2018 Nissan GT-R

The 2018 GT-R carries over the 2017 mid-cycle refresh's tune unchanged: 565 hp for Pure/Premium/Track Edition, 600 hp for NISMO. Premium is the volume trim.

Torque figure for the volume Premium trim's VR38DETT twin-turbo V6, unchanged from the 2017 refresh; NISMO tune is higher.

Nissan's official launch-control claim for the 2018 GT-R is 2.7 seconds; independent instrumented tests of the same-generation car typically record around 2.9 seconds, still class-leading.

The 3.8L twin-turbo VR38DETT V6 delivers immediate, near-lag-free thrust across a broad torque plateau (3,300-5,800 rpm), and reviewers consistently praise its ferocious, seamless power delivery under load; it can feel coarse and vocal at low rpm around town.

The 6-speed dual-clutch transmission snaps off shifts in milliseconds in Race/R mode, but is widely and consistently criticized for clunky, jerky low-speed engagement and driveline shudder in everyday traffic — a longstanding GT-R DCT complaint that persisted through the 2018 model year.

ATTESA E-TS Pro electronically controlled all-wheel drive is standard across the entire 2018 GT-R lineup (Pure through NISMO), actively managing front/rear torque split for launch and cornering traction — among the most sophisticated AWD systems on any sports car.

Every 2018 GT-R trim (Pure, Premium, Track Edition, NISMO) uses the identical 3.8L twin-turbo VR38DETT V6 and 6-speed DCT, differing only in tune (565 hp vs. 600 hp NISMO) and chassis hardware — there is no alternate engine, manual gearbox, hybrid, or displacement option.

EPA-rated 18 MPG combined for the 2018 GT-R's 3.8L twin-turbo V6, AWD, 6-speed dual-clutch — below the coupe normalization floor of 22 MPG, reflecting the car's performance-first tuning.

EPA city rating for the 2018 GT-R, unchanged from the prior year's carry-over 3.8L VR38DETT powertrain.

EPA highway rating for the 2018 GT-R.

EPA-derived total range from the 18 MPG combined rating and the GT-R's 19.5-gallon tank; short for the segment due to low economy despite a large tank.

EPA's standard-assumption annual fuel cost at 15,000 mi/yr on premium gasoline, well above the coupe band ceiling due to low combined MPG and the premium fuel requirement.

Premium gasoline is required (not just recommended) for the VR38DETT engine, with no flex-fuel, diesel, or home-charging alternative — a costly, inflexible energy requirement typical of the segment's high-output engines.

NHTSA has never published an overall, frontal, side or rollover NCAP rating for the R35 GT-R in any model year including 2018 — a low-volume, high-price halo car sits outside routine NCAP sample selection. Estimated at the segment-typical 4 stars, the same convention used for other untested sports cars in this dataset, but there is no tested figure behind it.

IIHS has never crash-tested the R35 GT-R in any model year, so there is no Top Safety Pick award and no individual crashworthiness result to weigh for 2018 — neither a demonstrated strength nor a documented structural concern. Scored at the same untested-but-no-known-concerns level used elsewhere in the sports-car set rather than the 0-49 band, which is reserved for cars with actual Marginal/Poor results.

Of the five features this item measures (AEB, ACC, LKA, BSM, RCTA), the 2018 GT-R offers effectively none across its Pure, Premium, Track Edition and Nismo trims. The car predates the pedestrian injury mitigation braking system Nissan first added for model year 2020, so 2018 sits at the same feature-free baseline as 2019. Sparser than even the similarly ADAS-light Corvette, which at least fits blind-spot/cross-traffic alert on its mid and top trims.

No automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning or pedestrian detection is offered on the 2018 GT-R at any trim or as an option. Nissan's pedestrian injury mitigation braking system arrived on the GT-R starting with model year 2020, making its absence in 2018 a confirmed, year-specific gap. There is consequently no IIHS front-crash-prevention rating for the car.

Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are not listed as standard or available equipment on the 2018 GT-R Premium (the volume trim), and no source surfaced them as optional on Pure, Track Edition or Nismo either. This is a meaningful gap for a car whose thick rear pillars and shallow back glass create real over-the-shoulder blind zones, addressed only by mirrors.

No lane departure warning, lane keep assist or lane centering is offered on the 2018 GT-R in any trim — the car carries none of the forward camera hardware those functions require. Squarely at the floor of the 0-49 "crude or absent" band.

