2012 Nissan GT-R Press Kit: At a Glance

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2012 Nissan GT-R Press Kit: At a Glance

Now in its fourth year of availability in the North American market, the 2012 Nissan GT-R has a new look, new colors, new wheel design and, most important to fans of pure power, more horsepower under the hood. In addition, a new Black Edition with unique seat trim, interior colors and wheels joins the GT-R Premium model. The latest iteration of Nissans legendary supercar will be available at official GT-R certified Nissan dealers across the United States beginning in early 2011.

The 2012 Nissan GT-Rs advanced VR38DETT 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 now produces 530 horsepower (versus the previous 485 horsepower) and 448 lb-ft of torque (versus the previous 434 lb-ft) a result of modifying the boost pressure of the turbocharger, valve timing and air fuel ratio, and through reduced intake air resistance created by enlarging the inlet pipe diameter. In addition, exhaust air resistance was reduced through use of an enlarged diameter exhaust pipe.

GT-Rs already impressive aerodynamic performance has been improved for 2012 with downforce increased by about 10% and the coefficient of drag reduced to 0.26 (from 0.27). Enlarged fascia and grille openings also help reduce air resistance inside the engine compartment. The volume of air that passes through the radiator and cools the front brakes is also increased. These aerodynamic and engine improvements have also resulted in improved fuel economy estimates of 16 city and 23 highway (verses 15/21).

The newly refreshed front fascia features aggressive double aerodynamic fins and new integrated high intensity LED running lights. Additional plated parts are used for the headlight inner panels, enhancing the cars strong visual presence. The redesigned rear fascia features new venting and incorporates a sculpted lower section and extended length. Newly designed larger diameter tailpipe finishers are also adopted. Six exterior colors are available, including two new colors: Deep Blue Pearl and Jet Black, which replaces Obsidian Black.

GT-Rs newly designed, lighter weight and more rigid forged aluminum 20-inch wheels, once again manufactured by RAYS, help improve suspension response. Knurling inside the wheels helps keep the tires from slipping around the wheels under heavy acceleration or braking. The wheels feature a premium dark (near black) finish, which provides a high quality, high-performance look. The Black Edition features special metallic black six-spoke RAYS lightweight wheels in place of the Premium models 10-spoke design.

Inside, the revisions for 2012 include new carbon fiber trim and upgraded materials. The Black Edition adds custom red and black Recaro leather-appointed seats, red and black interior trim and a dark headliner.

The Nissan GT-R is once again built on an exclusive Premium Midship platform, which enables the use of the worlds first independent rear transaxle ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system. This system places the transmission, transfer case and final drive at the rear of the vehicle, optimizing weight distribution and maximizing handling capability.

Vehicle adjustability is provided by set-up switches located in the center of the instrument panel, enabling the driver to adjust transmission shifts, shock absorbers and the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC-R) among three settings Normal, Special or R, for ultimate handling. The GT-R suspension uses a special Bilstein DampTronic system, and the braking system consists of Brembo full-floating drilled rotors, low steel high stiffness brake pads and Brembo monoblock six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers. For 2012, the front rotors increase in size to 15.4-inches from 15.0-inches.

GT-Rs interior balances functionality with a sense of ease and comfort. It features sculpted performance bucket seats for an optimal driving position, a cockpit-style instrument panel with a large center-mounted tachometer and multi-function display which includes mechanical and driving information, as well as an on-board driving recorder. A specially designed 11-speaker Bose sound system with speakers mounted in rigid aluminum die cast panels, which provides sound quality suitable for a supercar, is standard.

Highlights of the 2012 Nissan GT-R include:

Body

  • Purposeful, cutting-edge styling with a Cd of 0.26, while achieving high front and rear downforce
  • Hybrid body construction of steel, die-cast aluminum and carbon fiber
  • Refreshed front fascia with aggressive double aerodynamic fins, new integrated high intensity LED running lights, and additional plated parts used for the headlight inner panels, enhancing the GT-Rs strong visual presence
  • Redesigned rear fascia, featuring new venting and incorporating a sculpted lower section and extended length
  • Front fenders express power and stability, aero-blades on fenders edges provide optimum air flow around the tires and along the body; vents in the fenders trailing edges assists in providing front downforce and optimization of side air flow
  • Aggressive front end styling, large hood bulge and an enlarged central air intake for undisturbed air flow for power and cooling
  • Super wide beam headlights featuring three additional sub-reflectors (compared to conventional lights) to give a wide illumination spread
  • Four-passenger cabin with sloping aero blade canopy roofline and curved C-pillar sword edge, which facilitate air flow around the rear of the vehicle
  • GT-R hallmark four-ring taillights; air flow above and below the vehicle is managed by a functional carbon fiber underbody diffuser, rear spoiler and large, integrated quad exhaust tips
  • Auto on/off headlights and speed-sensitive windshield wipers
  • Six available exterior colors: new Deep Blue Pearl and Jet Black, along with Solid Red, Gun Metallic, Pearl White and a limited production 4-stage metallic Super Silver

