Nissan is expanding its UK performance range with the introduction of a new weapon for circuit lapping. The 2020 Nissan GT-R NISMO is now available to order in the UK, priced at £174,995.
Unveiled at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, the 2020 NISMO offers race car-inspired upgrades and tuning improvements.
The 2020 GT-R NISMO is about total balance. New, race-proven turbochargers, improved gearbox shift control, lighter components, reduced overall mass and upgrades to the brakes, wheels and tires contribute to a 2.5-second reduction in lap time around Nissan’s development track, not to mention an improvement of the GT-R’s inherent high speed stability, even at speeds of up to 186 mph.
The car’s new turbochargers are the same ones currently used on the GT3 racecar version of the GT-R. These employ a 10-vane turbine wheel (one fewer vane than the current model), where the vanes are 0.3 millimetres thinner. This accounts for a 14.5% reduction in mass, and therefore inertia (24%), allowing for an increase in transient response.
A revised titanium exhaust system now has a more emphatic – yet not intrusive – tone coming through to the cabin. Handcrafted burnished tips are a signature touch of the lightweight system.
When in R-mode, the improved 6-speed dual-clutch transmission now shifts gears more aggressively and intuitively thanks to a new algorithm for the adaptive shift control (ASC). This selects the best gear for any driving scenario and can especially be felt during braking and approach into a corner, where the driveline feels more precise with faster downshift reactions to help reduce understeer on entry. With engine speed kept at a higher rate thanks to lower gear engagement, acceleration also improves when powering out of a corner.
Alongside the updated GT-R NISMO, a new 2020 Nissan GT-R Track Edition is also introduced, priced from £99,995. Sitting between the GT-R and GT-R NISMO, the Track Edition is offered for the first time with optional carbon ceramic brakes (£7,500).
The design of the 2020 GT-R NISMO has undertaken an evolution. The changes are completely functional, increasing cooling of key areas like the engine bay and brakes, all without negatively affecting the drag coefficient value of 0.26.
