2002 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R review from Malaysia

Absolutely bulletproof.

The r34 Skyline GTR was produced by Nissan from 1999 and ended production in August 2002, marking the end of Nissan's fabled over engineered, senselessly powered European exotic killing reign of glory. The cars that followed, the 350Z, GT350 Infiniti were nowhere near these cars in terms of brutal power, aggressive styling and sheer ability to decapitate all on the road.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

Set your eyes upon the r34 GT-R for the first time and you can't tell whether or not you'd like the overstyled exterior. Unlike the r32 or 33, the 34 has a more square design with plenty of creases, notches and purposeful ducts that in essence makes up for a very intimidating front.

Pull up behind it and you're just as impressed. Though I must say the rear lights are a bit on the gobby side but with the spoiler it does look frightening. That, coupled with a low raucus burble of the exhaust and you know you're up against something special.

The 18 inch low profile wheels and its thin six spoke design do feel a little mis-matched for the cars bulky persona, but I suppose it's a way of telling you how agile this 1.6 tonne beast really is.

THE COCKPIT:

The r34 has probably the most exceptionally designed cockpit of its breed. Gone are the cheap plastics from the r32 and the simple-ness or the r33. This is much better. There even is a good slope on the centre console that empties into the gear shift area with the newly redesigned 6 speeder sitting perfectly to your touch.

The instrument binnacle itself is beautifully styled and well laid out, with no flashy chrome and all that boy racer stuff. Just well toned bezels, and if you're lucky to have the NISMO optional speedo and tachometer, then a very inviting 320kph sits on the other end of the speed circle. And yes, this baby can hit those speeds.

Look further left and there's a beautiful 5.8 inch monitor that just looks the part in an already well designed cockpit. Essentially it displays very crucial info like oil pressure, throttle position, injector duty cycle, intake and exhaust temps to name a few. It also has a live G-graph that plots how much cornering G you are pushing through the wheels. And when you realise how well the serpentine-looking bucket seats hug you, you get the feeling this girl can mash your mind in the corners with excess of 1G being the norm. This is a true drivers car. No manufacturer gives you info like these nowadays, which to me is quite sad.

The rear seats are exceptionally large and offer similar legroom to a WRX Subaru.. after all, this is a 2 door saloon. Again hinting at how well Nissan made this car to be at home on the daily commuter stretches as well as the racetrack.

THE ENGINE:

Over a decade old, this version of Nissan's famous 2.6 litre straight six twin turbo has received an all new engine management and an improved camshaft design to bring the final output of 280ps at 6800 revs and a stonking 400nm of torque at 4400 revs. What this really means is that you can be in any gear and the beast just pulls to oblivion. Having an inequal bore to stroke design unlike the sr20det or the 2jz-gte, means this baby can rev higher, up to 9000 revs as demonstrated by some well tuned Skylines. And when you have more revs, it always means you have more room to make some more power.

However the RB is not without its problems, and unlike the SR that has a somewhat sensitive head, the RB has a bit of a temperamental block. The standard internals are fine for tuning up to 400bhp, but exceeding that mark normally puts strain on the frail oil pump that has known to fail quite often on RB's. It's a no brainer and an upgrade is available from NISMO, Nissan's factory tuning division that offers an N1 spec item, which can handle huge power levels.

Other than that, it's not wise to run the engine over 1 bar without proper tuning as the standard turbos that have ceramic compressor blades are known to crack and disintegrate. Again you can upgrade to the steel type ones from the V-Spec or M-spec variants.. or go for the Nismo R1 items. There are also plenty of companies like Mines or HKS that offer similar turbos at competitive prices. This, with proper tuning should see you boost up to 2.0 bar safely.

Other than that, the block drinks around 5 litres of oil and servicing has to be spot on every 5000kms for ultimate reliability. Apart from these, the RB is as bulletproof as it gets. There's really nothing much also for engineers to play with as everything is controlled by a cam angle sensor, and the ignition system is CDI type, unlike the traditional distributor.

THE GEARBOX:

Again Nissan have sorted out probably the biggest problem the r32 and 33 had previously. The r34's 6 speeder was completely designed by a German firm called GETRAG. These are the same guys that designed the awesome JZA80 Supra's gearbox, which enabled the Supra to exceed 300kph easily. On the R34 the final drive is 3.45 compared to the Supra 3.2, but it still essentially means this r34 can hit the 300kph mark with alarming ease. And when you're cruising down legal speeds on the motorways, the low rpms just make the car an absolute doddle to drive. No more crunching gears or synchros with the r34's. Same goes for the differentials.

Also bulletproof, the electronically controlled system codenamed ATTESA-ETS (All Terrains Electronic Stability Control and Torque Split) enables up to 50 percent of the power to be sent to the front wheels, should the G computers detect a slip on the rear wheels. The V-Spec variants come with an uprated ETS-PRO system, which is essentially the same differential, but with a viscous coupler that allows for faster, more brutal torque transfer. Unfortunately the effects can't really be told until you're on the track.

What you can tell is the SUPER-HICAS system. (High intelligence capacity active steering). Essentially the r34's rear cradle is a huge rig that is made to be moved. This allows the computers to steer the rear tyres to a maximum of 1 degree during corner entry and exit, minimising body roll and the tendency to oversteer into a corner. While it's a known hindrance in circuit racing, it is a very smart feature in high speed lane changes. With this you can dart from lane to lane with the smallest steering movements and feel the whole car sort of slot itself into the desired path. Works really good in speeds in excess of 255kph.

