2021 Nissan GT-R

VR38DETT 3.8L twin-turbo V6 in the volume Premium trim; well above the coupe normalization ceiling, so caps the spec score.

Peak torque of the volume Premium trim's VR38DETT V6; exceeds the coupe normalization ceiling.

Car and Driver's instrumented test of the AWD Premium trim using launch control; among the quickest cars sold, well below the coupe band floor.

The GT3-derived turbocharger geometry carried over from the 2020 update largely eliminated the older-generation GT-R's low-rpm lag, and reviewers describe power delivery as strong and immediate through the rev range, though the VR38DETT is still audibly turbocharged versus a naturally aspirated rival.

The 6-speed dual-clutch is quick and smooth in R-mode with crisp paddle response, but reviewers note it lacks the situational awareness of rival PDK/DCT units (unwanted upshifts on mid-corner lift) and can feel slow to respond outside manual mode at low speed.

ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive with an independent rear-mounted transaxle is standard across every 2021 GT-R trim (Premium, Track Edition, Nismo, T-spec), with electronically variable front/rear torque split — a genuinely sophisticated system, not a basic AWD add-on.

Every 2021 GT-R trim (Premium, Track Edition, Nismo, T-spec) uses the same 3.8L twin-turbo VR38DETT gas V6 in two states of tune (565/600 hp) — no hybrid, turbo-displacement, or electrified alternative is offered anywhere in the range.

The 3.8L twin-turbo VR38DETT V6 and AWD driveline are unchanged for 2021 (a carry-over year within the current facelifted generation per Wikipedia), so the rating applies across every 2021 trim including the new T-spec. 18 MPG combined is well under the coupe band floor of 22, so this is a zero — worse than the Corvette (~19) and the Nissan Z's later 20, in line with the AMG GT.

16 MPG city sits under the coupe band floor of 20, so it scores zero. AWD and the GT-R's roughly 3,900 lb curb weight cost it in stop-and-go running relative to the lighter RWD sports coupes in this dataset.

22 MPG highway is under the coupe band floor of 26, so it scores zero. Tall gearing helps some at cruise, but the twin-turbo V6 and AWD hardware never let the GT-R approach the highway economy of a Supra or Mustang EcoBoost.

A 19.5-gallon tank at 18 MPG combined works out to roughly 351 miles between fills, which lands in the lower third of the coupe band (280-650) but is actually a genuine strength relative to smaller-tanked rivals like the GR86/BRZ pair (~290 mi) — the GT-R's large tank partly offsets its poor economy.

EPA's own published annual cost of $4,200 is well above the coupe band ceiling of $2,800 (lower is better), so this scores zero — among the priciest cars to fuel in the coupe calibration set, consistent with its 18 MPG combined premium-only rating.

Premium 91-octane is required, not merely recommended — the VR38DETT's turbo boost and compression ratio leave no margin for regular. No E85, no diesel, no electrified alternative. Bottom band, in line with other forced-induction, premium-only sports/GT cars in this dataset (Corvette, AMG GT, Nissan Z).

NHTSA opened a record for the 2021 GT-R (unlike some other model years, where the car doesn't appear in the database at all) but never actually crash-tested it — every rating field returns "Not Rated." Carried at the dataset's standard untested placeholder of 4 stars, the same value used for the Corvette, 911, GR Supra, Nissan Z, AMG GT and R8.

The GT-R has never been tested by IIHS in 18 years of production — the institute buys its own test cars and a six-figure low-volume coupe is not worth the outlay — so there is no award, no crashworthiness result, and no basis for credit above the untested baseline. Structurally the car is better placed than most supercars (steel/aluminium Premium Midship platform with Zone Body Construction, front and rear crumple zones, high-strength side door guard beams, energy-absorbing steering column, knee bolsters, and roughly 3,933 lb of mass on its side), but the airbag set is a front-occupant package: dual-stage front bags, front seat-mounted side bags and roof-mounted curtain bags covering the FRONT seats only, with nothing protecting the heads of anyone in the 2+2 rear. Placed a few points under the untested coupe peers (Corvette 55, Supra 55, Z 55, R8 54) for that rear-occupant gap. 2021 also introduced the limited-run T-spec grade (Midnight Purple / Millennium Jade paint, carbon-ceramic brakes, wider Track Edition-derived front fenders) alongside the existing Premium, Track Edition and NISMO grades, but it adds no occupant-protection hardware over the base structure.

