Nissan GT-R Track Edition slots in between the Premium and Nismo

[MUSIC] [SOUND] If you're in the lucky position to be able to add a Nissan GTR to your stable. Until recently, you had just two models to choose from. On the low end, $110,000 premium model with it's 565 horsepower twin turbo V6. Pared to one of the worlds greatest all wheel drive systems. The other choice is the $175,000 nismo edition with more power, better suspension and dozens and dozens of other little tweaks. [SOUND] That's a very big price gap between the two. The gap has now been filled by this. It's the 2017 Nissan GTR Track Edition and the track is exactly where we are today. [SOUND] The current generation of GTR and the R35 is getting on ten years old at this point. An absolute lifetime in automotive terms, yet it took a big swig from the fountain of youth in the 2017 model year. The The car received its biggest visual refresh yet, more creased and edgy and taking a lot of visual cues from the full fat Nismo edition. Including a new nose that allows its twin-turbo charged 3.8 liter engine to suck in a lot more air. That plus some more aggressive tuning and a new titanium exhaust meant 20 extra horsepower for the 2017 model year. The track edition retains that same 565 horsepower V6, but inherits many of the other tweaks found in its big brother, the NISMO Edition. Among those tweaks, a set of retuned Bilstein dampers that make this car a little bit stiffer. Just like Big Daddy NISMO GTR. But the car doesn't feel night and day different over the base GTR. It is a little bit [UNKNOWN] you can definitely throw it in the corners a little bit harder. But importantly it still has the adapted suspension so if you're going out for a night on the town, you can flip a little switch down to comfort mode and you won't have to worry about losing any of your fillings. We've also got all the same performance gauges that we've had since the launch of the R35 GTR, the same Gran Tourismo inspired display here. Which is fun for the Playstation generation like myself. And these seats, which are allowing me to sit a little bit deeper in the car, allow me to feel a little bit more planted myself. As we go deep in the corners and deep in the braking zones. [MUSIC] One of the bigger changes made in the 2017 GT-R was to reprogram the transmission. Since the launch of the R35, the transmission's definitely been a little bit of an Achille's heel, kind of bucks and shakes When you're going through town it's more comfortable in this 2017 model. That's pretty much unchanged as we go into the track, and you should hear. But as ever you get quick, quick shifts when you need them and these paddles make it real easy to grab whatever gear you want whenever you want it. [SOUND] [MUSIC] The biggest difference definitely comes from the wheel and tire package. We got more rubber up front which means more grip up front. The GTR can tend to understeer a little bit if you don't drive it right. But if you set the car up perfectly and you are a little more aggressive with the right foot than you might think. The car will pull you right around the corner in a respectably impressive way. [LAUGH] And it is absolutely a joy out here on the track. And while this V-6 is maybe not the most sonorous engine in the world, it just sounds angry when you get on it. And frankly, I like it. [SOUND] There are a lot of other Nismo-inspired enhancements here, most of which are hidden beneath the skin, including adhesive bonding on the chassis for extra stiffness and a hood that's been reinforced for some high speed action. There are a few visual cues that will help you identify the track, as you know, most notable being that dry carbon rear spoiler and the more aggressive front fenders borrowed from the Nismo. Those fenders wrap a set of lovely Nismo wheels, 20-inch forged units that feature their own little hidden trick. [MUSIC] On the inside of those wheels and the lip where the tire meets the wheel there's knurling, which is little ridges that help the tire grip the wheel better. Now I can't show you what that looks like, at least not without a floor jack and a knife. But I can demonstrate how well it works. [MUSIC] [LAUGH] You see the GTR launches so hard away from 0 to 60 in just 2.7 seconds [SOUND] But it can actually spin the wheels inside the tires. [LAUGH] Add those little ridges, problem solved. [SOUND] The track edition, it really hits a nice sweet spot between the base GT-R, which is a phenomenal car, and the NISMO, which is a really phenomenal car. And also a really expensive car. For $127,000 you get a lot of performance-oriented upgrades that really make the car feel more planted and more at home here on the track. You do lack the power of the Nismo. That's a little bit unfortunate, but frankly. I think there's plenty enough power on tap in this guy. [SOUND] [BLANK_AUDIO]