Nissan’s 2015 GT-R, unlike NISMO, keeps evolving toward comfortable superpower

By Stephen Edelstein November 20, 2013

The 2015 Nissan GT-R NISMO may be grabbing the spotlight at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, but the standard GT-R will also get a few upgrades for the 2015 model year.

As Nissan put it in its Tokyo press release, “evolution never stops.”

Nissan just gave the GT-R a refresh for the 2014 model year – and the car was pretty amazing to begin with – so the changes for 2015 are relatively minor, further sharpening an already rapier-like performance machine.

According to Nissan, the suspension was “fine-tuned” for increased grip which also improves ride comfortable. That’s not something you hear often in the world of performance cars, where improved handling usually means sacrificing one’s spine.

The steering and brakes were also adjusted for increased civility in everyday driving, and the 2015 GT-R rides on a new set of Dunlop SP SportMaxx tires.

The exterior tweaks are similarly subtle. For 2015, the GT-R gets LED headlights that create a “lightning” pattern visible in low-light conditions. They also have an “Adaptive Front lighting System” that adjust the angle of the beam according to the car’s speed. Can they keep up?

The interior also gets a few updates, including a leather-trimmed steering wheel and stitched accents for the semi-aniline leather seats.

The important bits remain the same, though. Under the hood is a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 with 545 horsepower and 463 pound-feet of torque. That’s still much more than the 480 hp and 430 lb-ft the GT-R produced when it arrived in North America as a 2009 model, and shows just how dedicated Nissan is to perfecting the GT-R.

The power gets to the wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch transaxle and all-wheel drive. It will sprint from 0-60 mph in around 2.7 seconds. It’s also the perfect car if you’re looking to drive across a frozen lake.

The 2015 Nissan GT-R goes on sale in Japan December 2, followed by other markets.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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