The 2021 GT-R offers no driver-assistance suite at all — not standard, not optional, on any grade (Premium, Track Edition, NISMO, or the newly introduced T-spec). No AEB, no forward collision warning, no lane departure warning, no lane keeping, no blind-spot monitoring, no rear cross-traffic alert, no adaptive cruise. The entire active-safety content is Vehicle Dynamic Control (ESC), ABS with brake assist, TPMS, a RearView Monitor and parking sensors — the federally-mandated floor plus parking aids. Even the Corvette (15) and the ADAS-free Audi R8 (5) are no worse; this is the bottom of the segment, and unlike the Z or Supra there is not a single optional box to tick.

There is no automatic emergency braking system to rate — the 2021 GT-R has neither vehicle-to-vehicle nor pedestrian AEB, and IIHS has run no front crash prevention evaluation on it. The 3 points reflect only that the car has ABS with brake assist and enormous Brembo hardware (six-piston monoblock front, four-piston rear) once a human presses the pedal; no automated intervention exists at any speed, day or night.

No blind-spot monitoring, no rear cross-traffic alert and no safe-exit alert on any 2021 grade — and this is the car that needs them most, given the thick C-pillar. Rear parking sensors and the RearView Monitor cover backing out of a space at walking pace and nothing else; the aftermarket sells convex blind-spot mirrors specifically for the R35 because the factory offers no answer.

No lane departure warning, no lane keep assist and no lane centering — there is no forward camera in the car to support them. Nissan's ProPILOT hardware, standard or optional on most of the 2021 US lineup, was never fitted to the R35, deliberately, on the grounds that it would intrude on the driving experience.

Plain speed-hold cruise control only — no radar, no following distance, no stop-and-go, no highway assist. It earns the handful of points over a car with no cruise at all and nothing more; scored beside the Audi R8 (6) and Corvette (8), which are in the same pre-radar position, and far below the AMG GT (78) and Supra (60).

No hands-free highway system, and no path to one — the GT-R never received ProPILOT Assist, let alone a hands-off tier. The car cannot even hold a lane, which is the prerequisite.

4-bulb LED headlamps with AFS (Nissan's steering-responsive Adaptive Front-lighting System) and integrated LED running lights have been standard on Premium-grade R35 GT-Rs since the 2017 facelift, carrying unchanged into 2021 — adaptive curve lighting standard on the volume trim is genuinely good hardware and better than the fixed projectors on several rivals. No IIHS headlight rating exists to confirm the beam pattern, and there is no auto high-beam function, so this sits at the untested-but-well-equipped level shared with the Corvette, Z and Supra (62) rather than the 911/AMG GT tier (78) whose lights are IIHS-verified.

Split verdict, unchanged for 2021. Forward and over-the-shoulder-left visibility is better than the mid-engine supercar norm — the GT-R is front-engined with an upright, tall-ish greenhouse and a driving position reviewers consistently call easy to place for a car this fast. The rear three-quarter is the problem: a very thick C-pillar and the high tail create a genuine blind zone that owners routinely patch with aftermarket convex mirrors, and with no blind-spot monitor there is zero electronic compensation. The RearView Monitor plus parking sensors cover low-speed maneuvering only — there is no surround-view camera. Lands just above the GR Supra (45, worse sightlines and no parking aids) and below the Corvette (58) and 911 (70, 360-degree camera).

Nominally a four-seater with LATCH hardware, functionally unusable — and the R35 rear seat is unchanged for 2021. Cars.com's Car Seat Check found the GT-R's lower anchors sit an inch or two above where the rear cushion ends, so a connector physically cannot reach them, and the top tether anchors on the rear shelf sit under removable covers with too little clearance to clip into easily; the heavily bolstered rear seat also pushes a car seat off at an angle. Add roughly 26.4 in of rear legroom and 33.5 in of rear headroom (the front seat must be moved forward to fit anything rear-facing), two-door access over a fixed front bucket, and curtain airbags that cover only the front row, and the rear seat is a parcel shelf that happens to have belts. Below the 911's 2+2 (26), which at least offers workable anchors.