The 2018 GT-R offers conventional fixed-speed cruise control only — Adaptive/Intelligent Cruise Control is explicitly unequipped on the Premium trim and not listed on any other 2018 trim. There is no stop-and-go capability and no highway-assist layer of any kind.

No hands-free highway driving system is offered on the 2018 GT-R at any trim. Nissan's ProPILOT Assist launched on mainstream models (Rogue, Altima, Leaf) starting around model year 2018 and has never been extended to the GT-R in any year.

All 2018 GT-R trims, including the volume Premium, come standard with multi-LED headlamps (dedicated LED high-beam and low-beam elements) plus integrated LED daytime running lights and automatic on/off operation — a genuine strength given the car predates most of its rivals' safety-tech rollout. No adaptive or curve-responsive beam function is offered, and IIHS has never rated GT-R headlights, so the score sits mid-band rather than in the top tier.

Forward visibility over the GT-R's long, low hood is reasonable for a front-mid-engine sports coupe, but the thick C-pillars, tall trunk, small rear window and large rear wing — widely noted in contemporary reviews — create a substantial rearward blind zone that the car does nothing electronically to offset beyond a standard rearview camera; there is no blind-spot monitor and no surround-view system to compensate.

The 2+2 rear seats carry full LATCH lower-anchor and tether hardware, but owner reports describe the anchors as difficult to reach — the heavily bolstered rear cushions push a car seat off to the side and the seat sits close above the lower anchors on some cars — and the tight rear dimensions rule out rear-facing seats and cramp anything but a small child. Scored in the difficult-anchors/tight-quarters band.

Every 2018 GT-R trim (Pure, Premium, Track Edition, NISMO) is a 2+2 coupe with a nominal rear bench, at the coupe band floor.

Front headroom of 38.1 in sits mid-band for a coupe, unchanged from the 2017 facelift's interior package that carries through the 2018 model year.

44.6 inches of front legroom is at the top of the coupe band, reflecting the GT-R's long wheelbase and front-mid engine placement freeing up cabin length for the driver and passenger.

Rear headroom of 33.5 in is well below the coupe band floor — the fastback roofline and rear seat's near-token role leave little space for a rear occupant's head.

26.4 inches of rear legroom is far below the coupe band floor. U.S. News notes the rear seat backrests are fixed and the space functions mainly as storage rather than usable seating for adults.

8.8 cubic feet of trunk space falls below the coupe normalization band floor, though U.S. News notes it comfortably fits two golf bags and roughly doubles the 911's front trunk.

The 2017-revised centre console (button count cut from 27 to 11) is tidier than before but still tall and vulnerable to damage from cargo scraping past it; the fixed-backrest rear bench can hold overflow items but offers no dedicated storage features, and glovebox/door-pocket space is minimal for a car in this price class.

The reshaped front sport seats carried over from the 2017 redesign are praised as comfortable even for larger drivers while still holding occupants in place through hard cornering; Pure gets standard heated leather-and-suede buckets and Premium/Track/NISMO add heated leather or Recaro buckets, but the 2+2 layout's rear seats remain unusable, capping the item below top marks.

Nissan's ongoing suspension tuning makes Comfort mode a genuinely forgiving highway setting without giving up the GT-R's athleticism, but reviewers still call the car stiff-riding and harsher than rivals overall, and R mode remains track-firm.

The 2017-model-year addition of active noise cancellation, extra sound-absorption material, and an acoustic-glass windshield (carried into 2018, standard with the Premium audio package) cut measured drivetrain noise by about 10 dB, a real improvement — but reviewers still find road noise intrusive nearly all the time and the cabin short of segment refinement.

Dual-zone automatic climate control and heated front seats (8-way driver/4-way passenger on Pure, heated leather on Premium, heated Recaros on Track Edition/NISMO) are standard across the 2018 lineup — a reasonable baseline — but no trim offers ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, or remote pre-conditioning, a sparser comfort-tech list than rival luxury coupes at this price.

Pure is the entry grade, newly introduced for 2018 as the most affordable of the four GT-R trims. Nissan held Pure's MSRP flat at $99,990 from its 2018 launch. Base MSRP is roughly double the coupe band ceiling of $55,000, so the item floors regardless.

Premium is the volume grade — Pure is a low-take-rate price leader newly added for 2018, while Track Edition and NISMO are limited-volume halo variants well above it. Premium adds the 11-speaker Bose audio system, Active Noise Cancellation/Active Sound Enhancement and a titanium exhaust over Pure.