Platform, Engine and Driveline

  • Advanced Premium Midship platform, enabling the use of a worlds first independent rear transaxle all-wheel drive system, which places the transmission, transfer case and final drive at the rear of the vehicle, without traditional torque tubes, allowing the suspension to operate completely independently
  • Exclusive hand-assembled twin-turbo VR38DETT 3.8-liter V6 engine
  • 530 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm, 448 lb-ft of torque from 3,200 to 6,000 rpm; LEV2/ULEV emission vehicle rating
  • Plasma-sprayed bores for reduced friction, lighter weight, enhanced cooling, power output and fuel efficiency
  • Symmetrical independent intake and exhaust manifold system featuring twin IHI turbochargers
  • Secondary air management system for improved cold-start emissions performance
  • Thermostatically-controlled oil cooling system; oil scavenger pump to maintain oil flowing to the turbochargers; lateral wet and dry sump oiling system
  • Paddle-shifted sequential six-speed dual clutch transmission; manual and automatic modes
  • Rear transaxle features separate clutches for the odd (1,3,5) and even (2,4,6) gears; sequential shifting; gear pre-selection for immediate shifts
  • Hill Start Assist for easy starts on an uphill incline
  • Electronically-controlled ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system specifically developed for GT-R
  • Rear-drive bias, up to 50 percent of torque can be transmitted to the front wheels when needed, torque split continuously variable depending on speed, lateral and transverse acceleration, steering angles, tire slip, road surface and yaw rate
  • GT-R specific yaw-rate feedback control, measuring differences between the target yaw rate calculated from steering angle, actual yaw rate detected by the yaw-rate sensor and G sensor to adjust torque bias

Suspension and Braking

  • Special set-up switches located in the center of the instrument panel; adjusts transmission shifts, shock absorbers and the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC-R), three settings Normal, Special or R, for ultimate handling
  • 4-wheel independent suspension mounted to six-point front and rear subframes
  • GT-R specific adjustable Bilstein DampTronic suspension system utilizes multiple vehicle information systems to provide appropriate damping forces for all situations and a high level of control for a variety of driving situations
  • 15.4-inch front and 15.0-inch rear Brembo full-floating cross-drilled two-piece rotors, low steel high stiffness brake pads, radial-mounted Brembo monoblock six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, which in combination minimize fade and provide intense stopping performance
  • GT-R-specific 10-spoke RAYS aluminum-alloy forged, premium dark (near black) finish for GT-R Premium model
  • Lightweight 6-spoke RAYS aluminum-alloy forged, black finish for Black Edition model
  • Wheels feature special knurling to assist with securing the tires during hard acceleration or braking
  • Standard nitrogen-filled Dunlop Sport Maxx GT 600 DSST CTT ultra high performance run-flat tires, sized 255/40ZRF20 front and 285/35ZRF20 rear
  • Optional Cold Weather Package includes Dunlop SP 7010 all-season run-flat tires

Interior Features

  • Interior designed to balance functionality and comfort
  • Usable passenger and luggage space four passenger seating and trunk capacity of two golf bags or suitcases
  • Optimal driving position provided by rear transaxle layout, with flat floor and narrow center console
  • Driver-surrounding instrument panel, with all meters and multi-function meter at a uniform height to minimize the drivers head movement
  • Large center-mounted tachometer, with gear display on its upper right, as well as the easy-to-read graphics of the multi-function display, give the driver instant detailed information
  • Interior design cues include dial plate meter-surround design that evokes the idea of engaged gears, large, metallic-framed center console featuring ergonomically designed shift lever and a red engine start button
  • Sculpted performance bucket seats
  • Soft pads located on the dash panels in front of the passenger and on both doors to give an extra level of comfort
  • A video game-inspired multi-function display with eleven pages of mechanical and driving information available, including acceleration, brake pedal pressure, steering angle and a recording function with playback
  • Navigation system featuring easy-to-use touch pad, as well as traditional navigation switches; XM NavTraffic with Real-Time Traffic Information and XM NavWeather (XM subscription required, sold separately)
  • Screen interface also features enriched entertainment system with a 9.3 GB Music Box Hard Drive, CD player controls and Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, DVD video playback capability
  • Standard specially designed 11-speaker Bose audio system, two forward-facing woofers in rear center armrest area; speakers mounted in rigid aluminum die cast panels
  • Standard USB iPod interface, Streaming Audio via Bluetooth
  • New carbon fiber interior trim
  • Black Edition features unique red and black interior color treatment, Recaro leather appointed seats and a dark headliner

Safety

  • Nissan Advanced Air Bag System for driver and front passenger
  • Standard front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags for driver and front passenger
  • Standard roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front seat occupant head protection
  • Front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters and tension reducers
  • Three-point ELR/ALR rear seat belts

Manufacturing

  • Vehicle assembly in Tochigi, Japan; engines hand-assembled in Yokohama, Japan
  • Available in two models: GT-R Premium and GT-R Black Edition

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