The R35 GT-R is a 2+2, so it nominally seats four — one more than the strict two-seat Corvette, GR Supra and BRZ/GR86 — but four seats sits exactly on the floor of the coupe band (4–5) and therefore scores 0. 2021 is a light carry-over year (new Bayside Blue color, no interior change) following 2020's turbo/transmission update.

Mid-pack front headroom for the segment — level with the Porsche 911's 38.0 in. No sunroof is available on the GT-R at any trim, so there is no headliner penalty on the upper car. The 2021 model year carries the cabin over unchanged from 2020; the only news for 2021 is the addition of the Bayside Blue exterior color and the GT-R NISMO's continuation of the 2020 turbo/transmission upgrades.

Best front legroom of any coupe in the dataset and the GT-R's single strongest packaging figure — above the top of the coupe band (40–44 in), so it maxes the item. The front-mid engine and rear transaxle push the cabin back and leave genuine room for tall drivers, unchanged for the 2021 model year.

Below the coupe band's 35 in floor, so it scores 0. The fastback roofline drops hard over the rear bench and reviewers consistently report adults feeling cramped and claustrophobic back there — unchanged for 2021.

26.4 in is far under the coupe band's 32 in floor and scores 0. These are token seats better used as a padded parcel shelf — anyone beyond small children needs the front occupants to give up their own legroom. Unchanged for 2021.

Below the coupe band's 10 cu ft floor, so it scores 0 — but it is the most usable hold among the sports cars here in practice, deep enough for golf clubs or a weekend's luggage, which is part of the GT-R's long-standing grand-tourer case. Unchanged for the 2021 model year.

Adequate rather than clever, and unchanged for 2021. Three center-console cupholders, two 12-volt outlets, a dedicated center-console storage area and a flat floor from the rear-transaxle layout — but the console cubby under the armrest is shallow, the glovebox and door pockets are small, and there is no fold-flat or underfloor trick anywhere in the car.

The Premium's heated, leather/synthetic-suede front seats (8-way power driver, 4-way power passenger) are supportive over long stints and part of why the GT-R daily-drives better than its lap times suggest — Nissan engineered a thinner seatback cushion specifically to cut weight without sacrificing torso support. Marked down for limited adjustment range and firm bolstering that some drivers find intolerable, plus a rear bench nobody sits in twice. Unchanged for the 2021 model year; NISMO substitutes heated, reclining Recaro buckets.

Standard Bilstein DampTronic adaptive dampers with Comfort / Normal / R settings give the GT-R real bandwidth for a roughly 3,867-lb (Premium curb weight) track weapon — Comfort mode is repeatedly described as no rougher than a sporty Audi. It loses points for a chassis whose fundamentals date to 2007: sharp impacts still send noise and vibration through the structure, and the 20-in run-flats leave no sidewall to absorb them. No suspension change for 2021 (the major NISMO suspension/turbo/transmission revisions landed for 2020 and simply carry forward).

The GT-R's worst comfort trait and a genuine barrier to using it as a GT, unchanged for 2021. Bose Active Noise Cancellation, acoustic glass and added sound deadening are all fitted, and none of it contains the roar the mandatory Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 run-flats generate on coarse concrete at highway speed.

The basics are all standard on the volume Premium trim — dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, power front seats, an 11-speaker Bose system with Active Noise Cancellation, and cruise control — but the list simply stops there. No ventilated seats, no heated steering wheel, no memory seating and no remote pre-conditioning are offered at any price, which is thin for a base price of $113,540. 2021 is a light-refresh year: the only new item is the Bayside Blue exterior color (previously exclusive to the 2020 50th Anniversary Edition); no new comfort equipment, and no Track Edition or T-spec trim is offered this model year — the 2021 lineup is Premium and NISMO only.

