If you own a Porsche 911 TURBO, Corvette ZR1, R32/R33/R34 Skyline GT-R or just about any of the six-figure European exotics, prepare to be pissed off. Japan’s reigning mass-production supercar, just got better. How much better? Let’s just say that even owners of ’09, ’10 and ’11 GT-Rs are likely to be envious of the major improvements from the minor-change 2012 Nissan GT-R. Kazutoshi Mizuno, the Chief Vehicle Engineer and Chief Vehicle Specialist for the R35 GT-R, said it would take about three years to fulfill the promise of making the R35 GT-R a world-class supercar after the first R35s rolled off the assembly line in late 2007. With the 2012 Nissan GT-R, Mizuno-san has lived up to his promise with the 2012 Nissan GT-R.

The R35 GT-R Mission Statement

It’s not only about lap times at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife. It’s not only about insane 0-60 MPH performance or standing quarter-mile sprints. It’s not only about top speeds in excess of 193 MPH. The R35 GT-R is about all of the above and more. Since the R35 GT-R can turn some killer lap times, it’s often compared to limited-production vehicles that deliver comparable lap times at the expense of streetability, value and comfort. Since the R35 GT-R can obliterate any massproduction vehicle in a 0-60 or quarter-mile confrontation, many often fixate soley on this strength of the platform. In reality, the 2012 Nissan GT-R is simply a technological marvel that allows a fully-streetable, highly-equipped sportscar to compete with both dedicated and exotic racecars.

R35 GT-R Improvements '09-11 Model Years

DSPORT is no stranger to the evolutionary improvements made to the R35 GT-R year after year. While every other media outlet marveled at the 2009 GT-R, we knew that this rough-tune of the R35 still needed development. As a result, it wasn’t until the 2011 model year that the R35 GT-R earned its 2011 DSPORT Car of the Year award.

The Performance Increase

So enough fluff, what’s the stuff? The bottom line is that the 2012 GT-R delivers better 0-60 performance, improved ¼-mile performance, quicker lap times, superior fuel efficiency, increased power and reduced emissions. While the numbers tell the objective improvement, it’s time spent behind the wheel that lets the driver appreciate the performance increase from a subjective viewpoint.