2012 Nissan GT-R,Reviews

Nissan GT-R fanatics will also be pleased to know that the iconic blue paint option has been reintroduced into the range named Aurora Flare Blue Pearl along with a revised black called Nebula Opal Black.

A new wheel option has also been made available in the form of Rays forged aluminium wheel which cut 3kg off the new GT-R’s unsprung weight at each corner for a total weight saving of 12kg – finished in either a Hyper Blue Black or Hyper Titanium colour

Perhaps you remember the original Nissan GT-R as easy to drive but uninvolving. Anyone who's still singing that tune, Mizuno thinks, hasn't driven this car.
Because, in this case, there's nothing bland about the GT-R.

You see, even in this business, where 500-hp cars come along every few weeks, the speed and control that accompany the 2012 Nissan GT-R driving experience are rare. Because control, friends, kicks ass. There's more than enough power here to balance the GT-R's chassis with the throttle, and understeer is noticeably reduced at lower speeds while stability remains high in triple-digit corners.
There's the same heavyweight steering — even at low speed.

By the Numbers
According to our test equipment, 2012 Nissan GT-R is both quicker and faster than the car it replaces. We've tested multiple GT-Rs in the three years since the car's introduction and the best acceleration we've recorded to date came from our long-term test car with the VDC switched off.

It hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds (3.3 seconds with a 1-foot rollout) and completed the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 118.9 mph.
Handling numbers are similarly improved. Porsche's GT3 and GT3 RS hold the record at 75.3 mph.

Dunlop developed the GT-R's proprietary tire — the SP Sport Maxx GT600 (255/40ZRF20 front, 285/35ZRF20 rear) — with Nissan. Caster is increased from 5 to 6 degrees to improve high-speed stability. Even the stock wheels — now 10-spokers — are 20 percent stiffer and 6.6 pounds (per car, not per wheel) lighter. The Rays six-spoke wheels that come as part of the Black Edition scrub another 3.5 pounds (per car).

R-Mode Start, or Nissan's name for launch control, remains functionally the same as in 2011 GT-Rs. Bump the transmission and VDC setup switches into the R position (the suspension switch can remain in the "normal" position), then pin the brake, wood the throttle and release the brake.
There's another change, too: 2012 GT-Rs are limited to four launches in a row before the system requires a 1.5-mile cool-down drive.

The Critical Test
That the 2012 GT-R is insanely, stupidly fast is evident. City fuel economy jumps from 15 mpg to 16 mpg, while both highway and combined numbers see a 2-mpg increase (21 to 23 mpg and 17 to 19 mpg, respectively).
A Premium GT-R (there is no base model) costs $90,950 — about $5,900 more than a 2011 Premium model.