The Premium is the entry grade for 2021. Nissan also introduced a new limited-edition T-spec for 2021, slotting above Premium with the previous Track Edition's wider front fenders plus NISMO-sourced gold forged wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes. Base MSRP is roughly double the coupe band ceiling of $55,000, so the item floors regardless.

Premium remains the volume grade for 2021 — the new T-spec and the NISMO are both low-volume halo trims well above it. The Premium option sheet is essentially paint and accessories, so a typically equipped car lands a few hundred to ~$1,000 over base.

GT-R servicing is dealer-network-restricted 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. The R35 drivetrain and service schedule are unchanged for 2021.

The R35's residuals are the best thing about owning one. CarEdge's generic model shows ~42% five-year depreciation (58% retention), but that estimate is skewed by a NISMO-inflated average new price (~$177,985) far above the Premium's actual $113,540; real-world examples have held value substantially better. A nearly original 2021 GT-R T-spec with low miles sold at auction for $163,000 — well above its $138,490 MSRP. A 65% five-year figure is conservative relative to that and sits 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.

No included scheduled maintenance — Nissan's Maintenance Care oil-change program is a mainstream-model offer the GT-R does not qualify for, and there is no national free-service program. What comes with the car is the standard 3-year/36,000-mile roadside assistance plus access to the GT-R-certified dealer network, which is a service restriction as much as a perk.

$116,235 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (65% retained, or about $75,553) leaves about $40,682 in depreciation. Add the projected $8,000 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $48,682 in total.

A thin-data case typical of a low-volume halo car. Consumer Reports carries no predicted-reliability rating for the GT-R — annual US volume is far below the survey sample CR needs for a model-specific figure — and J.D. Power's model page leans on brand- and segment-level estimation rather than a deep owner sample. What informal signal exists (owner forums, specialist shops) shows nothing alarming for the 2021 car: 14 model years into production, hardware refined for 2020 and carried into 2021 unchanged apart from the new T-spec trim. Held below the 2022 car's later figure (63) given one additional year of accumulated field data works in the newer year's favor, and well below fuller-coverage rivals like the Porsche 911 and Toyota GR Supra.

Brand-level item, held identical to the figure this dataset carries across every Nissan scorecard — a halo sports car does not get a different Nissan than a Rogue or Altima does. Nissan's recent multi-year dependability record sits in the lower-middle of the pack: consistently mid-pack to lower-mid in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study, and mid-to-low in Consumer Reports brand reliability rankings, never top-5, never bottom-third — the middle of the 50-79 band.

This is the model year the recall actually landed on, not one shadowing it from a prior year, which is the key year-specific fact here. NHTSA campaign 21V-402 (Nissan voluntary recall R21A4) covers 2021 GT-R units where the front steering knuckle or rear axle housing may have insufficient strength from a furnace heat-treatment defect, risking deformation on impact (e.g. curb strike) and possible loss of steering control or wheel separation — genuinely safety-critical in nature, which is why this lands below the 2022 car's figure (72) rather than matching it. Two mitigating facts keep it out of the bottom band: the affected population was tiny (20 vehicles, 2 still in dealer inventory at notification), and Nissan's remedy was a free dealer inspection/replacement rather than a design overhaul, with owner notification letters mailed July 2021. No other NHTSA campaign or systemic TSB pattern is documented for the 2021 model year specifically. Scored below the Z (65.3 category) given the safety-critical nature of the defect even at this narrow scale, and below the model's own later years once the campaign was behind it.

The strongest item in the category. The hand-assembled VR38DETT 3.8L twin-turbo V6 has been in production since 2007 and was refined for the 2020 model year, carrying unchanged into 2021 at 565 hp/467 lb-ft on the Premium and T-spec trims — by this point a 14-year track record with well-maintained examples routinely exceeding 100,000 miles on stock hardware, and no systemic failure pattern beyond wear items (GR6 solenoids, turbo bearing wear under sustained high-rpm use). The GR6 dual-clutch transaxle's clutch/solenoid problems were concentrated in pre-2012 production; by 2021 the design has had roughly a decade of running updates. Scored well above the Z's newer, less-proven VR30DDTT (66) and the AMG GT's M177, in the range of the Corvette's LT2, and just below the Supra's B58.