GT-R servicing is restricted to GT-R-certified dealers and priced like a European exotic: ~$300 dealer oil changes, $900-$1,200 transmission/differential fluid services, and $3,000-$5,000 30,000-mile interval work, plus ~$2,000 run-flat tire sets. Nissan's 2018 GT-R warranty booklet requires four Performance Optimization Service (POS) visits (1,000 mi, 12, 24, 36 months) that are complimentary at a GT-R-certified dealer, trimming cost in years 1-3 but not offsetting the major-interval and tire spend later in the ownership window.

The R35's residuals are the best thing about owning one, and by 2026 there are real 8-year data points for this exact model year. KBB's private-party estimate for the Premium trim sits well above a generic depreciation-model projection, reflecting limited annual production (~2,700-3,000 GT-Rs/yr in the US) and strong enthusiast demand — well above the coupe band ceiling either way.

Standard Nissan coverage with no GT-R uplift, unchanged across every R35 model year — the segment floor, and shorter than the 4-year terms German rivals offer at a fraction of this car's price.

Nissan's standard 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain term applies to the hand-built VR38DETT with no extension, sitting at the bottom of the 5-10 year band.

Nissan's 2018 GT-R warranty booklet requires and includes four Performance Optimization Service visits — 1,000 mile, 12-month, 24-month and 36-month — at no charge to the customer when performed at a GT-R-certified dealer, covering the first three years of the mandatory service schedule. On top of that, GT-R buyers get a GT-R-specific 60-month/60,000-mile Roadside Assistance benefit (mechanical breakdown, flat tire, dead battery, lockout, emergency fuel, trip-interruption benefits, and a complimentary rental-vehicle program during warranty repairs) — meaningfully longer than the 36-month/36,000-mile roadside coverage on mainstream Nissan models. That combination of multi-year included maintenance plus an extended roadside perk lands in the top scoring band.

$112,185 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (71% retained, or about $79,651) leaves about $32,534 in depreciation. Add the projected $8,000 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $40,534 in total.

J.D. Power rates the 2018 GT-R's predicted reliability at 3/5, an average score; Consumer Reports does not publish a full predicted-reliability score for the low-volume GT-R, so the signal is thinner than for a mainstream model.

Nissan posted one of its best-ever results in J.D. Power's 2018 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, improving 37 PP100 year-over-year, but the brand still sits mid-pack overall versus Toyota/Lexus and premium German marques rather than in the top tier.

No recall specific to the 2018 model year GT-R was found; the one back-up-camera-display recall affecting the nameplate in this era applies to 2019 GT-R units, not 2018. As a low-volume, mechanically conservative halo car built on a mature platform, the GT-R's recall/TSB footprint is light.

The hand-assembled VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 has no major design flaws and routinely exceeds 100,000 miles with proper maintenance, but the rear-mounted GR6 dual-clutch transaxle is the car's well-documented weak point: near-universal bellhousing rattle and solenoid/clutch wear are widely reported across the generation, even though reliability improved markedly after the 2012 transmission revisions carried into this 2018 example.

The 2017 interior refresh (larger touchscreen, more leather and soft-touch surfaces, reshaped seats) carries into 2018 and is a clear step up from earlier R35 cabins, but reviewers still flag materials as a notch below rivals at this six-figure price point.

Assembly is tight and consistent, consistent with the GT-R's hand-built production process at Nissan's Tochigi plant; one review's combined design/quality/fit-and-finish/ergonomics score of 4.5/5 supports solid, if not flawless, initial quality.

Nissan's general dealer network is large and nationwide, but genuinely competent GT-R service is concentrated at a smaller set of specially trained, certified GT-R dealers (a dedicated 2-day factory technician program), so owners outside major metros often travel farther for qualified service than the brand's overall footprint would suggest.

OEM parts and specialized labor run well above typical sports-car costs — a factory strut runs roughly $2,000 and average suspension repair is reported near $5,867, higher than a Porsche Panamera — though a large and mature aftermarket/tuning community keeps parts available even if not cheap.

The standard NissanConnect with Navigation and Services system uses an 8.0-inch color multi-touch display, unchanged fleet-wide across the newly introduced Pure trim plus Premium, Track Edition and Nismo for 2018; small by 2018 sports-coupe standards.

