2011 Nissan GT-R

The 2011 GT-R is available only in Premium trim, as the Base model has been discontinued. The Premium model comes with all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a top trim. The Premium trim is equipped with a twin-turbo V-6 engine, all wheel drive, automatic transmission, drive modes and advanced electronic driver aids to make every drive exciting. 

Which trim should you buy?

The 211 GT-R comes only in the Premium trim and it is loaded with all the necessary features. However, Nissan offers many optional packages to shape your car as per your desire. But the optional packages are expensive and it's recommended to stick with the stock trim. 

The 2011 GT-r is powered by a twin-turbo, 3.8L V-6 engine producing about 485 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six speed DCT automatic transmission and power is channeled to all the four wheels as standard. With mighty fire power under the hood, the GT-R does a 0-60 mph sprint in about 3.6 seconds and a quarter-mile drag is dome in about 11.9 seconds. 

The GT-R offers the maximum fire power and also a better acceleration than its competition. The XK and the GT are powered by larger engines but can’t match the performance of the GT-R. All the vehicles are equipped with an AWD configuration and the Maserati GT is available in RWD configuration only. The Porsche and Jaguar offer very similar acceleration times. 

The GT-R is a performance oriented car and fuel efficiency is not very important. However, the GT-R offers 15 mpg, 21 mpg and 17 mpg, in the city, on the highway and in mixed driving conditions respectively. With a fuel tank capacity of 19.5 gallons, it can travel up to 293 miles, 410 miles and 332 miles, in the city, on the highway and in mixed driving conditions respectively.

The Carrera is the most fuel efficient car of the lot and it comes with the smallest engine in the competition. It offers about 21 mpg in combined driving conditions and with a fuel tank capacity of 17.7 gallons, it can travel up to 372 miles on a full tank of gas. Similarly, the XK coupe can travel 306 miles and the Maserati GT can travel upto 340 miles on a full tank of gas. The GT also gets a higher capacity fuel tank which helps it with better range. 

The GT-R is well designed and is a blend of clever engineering, modern tech and good quality materials. The front seats are comfortable and supportive. The rear seats are not very comfortable as there is a lack of legroom. However, the practicality is more compared to some exotic supercars. 

It does miss out on the finesse and refinement of the European supercars but provide better features in terms of cargo space and seating capacity. For better handling, the suspension is adaptive but even in normal mode it is tuned towards the stiffer side. So bumpy roads can be felt inside if the speed is more.

The Maserati GT offers better headroom and legroom for the second row seats and the passengers would be more happy in a GT than in a GT-R. The Maserati also offers slightly better cargo capacity. The Jaguar XK comes with better cargo capacity than its competition. The Porsche offers the least cargo capacity.

Some of the standout interior features are:

• 8-way power driver seat and 4-way power passenger seat
• Dual-zone auto climate control w/rear cooling ducts
• Leather-wrapped door armrests and shift knob
• Dual rear synthetic leather bucket seats w/entry/exit switch
• Leather/synthetic suede trimmed heated front sport seats

How intuitive is the 2011 GT-R’s infotainment system?

The infotainment system on the GT-R is equipped with a 7-inch display which shows various performance data of the car as well as doubles up as a navigation screen as well. It also includes features like a 9.3 GB Music Box audio system to store about 2900 songs, USB connectivity, DVD playback, Nissan Intelligent key, bluetooth hands-free phone system and music streaming. For enjoyable musical experience, it is equipped with a 11-speaker Bose audio system with dual subwoofers between the rear seats.

Some of the standout infotainment features are:

• 7-inch infotainment display
• 11-speaker Bose audio system with dual subwoofers
• 9.3 GB Music Box audio system
• SiriusXM NavTraffic/NavWeather capability
• USB iPod interface

The GT-R looks distinctive and instantly recognizable on the road. It does not try to be elegant like some other supercars but looks bold and sharp. The front sharp headlights that stretch up to the front fender and a small grille that’s a part of the bumper as well, looks good. The side profile with a sloping roofline looks stylish and also aids with better aerodynamic efficiency. 

The rear spoiler never looks out of place and looks good as well. The quad circular tail lamps and quad exhaust are symmetrical in nature and complement each other well. The whole design language is not too loud but is not subtle as well. Nissan has cleverly designed every element of the GT-R and every design element is functional as well. 

The Porsche is the lightest car in the competition. It also has a lower ground clearance than every other car. The Nissan GT-R gets somewhat better clearance than the Carrera. The Maserati is the bulkiest car of the lot and sits on a longer wheelbase as well. A longer wheelbase helps with better rear legroom and stability on highways. 

The car that goes blazing fast needs to be safe as well. The 2011 GT-R has not been tested by federal agencies as of now and we don’t expect it to be tested anytime soon. However, it will be a safe car owing to the presence of many driver assistance features along with passive safety features present in the car. The features like advanced traction control system, vehicle stability control, seat side airbags, roof-mounted curtain airbags, all-wheel drive are made standard. 

Some of the standout safety features are:

• Vehicle dynamic control
• Electronic traction control
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Side and roof mounted curtain airbags

The GT-R is a formidable name in its segment. It offers many performance and advanced race spec features which no other car can match at its price point. The race-spec components in the GT-R are tuned to offer best possible performance and experience to the driver. It also comes with various ride modes and adaptive suspension. It is also good with its safety quotient. So, to make long things short, the GT-R is a great performer with a supercar experience under its sleeve.