The category's clear weak point, scored relative to price. The base Premium/NISMO cabin architecture dates to the 2017 facelift and draws consistent criticism for switchgear and dash plastics that resemble far cheaper Nissan models — reviewers describe the touchscreen bezel as looking like a late-1990s computer monitor and the overall ambience as not far removed from a Nissan Maxima despite the six-figure price. 2021 is a genuine change year for this item, though: it introduces the T-spec trim, a new special edition with a Mori Green interior, semi-aniline leather seating with pearl-suede accents, and a quilted Alcantara headliner — real upside at the top of the range that nudges this a point above the following year's carry-over figure (50). Still well behind the polish of the Porsche 911 or Mercedes-Benz AMG GT at this price.

Assembly quality is well ahead of perceived material richness — the distinction that separates this item from 6.2.1. The GT-R is hand-built on a dedicated line at Nissan's Tochigi plant, with VR38 engines individually hand-assembled by named takumi technicians. Reviews of the 2021 model year note tight, well-screwed-together panels with no rattle or misalignment pattern despite the car's long production run. Scored above the Z (76), reflecting the more deliberate hand-build process for this halo model, and in line with the top domestic/import sports coupes in this dataset.

Nissan's roughly 1,000-strong US dealer network gives a GT-R owner nationwide warranty-service reach, a real advantage over boutique-brand networks — but not every store is equipped for it. Sales and service historically run through a smaller set of GT-R-certified dealers with a dedicated master technician and specific tooling, so an owner outside a major metro can be a longer drive from an authorized service bay than the raw dealer count implies, and GT-R owner forums consistently point toward a short list of specialist techs rather than broad dealer-level expertise. Brand-wide service satisfaction has also persistently trailed the industry average. Scored slightly below the Z, which any Nissan dealer can service without special certification.

A genuine mixed bag. The GT-R has one of the deepest aftermarket and specialist-tuner ecosystems of any sports car, and Nissan's official parts store stocks GT-R-specific components. But routine dealer service is materially pricier than a mainstream Nissan — forum-reported full major services run well into four figures, and specialist labor rates reflect the car's low volume and bespoke AWD/twin-turbo hardware, with owners often routed to independent specialty shops to control cost. Scored below the Z, whose drivetrain shares parts with the higher-volume Infiniti Q50/Q60, reflecting the GT-R's more bespoke and costlier-to-service hardware.

8-inch center touchscreen is standard and unchanged across GT-R Premium, Track Edition, T-spec and Nismo for 2021; small by 2021 sports-coupe standards.

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

Wired Apple CarPlay is standard through the factory 8-inch screen, but Android Auto is not offered from the factory and no wireless projection exists on any trim; aftermarket kits are the only path to wireless or Android Auto.

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

An 11-speaker Bose system with active noise cancellation is standard across all 2021 GT-R trims — a genuine strength even though there is no higher premium tier above it.

The main cluster is analog (speedometer/tachometer) with a small reconfigurable multi-info display, not a full digital gauge cluster; the more comprehensive digital data (g-force, boost, drivetrain telemetry) lives on the separate Polyphony Digital-designed central touchscreen readouts, not the driver's binnacle.

No evidence of over-the-air software update capability for the 2021 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 / MyNISSAN 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, no USB-C, and no wireless charging pad is offered on any 2021 GT-R trim.

Nissan Intelligent Key proximity entry with push-button start is standard, 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, but there is no 360-degree Around View Monitor offered on the GT-R.

No head-up display is offered on any 2021 GT-R trim, standard or optional.

The 2021 GT-R is a 2+2 Premium/Track Edition coupe with a token rear bench that reviewers describe as 'padded storage shelves with seatbelts' rather than usable seating — fine for a small booster in a pinch but a real chore through the heavy two-door aperture, and Nissan itself markets the rear as cargo overflow, not a kid zone.

The 2021 GT-R Premium carries no forward collision warning, no automatic emergency braking, no adaptive cruise, and no blind-spot monitoring — only front/rear parking sensors and a rearview camera — and it has never been crash-tested by NHTSA or IIHS, so there is no crashworthiness data at all to back a family safety pitch.