The NissanConnect system carries dated graphics and a menu structure largely unchanged since the mid-2010s facelift; reviewers consistently flag it as the GT-R's weakest area relative to its six-figure price, despite the 2018 addition of Apple CarPlay.

Apple CarPlay became standard equipment for the first time in 2018, wired through the factory 8-inch screen on every trim including the new base Pure, but Android Auto is not offered from the factory and no wireless projection exists for either platform.

NissanConnect's built-in voice-activated navigation is functional but dated, with limited natural-language recognition; most owners default to CarPlay maps instead now that it is standard.

The volume Premium trim carries a standard 11-speaker Bose system with two forward-facing subwoofers — a genuine strength — while the new-for-2018 base Pure trim makes do with a simpler six-speaker system and drops the active noise cancellation/enhancement found on higher trims; no tier exists above Bose.

The main cluster is analog (speedometer/tachometer) with a small reconfigurable multi-info display for oil pressure, coolant temperature and steering angle; the richer digital telemetry (g-force, boost, drivetrain torque split) lives on the separate Polyphony Digital-designed center touchscreen, not the driver's binnacle.

No evidence of over-the-air software update capability for the 2018 GT-R's infotainment or vehicle systems; map/software updates on this generation of NissanConnect are handled via SD card or dealer visit.

The GT-R is compatible with NissanConnect Services / the Nissan app for remote engine start/stop, door lock/unlock, horn/lights and vehicle status, gated behind a trial-then-subscription model; no digital key.

Only two USB ports are fitted fleet-wide, no USB-C, and no wireless charging pad is offered on any 2018 GT-R trim including the new base Pure.

Nissan Intelligent Key proximity entry with push-button start is standard fleet-wide including the new base Pure trim, and remote engine start is available via the key fob/NissanConnect app; there is no phone-as-key.

A rearview camera and front/rear parking sensors are standard fleet-wide for 2018, including on the new base Pure trim, but there is no 360-degree Around View Monitor offered on the GT-R.

No head-up display is offered on any 2018 GT-R trim, standard or optional.

The 2018 GT-R's individual rear seats are usable only for small children or extra luggage; low, narrow coupe door openings and bolstered buckets make car-seat installation and daily kid-loading genuinely difficult.

No IIHS or NHTSA crash-test ratings exist for the low-volume 2018 GT-R, and it lacks the ADAS suite Nissan was rolling out across its mainstream 2018 lineup — only a rearview camera and rear parking sensors are standard alongside VDC/TCS/ABS/EBD.

An occupied second row leaves almost no usable legroom for adults over medium distances, and the 8.8 cu ft trunk's high liftover height and non-folding rear seats cap how much gear a family can bring along.

The dual-clutch gearbox is smooth in automatic mode and steering effort is light for a car this capable, but the suspension stays firm even in its softest setting and low-speed driveline judder is a known daily-use annoyance.

EPA combined economy is well below the segment norm and the GT-R requires premium fuel plus specialty staggered performance tires and turbo-V6 servicing, making it an expensive daily commuter.

Standard rearview camera and rear parking sensors help in tight spaces, but the GT-R's wide track and very low front splitter make ramps, steep driveways, and curbside parking a scrape risk.

The GT-R has no published tow rating, no cargo bed, and only an 8.8 cu ft trunk — it is not meaningfully work-capable in any sense the item measures.

The GT-R's twin-turbo V6 and dual-clutch transaxle are engineered for performance, not fleet abuse, and its cabin materials and pricing put it entirely outside any work-duty context.

No tie-downs, bed access, onboard power, or upfit ecosystem exist for this car — it offers essentially nothing a jobsite use case would need.

The 19.5-gallon tank gives a highway-biased range around 350–430 miles and the front seats and cabin were praised as accommodating for a tall driver, but the persistently firm ride and cabin noise on a sports-car-tuned chassis limit true grand-touring comfort.

Standard ATTESA E-TS Pro all-wheel drive gives genuine traction advantage over rear-drive rivals in wet or light-snow conditions, but very low ground clearance and a scrape-prone front splitter rule out gravel roads or any real off-pavement use, and there are no roof rails or accessory mounts.

The trunk is usably sized on paper but its high liftover and fixed, non-folding rear seats mean bulky or oddly shaped gear simply doesn't fit — there's no way to expand the cargo area.