THE AERODYNAMICS:

The car as mentioned earlier comes with many aerodynamic enhancements. The best being the rear carbon fibre diffuser and the front diffuser (V-Spec). Look at a Skyline while it's jacked up and you'll be surprised to see how similar the underbody is to a Mclaren F1. All the air is made to flow fast and clean down the body to maximise downforce and aid traction, while the adjustable rear spoiler can further improve downforce as and when its required by a simple allen key turn.

As standard the r34 is the least aerodynamic of its kind, measuring in a drag coefficient of 0.34cD. The r33 had 0.33 and the Supra 0.31 and the NSX 0.3. Just for comparisons sake. But it really doesn't matter because the car seems unhindered by air resistance, and just barges through whatever storm you can throw at it. Again, marvelous.

THE DRIVING:

Screw whatever people say about the r34, that it's a lifeless car. No other vehicle communicates with you as a driver better than this, the exception being perhaps a 964 turbo (if you've not crashed yet) or the sublime NSX. You will appreciate its qualities better if you'd driven a performance rear wheel drive car. Start the engine and you're immediately greeted by a rustle, which settles soon enough into a fine, crisp burble, hinting at the 6 throttle intake plenum almost identical to the e46 M3.

The doors are heavy and shut with a very reassuring thud as you adjust the brilliant seats for optimum reach. The gear lever rocks gently in its cradle, just hinting at all that torque waiting to destroy the pavement, and then you look at the mirror and see this huge grin plastered on your face. This is the GT-R Aura. Unmatched and unsurpassed by any Ferrari, Aston, or Lambo.

The digital climate control has a cabin heat sensor, and adjusts all the time so you feel fresh as a daisy. The standard audio system is a Sony unit, and although it only has four speakers, it sounds good enough.

Then you notice the oil pressure gauge sitting nicely at the 4kg-cm2 mark and you know she's warmed up enough. The clutch is heavy, but won't burn your muscles as you slip the gear lever into 1st, and the GT-R rolls. Lifeless and effortlessly gliding. The first 3000 revs on the counter are compressed, showing where the RB is really meant to be, and that is at the 4000 mark. And up to that, everything is snug as a bug in a rug.

The steering feels tight and the suspension, though stiff (stiffer on the V-specs) just absorb minor bumps on the roads with confidence, though you must avoid potholes as they send nasty judders up your spine. The stiff body (seam welded around the transmission tunnel, rear cradle and front tower mounts) can be a bit uncompromising for B or C roads, but it's never really intrusive and easily passes the mom and girlfriend or wife test.

However the bigger culprit is due to the ultra low profile 35 rated tyres. Increasing the rears to 45 and front to 40 helps to create more sidewall flex that will make it better for the daily commute, but will take away some of the cars cornering ability and feel on a track, so if you can, invest in a spare set for trackdays. Or do what most GT-R drivers do on public roads, drive not more than 90kph and just let the RB's low rev burble turn heads, and soak up the pleasure of rolling hedonism very few cars offer.

Hit the highways and A-roads and the GT-R becomes alive. Drop her down the cog to 3rd at about 90kph and give her a good boot as the RB screams like a banshee up to the 9k redline with the speedo needle flying faster than your brain can interpret what's happening. Hit the redline and the blow off is a hard but clean sounding huff, rather than the high pitched ka-ching some turbo cars have, and ram the next gear into drive and repeat process until you cream yourself.

What's even more eerie is that up to 240kph the cabin remains so silent you hardly can feel anything. Excellent soundproofing, and even up to 300kkph you only hear the engine and a mild wind noise rubbing against the rubber weatherstrips. Nothing more.

Watch in awe as other cars hurry to clear your way as they'll probably hear the thundering sound first before seeing the missile closing in fast. And even if you are halted by a slow truck, don't worry because the huge 13 and 12 inch rotors and calipers designed specifically for this car by Italian master brake specialists BREMBO can bring the GT-R from 100 to standstill in 3 seconds flat. Yes, it has been tested to out brake a Porsche Carerra 4 many times. This is due to its neutral pitch and the worlds most sophisticated ABS brain that constantly computes and does minor corrections to the throttle to ensure optimum stopping power. Be wary though, the stops are known to be brutal and can tranfer body damage to the passengers due to the ultra hard seat belt tensioners, so seating position must be correct.

Passive and active safety is also there with the long nose acting as a huge crumple zone and the rear well reinforced to hold up a rear knock. Airbags are standard and as an option you can also get side airbags. Normally the car is said to be un crashable because the computers sort everything out for you faster than you can kill yourself. And unlike the euro exotics, with so much electronic wizardry, the cars electronics are foolproof and motors, actuators work fine day in day out. The boot itself is so huge you can fit everything in there, including a mini bar.

Final verdict? A true supercar that can be used everyday. Exotic, powerful, reliable and compared to others, offer smaller running costs. Although its known to be a guzzler, it really depends on your driving style, and typically you can get 10kms to the litre around town and 13 on the freeways if you take it easy. Absolute brilliance. Two thumbs up.