Front seats and cabin tech are genuinely good, but the rear seats have almost no legroom or headroom for anyone but small children, there's no rear climate or entertainment provision, and the 8.8-cu-ft trunk leaves little room for a family's luggage once the front two are packed.

The 6-speed dual-clutch auto and standard AWD make the GT-R easier to live with in traffic than a manual rival, and its more upright, boxy greenhouse gives better outward visibility than a mid-engine competitor, but the firm suspension, driveline shudder at parking-lot speeds, and considerable road/engine noise keep it from being relaxing daily transport.

EPA rates the 2021 GT-R at 16 city/22 highway/18 combined MPG on required premium fuel — well below segment norms — plus GT-R ownership carries above-average tire, brake and specialist-service costs, making it an expensive car to commute in.

At 74.6 in wide with a low front splitter prone to scraping ramps and ~18.3 ft curb-to-curb turning circle, the GT-R is a wide, cumbersome city car, though standard front/rear parking sensors and a rearview camera take some of the risk out of tight spots.

No published towing or payload rating, no cargo bed, and an 8.8-cu-ft trunk with a narrow opening — the GT-R offers essentially nothing toward hauling or job-related work.

The VR38DETT engine and ATTESA AWD system have a strong track record for reliability under hard driving, but the GT-R is a hand-built halo car with expensive, specialist-only service and a DCT/clutch pack that wears faster under repeated launches — nothing about it is oriented toward fleet or work-truck abuse.

No tie-downs, no bed, no available upfit or rack ecosystem, and a leather/Alcantara-trimmed cabin with no washable work-friendly surfaces — the GT-R offers no jobsite provisions whatsoever.

The GT-R was conceived partly as a grand tourer — planted AWD highway stability, supportive front seats, and a ~20-gallon tank give reasonable range between fuel stops (~350 mi at EPA combined) — but there's no adaptive cruise control to ease fatigue and the firm, noisy ride wears on occupants over many hours.

Just 4.3 in (110 mm) of ground clearance, a front splitter that scrapes on driveways, sport-compound tires, and no roof rails or accessory tow point make the GT-R almost entirely pavement-bound despite its standard all-wheel drive.

The 8.8-cu-ft trunk is usable for a couple's soft luggage but small versus most coupes, the rear seatbacks do not fold to extend cargo space, there are no roof rails, and no hitch is available — bulky gear simply doesn't fit.

Carry-over R35 chassis for 2021 with the ATTESA E-TS Pro AWD system, Bilstein DampTronic adaptive dampers and a near-50/50 weight distribution deliver cornering grip and body control that reviewers routinely call 'astonishing' for a 3,900+ lb car; only a handful of purer, lighter rear-drive rivals (911) edge it out.

Speed-sensitive electric-assist rack is quick and precise at the limit but multiple reviewers single out a lack of granular road feel compared to the segment's steering benchmarks.

Standard Brembo six-piston front/four-piston rear calipers on 15.4-in front rotors provide strong, fade-resistant, confidence-inspiring stops even on the base Premium trim; instrumented 60-0 tests on the R35 platform have run as short as 98-101 ft.

The 3.8L twin-turbo VR38DETT and 6-speed dual-clutch deliver 'near-instantaneous' shifts and strong mid-range response, but the DCT retains the low-speed clunkiness typical of the layout and some turbo lag off idle.

The V6's exhaust and mechanical note under load is loud and unrefined rather than pleasant, and road/drivetrain noise is still noticeable in the cabin despite an acoustic windshield and active noise cancellation.

Curb-to-curb turning diameter for the R35 platform, unchanged for the 2021 model year; mid-pack for the coupe segment band given the GT-R's long wheelbase and AWD hardware.

Supportive, well-bolstered front seats and a driver-focused cockpit with soft-touch materials work well for daily use, but thick pillars limit outward visibility and the low, snug 2+2 cabin compromises ingress/egress and rear-seat usability.

