniline leather in new Rakuda Tan as well as the returning Amber Red and Ivory.
More muscle, smoother shifts
Although hardly underpowered, Nissan further tweaked the GT-R’s hand-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 raising horsepower to 565 and torque to 467 lb-ft; respective gains of 20 and 4 each. A new lighter titanium exhaust system with Active Sound Enhancement adds aural excitement and the GT-R’s 6-speed dual-clutch transmission has been revised to deliver smoother and quieter shifts.
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To better exploit that extra muscle while upping its overall handling capability, the engineering team also stiffened the GT-R’s body structure and recalibrated its chassis tuning. Nissan says the 2017 GT-R not only grips the road more tenaciously but also has better stability in quick transitions while being the most comfortable GT-R ever.
The 2017 Nissan GT-R will arrive in showrooms this summer, starting with the GT-R Premium model which will open at $111,585 — an $8,220 bump over its 2016 counterpart. It will be followed sometime later in the year by two other, currently unnamed, GT-R variants as well as the range-topping 600-horsepower Nissan GT-R Nismo. Pricing for those models will be released closer to their on-sale dates.
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