Norway is a very special place. There's lovely springs, hot summers, beautiful autumns and chilling winters where almost the entire country is covered in a sheet of snow and ice. Except this winter it hasn't.
Instead, we've had temperatures jumping up and down from +10 to -15 degrees in less than a day and extreme winds, reaching up to and beyond hurricane force. But when the keys of this very special looking Nissan GT-R landed in my hands, it was almost like the weather took a break from all the nonsense and decided to be a proper winter again, just so I could get some decent pictures.
Seriously; several motoring journalists took this beast for a ride in the course of two days when the car was made available for the press. Almost all of them in extreme snow storms and heavy traffic, rendering both the test drive and photos almost pointless. Descriptions of how the car handled in standstill traffic and some photos snapped in a downtown Oslo hotel garage was all that the weather allowed them. But, as a colleague and me pointed its angry nose towards the north of the capital, something happened. The temperature dropped and the skies parted. The angels did not appear to sing us heavenly psalms, but we almost did. And I'm not what you might call a religious guy.
Bare, snow-covered roads greeted us, which matched the insane snow-camo-vinyl the car had been graced with for the occasion (it's actually a very nice deep blue colour). There was only one thing to do; turn off all stability systems and let it rip. And rip it did. Equipped with huge studded tires it had no problems getting at least some of those 530 horses into the icy ground.
The experience only lasted a couple of hours, but it was more than enough to give me one clear and definite impression: This is the ultimate all-year supercar. You could drive a 911 Turbo on surfaces like this, but you couldn't trust it like a GT-R. Four-wheel-drive or not, that rear engine still makes it tricky on the limit. The Nissan has an advanced transaxle layout that ensures ideal weight distribution, ideal for safe winter fun.
Actually, I've felt more unsafe in a Honda Civic.
Knalltøffe bilder. Så bilen på en eller annen side tidligere denne uken, sikkert veldig morsomt på vinterveier dersom man ikke betaler forsikringen selv :P
SvarSlettTusen takk, Anders! Ein fordel å ikkje eige den der, med mindre du er 60 år gammel og bur i Sverige (den koster rundt 750 000 kr i nabolandet...)
SlettYou have a great looking car right there! Its Siberian camouflage design is perfect for the winter. You probably would not have a lot of problems in the snow with that kind of a quality car. Nissan has really done a great job in making cars that has equaled the standard of automobiles from known hybrid car makers.
SvarSlettNICOLE VICKERS
Driving a car that powerful must be quite an experience. It's an awesome experience to drive through the snow if you have a powerful engine. You wouldn’t have to worry about the snowy weather and it'll be a lot easier to go places.
SvarSlettErwin Calverley
That Nissan GT-R is indeed a cool car! You will be amazed with its exterior design, but you’ll definitely admire it more once you experience its amazing performance! Take note, snow! Other cars really struggle in snowy and icy roads, but this car can surely handle that!
SvarSlettMaria Wegner