Explosive 2.9-second 0-60 acceleration, a manual-like dual-clutch, and the GT-R's 'Godzilla' character make it a genuinely thrilling enthusiast car, even if its computer-managed AWD grip reads as slightly more clinical than a purer rear-drive rival.

The Premium's standard sheet is genuinely rich on hardware and cabin trim for the money — the full 565-hp VR38DETT, ATTESA E-TS AWD, GR6 dual-clutch, Bilstein DampTronic dampers, Brembo brakes, 20-in RAYS forged wheels, titanium exhaust, heated leather/Alcantara sport seats, dual-zone climate and an 11-speaker Bose system with active noise cancellation are all included with essentially nothing but paint as a factory option — but the electronics side is thin for a six-figure 2021 car: no driver-assistance suite of any kind (no AEB, blind-spot, lane-keep or adaptive cruise), an 8-in touchscreen with no Android Auto, and analog gauges instead of a digital cluster.

At a $113,540 base, 565 hp and roughly 2.9-second 0-60 mph AWD launches still undercut every German or Italian rival with comparable pace by a wide margin, and that raw performance-per-dollar case is the strongest argument for the car in 2021. It is not a well-rounded value case, though: Edmunds' 2021 review points buyers toward the Audi R8, Mercedes-AMG GT and Porsche 911 as offering similar performance with a more refined cabin and a broader feature set, and 18 mpg combined fuel economy plus supercar-tier insurance and service costs erode the bargain once ownership costs are counted.

The 2021 lineup is three grades with genuine hardware separation rather than trim badges alone: Premium ($113,540) as the entry point, the newly introduced T-spec ($138,490) borrowing the former Track Edition's wider front fenders, unique suspension tune and NISMO-sourced carbon-ceramic brakes in two exclusive throwback colors, and NISMO ($210,740) at the top with more power and track hardware. That is a real three-step ladder in a year when Nissan actually dropped the old Track Edition, but it is still a single V6/AWD/dual-clutch drivetrain with no body style, seating or engine choice, and T-spec's two-color limited allocation makes it closer to a special edition than a mainstream configuration option.

US volume kept sliding in 2021 — 227 units, continuing a multi-year decline from 304 in 2020 and 331 in 2019 — for a nameplate that was already a low-volume halo car well before the pandemic-era supply constraints that squeezed the whole industry. It is not the trough the GT-R would hit the following year, but it sits well below any segment sales leader and reflects a car in its twelfth US model year with a shrinking, mostly repeat-enthusiast buyer pool.

Nissan the mass-market brand carries no luxury halo of its own, but "Godzilla" is a globally recognized enthusiast icon independent of that — strong resale reputation, deep motorsport pedigree, and an active aftermarket/tuning following that treats the R35 as a modern classic. The T-spec's launch leaned directly into that mythology, reviving Midnight Purple and Millennium Jade from the R34 Skyline GT-R Nür specifically to trade on three decades of JDM heritage, which generated outsized enthusiast-press attention for a low-volume special edition.

No factory rebates or subvented financing programs were found for the 2021 GT-R, consistent with a low-volume halo car Nissan has never needed to discount to move. The new T-spec compounded this: with only two color choices and a tightly limited build, it functioned as an allocation item rather than something dealers needed to incentivize, and 2021's industrywide chip-shortage inventory squeeze — which pushed dealer markups above MSRP across many segments that year — left buyers with essentially no leverage on any GT-R trim.

2021 is the R35's thirteenth US model year on a platform finalized in 2006-07 and last substantially updated in the 2017 facelift; the new T-spec is a trim-level special edition, not a generational or even mid-cycle mechanical update. Reviewers consistently flag the car's age as its central weakness for this model year specifically.

Reviewers remain genuinely enthusiastic about the driving experience but consistently rank the car mid-pack to low within its class once features, refinement and value are weighed — a split that has defined the GT-R's late-life reception for years. Autocar and Auto Express both named it one of the best hardcore sports cars for 2021, and outlets like Newsweek praised it as visceral and beautiful, but U.S. News's aggregate scoring lands it well down its category and Edmunds explicitly steers cross-shoppers toward newer, more refined rivals.