The 2017 Nissan GT-R, with its available 600-horsepower high-capacity turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine, is normally recognized for its speed. Today, the iconic Nissan supercar was given a prestigious award for going slow – as in slow depreciation – in being named the top Premium Sports Car in the annual ALG Residual Value Awards. The award was presented this afternoon at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The ALG Residual Value Awards recognize vehicles in a range of segments that are forecast to retain the highest percentage of the original Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) after a three-year ownership period. ALG considers depreciation to be the single biggest expense of vehicle ownership. For 2017, GT-R is available in two models – GT-R Premium with an MSRP1 of $109,990 USD, and the limited production GT-R NISMO with an MSRP1 of $174,990 USD.
“We have always been proud of how GT-R delivers exceptional ‘bang for the buck’ in terms of pure performance-per-dollar,” said Michael Bunce, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan North America, Inc. “The recognition by ALG adds another convincing reason why GT-R is a great choice, though we think all it really takes is to slip behind the steering wheel and push the engine start button.”
For 2017, Nissan GT-R reflects the most significant makeover to the iconic supercar since its launch in the U.S. as a 2009 model. It offers a fresh look inside and out, as well as major driving performance enhancements and key new features.
The new dynamic styling includes a new V-motion grille, one of Nissan’s latest design signatures, which has been enlarged to provide better engine cooling and now features a matte chrome finish and an updated mesh pattern. A new hood, featuring pronounced character lines flowing flawlessly from the grille, has been reinforced to enhance stability during high speed driving. One new four-coat premium exterior paint color, Blaze Metallic, has been added to the exterior paint palette.
Unique GT-R NISMO body features include carbon fiber front and rear bumpers, black outside mirrors with red stripe and carbon fiber side sills and emblem treatment. The GT-R NISMO’s handmade dry carbon rear spoiler features a special coating that allows carbon fiber “weave” to be felt by the touch.
Inside the cabin, the new GT-R interior design features an instrument panel wrapped in hand-selected Nappa leather and a revised front seat design for enhanced comfort and holding performance. The simplified switch layout reduces the number of switches from 27 in the previous design to just 11, while an 8-inch capacitive touch panel monitor replaces the previous 7-inch design. In addition, the paddle shifters are now mounted on the steering wheel, allowing drivers to make mid-turn gear changes without taking their hands off the wheel.
The new 2017 GT-R Premium now offers 565 horsepower, an increase of 20 HP versus the 2016 model, with a flatter torque curve for enhanced on-demand acceleration. Among the powertrain changes is a new Titanium exhaust system – standard on GT-R Premium models.
The 2017 GT-R NISMO’s VR38DETT 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 is rated at 600 horsepower and 481 lb-ft of torque2 – representing an additional 35 horsepower and 14 lb-ft of torque compared to 2017 GT-R Premium models. All GT-R engines are hand-assembled from beginning to end in a special clean room by specially trained technicians, a process similar to racing powerplant construction. An aluminum plate is added to the front of each engine showing the name of the Takumi engine craftsman.
The refined powerplants are backed by an advanced paddle-shifted sequential 6-speed dual clutch transmission, which can be driver selected to shift at race car-like speeds. All 2017 Nissan GT-Rs are built on an exclusive Premium Midship platform, which enables the use of the unique independent rear transaxle ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system.
