The Nissan GT-R R35

The Nissan GT-R R35 is really a thing of beauty. The R35 has been relatively unchanged since the debut of the vehicle in 2007. Why mess with perfection right? Short of a few horsepower bumps, rim styles, and front fascia designs, the model years very easily blend together. Sure, every hardened veteran and obsessed 13 year-old will be able to tell which year of GT-R came with fog lights or the newest grill. No matter the case, they are all definitively GT-R. There is nothing quite like it on the road. They demand attention. The design is sleek and stylish while remaining aggressive and bold. The four iconic taillights bring the back of the GT-R to life in the best way. Whether they’re fitted with a duckbill or the standard spoiler you can always tell they mean business.

The GT-R really is a celebrity in the automotive industry in every sense of the word. The Nissan GT-R has been affectionately nicknamed “Godzilla” for its performance and ability to crush competition. This particular 2010 GT-R has a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V6 engine and of course all-wheel drive. For the 2010 model year, it produced around 485 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque. With all the power being delivered through an automatic 6-speed dual-clutch transmission the car could allegedly go from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds. Even in today’s standards that is very impressive. It’s no wonder why the GT-R was hanging up on every car enthusiasts wall fourteen years ago.

The 2010 GT-R R35 is a beast under the hood, but what was it like on the inside? Truly, the GT-R is very livable (if you consider it a two-seater). I drove the car nearly 400 miles in 48 hours and I can’t recall an instance where the car needed something more on the inside. Of course with modern technology, the interior of the 2010 was outdated. However, this really adds to the charm of the vehicle. The center screen of the GT-R tracks performance data such as horsepower, torque, and boost pressure. There’s a G-Force meter and even a lap timer. It's like having a mini racing dashboard right in your car. If you came here waiting for me to slam the car about being filled with “hard plastics” you came to the wrong place. The GT-R has a beautiful interior and really is a special place to be. The analog gauges and orange backlight are reminiscent of the past without making the car feel too prehistoric.

With all these positives, is it possible to say anything negative about this car? As a matter of fact, yes. I had huge expectations set for this car. After seeing this car in the Fast and Furious franchise and hearing everyone and their grandmother swoon, I figured this was the best car in the world. This particular car was a huge disappointment.

It was very apparent this car had seen more butts than an ashtray. This car had nearly 50k miles on it, but they were clearly hard miles. The front bumper was cracked and missing the tow hook cover in the bumper. The steering column was floppy and would not remain in place. Those could all be fixed with proper maintenance, but that was clearly not a concern. While those are all issues any GT-R can experience, this particular car was filled with poor modifications. The modifications that can be done to any generation of GT-R are seemingly endless. This poor car was not modified tastefully. The headlights and taillights had limousine tint for $&%* sake. I’m not sure what bass-ackwards idiot would consider that a good idea, but evidently it was done in the name of aesthetics. Driving the car at night was atrocious and I needed to use the brights at the slightest sign of sunset.

There were very few upsides to this GT-R. The experience driving this car was like finding out that your role model is the last person you should be looking up to. The saying, “Never meet your heroes” comes to mind when thinking about it. I was told specifically not to launch the car. I can respect that for maintenance reasons, but not launching a GT-R is like going to an amusement park to people watch. Yeah you’re at the park, but are you enjoying it as much as you could? Not being able to use the GT-R for what is arguably the biggest appeal is almost sacrilegious.

Contrary to what other reviews say, I found the steering to be incredibly heavy and off-putting. It may have had something to do with the steering column being tucked into my groin, but I can’t be sure. The car felt weighty and had no sense of urgency. Driving the car in automatic was more pleasing than dealing with the transmission. The shifts were sloppy and lacked a serious amount of spirit. The car seemed to suffer from serious turbo lag as well. With nearly 500 horsepower I wanted more noise from the six-cylinder as well. One of my main issues with the car was that it didn’t have enough drama. It felt like just a normal Nissan while driving around the city.

The biggest perk of driving this car truly was being seen in it. I called Kasey to meet me at the local grocery store without telling him anything. Lynn and I pulled into the parking and he gave us a thumbs up and the biggest smile before he realized who was behind the wheel. His hand went down and immediately dropped his face. We parked up and within minutes the car had drawn a crowd. Fathers and sons were asking for pictures and races. It really was like hanging out with a celebrity.

People would ask to pull over or race every time we would stop. Kasey and I drove to a park known specifically for late-night car meets. Being in Idaho, the lot only had lifted trucks with teenagers sitting on opened tailgates. When we were spotted pulling in it was like the zombie apocalypse had begun. Brainwashed teenagers flocked to the car like moths to a flame. They couldn’t get to the car fast enough. People ran over while Kasey enforced good manners. The sentence, “Race my Duramax!” will forever be burned into my brain.

Being an attention magnet cannot the only reason to own a car. There needs to be more. While I do think the GT-R R35 is gorgeous from nearly every angle, looks don’t always cut it. For me, this car didn’t fit the criteria for good looking. Seriously, who the hell tints headlights and taillights black. The power was unfortunately lackluster as was the handling. I do blame the particular car in this instance.

I know that the R35 has great potential. Kasey and I had an opportunity to ride in a 700 horsepower GT-R and it was enough to blow your socks off. That is a memory I will cherish forever. I think that is another reason why this GT-R fell short for me. I know what real performance can be and this car just couldn’t keep up. I know the GT-R has more to offer than good looks and hopefully I will have another opportunity to get better acquainted with one that hasn’t been put through so much hell.

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Review: Morgan Jacobsen, October 7, 2024

Video: Morgan Jacobsen, Desilynn Aguirre, Kasey Anderson, September 10, 2024

Photo: Morgan Jacobsen, Kasey Anderson, September 10, 2024