Photo: Carpix
Being the computer-ish type of supercar, the Nissan GT-R has followed the "updated one minute ago" trends of the digital world closely - unlike others of its kind, Godzilla has received yearly updates after it hit the market back in 2008. The prototype you are looking at now is the 2016 Nissan GT-R and this might just be the last facelift for the current generation of the Japanese machine.
Certain model year updates for the GT-R have brought significant tech upgrades, while others followed a lighter trend. The 2015 refresh was part of the latter category, so we’re expecting the 2016 GT-R to up the ante on the tech front.
Adaptive LED headlights and new colors were offered, while the leather work inside the GT-R was refined and new colors were added.
The GT-R Nismo talks to the road via bespoke Bilstein DampTronic shock absorbers, custom sprins and exclusive tires coming from Dunlop, while the anti-roll bar and suspension geometry were also touched. For the 2016 GT-R, the engineers will make quite some changes in this department, since borrowing the track-happy model’s suspension won’t cut it.
Nonetheless, the adhesive bonding that accompanies the body spot welding in order to increase body rigidity should go straight into the new car.
While the 2015 GT-R Nismo had its distinct front and rear fascias, as well as a massive fixed rear wing, the 2016 GT-R will come with more discrete visual updates. Chances are the changes will be focused on the front fascia, which you can see camouflaged in the adjacent spyshots.
We’ll probably see a hybridized GT-R for the 2017 or 2018 model year. The rumor mil hints at an 130+ hp electric motor assisting an upgraded version of the current 3.8-liter V6, with the final output reaching for the 700 hp level.
With the current R35 generation, the Nissan GT-R has truly become an icon, battling it out with supercars coming from well-known producers, but for half the pice, at least initially. The next GT-R will have plenty of boxes to tick, from upping the ante in terms of cabin luxury to keeping the insane performance trend going. The latter is a rather tricky task, since such a high level of polishing doesn’t quite cope with keeping the price reasonable.
Photo Update: We've added an extra set of spy photos, with the interior included in this batch. Speaking of the cabin, the prototype doesn't seem to sport any changes. Given the early stage of the development and the fact that we're not expecting important updates anyway, this doesn't come as a surprise.
The starting point for the upgrades
Last year, the fine tuning was focused on the “GT” rather than the “R”: the suspension was tweaked in order to provide a more even load spread over the wheels, with both high speed stability and ride benefiting from this. As a bonus, the tires were upgraded to Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 600 DSST CTT units, while the brakes and the steering were recalibrated.Adaptive LED headlights and new colors were offered, while the leather work inside the GT-R was refined and new colors were added.
What to expect for the 2016 GT-R (that’s 2015 for you folks over in Europe)
The 2015 Nissan GT-R also saw the arrival of the Nismo edition and certain features of the track-oriented version will migrate to the standard 2016 model. The GT-R Nismo saw the VR38DETT 3.8-liter V6 receive new turbos (these came from GT3 racing), with output rising to 591 hp (599 PS) and 481 lb-ft (652 Nm).The GT-R Nismo talks to the road via bespoke Bilstein DampTronic shock absorbers, custom sprins and exclusive tires coming from Dunlop, while the anti-roll bar and suspension geometry were also touched. For the 2016 GT-R, the engineers will make quite some changes in this department, since borrowing the track-happy model’s suspension won’t cut it.
Nonetheless, the adhesive bonding that accompanies the body spot welding in order to increase body rigidity should go straight into the new car.
While the 2015 GT-R Nismo had its distinct front and rear fascias, as well as a massive fixed rear wing, the 2016 GT-R will come with more discrete visual updates. Chances are the changes will be focused on the front fascia, which you can see camouflaged in the adjacent spyshots.
Pricing and the future
The Nissan GT-R has lost an important part of its pricing advantage over the years. Given the fact that it played the affordability card (in supercar terms, of course), this is a sensitive topic. Then again, Nissan might want to increase the price, in preparation for the next model year, when the carmaker should introduce the future generation of its supercar.We’ll probably see a hybridized GT-R for the 2017 or 2018 model year. The rumor mil hints at an 130+ hp electric motor assisting an upgraded version of the current 3.8-liter V6, with the final output reaching for the 700 hp level.
With the current R35 generation, the Nissan GT-R has truly become an icon, battling it out with supercars coming from well-known producers, but for half the pice, at least initially. The next GT-R will have plenty of boxes to tick, from upping the ante in terms of cabin luxury to keeping the insane performance trend going. The latter is a rather tricky task, since such a high level of polishing doesn’t quite cope with keeping the price reasonable.
Photo Update: We've added an extra set of spy photos, with the interior included in this batch. Speaking of the cabin, the prototype doesn't seem to sport any changes. Given the early stage of the development and the fact that we're not expecting important updates anyway, this doesn't come as a surprise.
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