Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI), the exclusive local distributor of Nissan vehicles, recently held a 2-day test drive event featuring its 2017 GT-R at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.
The said track day highlighted the car’s potent performance, sharp handling, and new interior goodies. Compared to its predecessor, the latest Nissan GT-R boasts a more striking exterior design. It heads the way with a restyled fascia which includes a new grille and lower bumper air intake design that improve engine cooling.
It also has redesigned fog lights that match the overall more aggressive aura. The designs of its profile and rear end didn’t depart too much from the previous model. The main difference though are its slightly more refined-looking side skirts that improve aerodynamics and a retouch rear panel.
Nissan engineers centered on allowing the driver to focus more on driving. This is the reason why the interior beckons some of its most significant changes for 2017.
Firstly are the noticeably decreased number of physical buttons. To those who are keen on numbers, the amount of buttons have now been reduced to just 11, unlike the previous model’s stack of 27. This allows drivers to concentrate more on driving as the GT-R’s basic functions such as entertainment and navigation can now be controlled using a touch screen LCD.
Another notable change inside is the more luxurious leather material wrapping the seats, door trims, and dash panels. Moreover, the gear-shift paddles are now mounted on the steering wheel instead of the column, letting the driver execute quicker gear changes even while cornering. Lastly, engineers have improved the GT-R’s interior acoustics, thus letting more of the car’s pure engine sound to be heard. 
And speaking of the engine, beating under its hood is a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V6 power plant with a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. It delivers a potent 562 hp and 637 Nm of torque to all 4 wheels using its ATTESA E-TS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split) 4-wheel drive system. 
“Be it as a driver or passenger, the latest enhancements in the iconic super sports car, backed by its rich racing history, brings the experience to a different level. Truly, this latest iteration of the Nissan GT-R is a testament to the boldness and excitement that the Nissan brand embodies,” said NPI President and Managing Director Ramesh Narasimhan.
It is worth noting that the 2017 Nissan GT-R is stickered at P7,350,000 and can only be purchased at the Nissan High Performance Center in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. To know more about the GT-R and the rest of NPI’s model lineup, visit https://www.nissan.ph.
Nissan GT-R Chief Engineer Hiroshi Tamura (Left) and our very own James Deakin (Right)
Photos & Video by Daniel Pining