2018 is a carry-over year of the 2017-facelifted R35 (VR38DETT 3.8L twin-turbo V6, ATTESA E-TS AWD, dual-clutch 6-speed); despite curb weight near 3,933 lbs, the GT-R's AWD torque distribution, wide staggered tires and multi-mode adaptive suspension deliver class-leading outright grip and body control, historically among the fastest production cars around the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Electric steering rack is extremely quick-responding but reviewers consistently describe feedback as limited/numb relative to the chassis' capability; wide tires can tram-line on grooved highway pavement.

Standard Brembo 6-piston front/4-piston rear brakes give a firm, confidence-inspiring pedal, though instrumented 60-0 stopping distance is merely good rather than segment-best.

The 2017 facelift specifically recalibrated the dual-clutch transmission to smooth 1st-to-2nd gear engagement and eliminate the low-speed driveline shudder/whine of earlier R35s; that revised calibration carries unchanged into 2018 (565 hp base / 600 hp Nismo), and throttle response from the twin-turbo V6 is immediate.

The VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 is effective but not especially charismatic — turbo whoosh and a muted, somewhat industrial exhaust note under load are frequent enthusiast criticisms compared to naturally-aspirated or flat-six rivals.

Curb-to-curb turning diameter for the 2018 GT-R, consistent across the lineup (Pure/Premium/Track Edition/Nismo).

The cockpit is tightly driver-focused with supportive, well-bolstered seats and Nissan's signature Polyphony-designed multifunction display; for 2018 the shift paddles moved to the steering wheel column (post-2017-facelift layout) for easier reach, but thick pillars still hurt outward visibility and some switchgear feels dated next to rivals.

The GT-R remains a genuine enthusiast icon — searing acceleration (565-600 hp), a distinct 'Godzilla' character, and a devoted aftermarket/tuning culture — even if its computer-assisted, AWD-launched delivery reads as more clinical and less purely emotional than a naturally engaging RWD sports car.

2018 finally added Apple CarPlay to NissanConnect across the range and Premium trim ($110,490) bundles an 11-speaker Bose audio system, leather/Alcantara trim, heated seats and navigation, but the small central touchscreen and much of the switchgear remain visibly dated for a car priced above $100K, and there is still no meaningful driver-assist suite even at the top of the range.

The new-for-2018 GT-R Pure trim, priced at $99,990, directly reinstates the GT-R's founding value pitch of supercar-rivaling AWD performance (2.7-second 0-60, sub-8-minute Nurburgring pedigree) for roughly the price of a base Porsche 911 Carrera, a sharper bang-for-buck case than the range offered in 2019-2020 once Pure disappeared and Premium became the cheapest way in.

Four well-spaced trims for 2018 — the newly added Pure ($99,990), Premium ($110,490), second-year Track Edition ($128,490), and Nismo ($175,490) — cover a genuine range from a comfort-leaning entry model to a track-honed halo car, the widest and most evenly stepped GT-R lineup in years, though there is still only one powertrain and no manual-transmission option.

US GT-R sales were roughly 538 units in 2018, down modestly from 578 in 2017 and continuing a gradual multi-year decline for what has always been a low-volume halo model — not a meaningful sales presence even within the small sports-car segment, though the drop-off is less severe than the sharper decline seen the following year.

The GT-R nameplate itself ("Godzilla") carries a strong, devoted enthusiast following and genuine halo-car cachet, but parent brand Nissan is a mainstream marque without the broader luxury/prestige image of Porsche or BMW, so overall desirability is driven almost entirely by the model rather than the badge.

As a low-volume, largely made-to-order halo car, the GT-R historically carries little to no manufacturer incentive or rebate activity and typically transacts close to sticker; modest 2018 sales softness may have given buyers slightly more room to negotiate at the dealer level, but there were no meaningful factory deals to be had.

The R35 generation launched for MY2009 and received its major facelift for MY2017 (revised front/rear fascias, retuned suspension, more power, refined interior); 2018 is only the second model year after that refresh, adding a new Pure trim and CarPlay, so the current package is as current as the R35 gets even though the underlying platform is roughly a decade old with no successor imminent.

The Car Connection scored the 2018 GT-R a perfect 10/10 on performance, calling it "a world-beating supercar with less drama than morning toast," and mainstream outlets continued to praise its acceleration and AWD-aided grip, though it was still criticized for numb steering feel and an interior that trails rivals like the Porsche 911, so it wins on outright performance credentials more often than in holistic comparison tests.