2017 GT-R NISMO Drops its Rocket-Launch Center Console and Gains a New Suspension

The 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO (Credit: © Nissan)

Just two months ago, Nissan unveiled the GT-R to the world with a power increase, a tweaked appearance, and decreased cabin noise. At that time, there was still no word on what the NISMO version of Godzilla would bring to the table. Today, we can put that issue to bed as Nissan has unveiled the 2017 GT-R Nismo and all of its new goodies.

Like the base GT-R, the NISMO has a slew of changes for the new model year, some visual and some mechanical. On the outside, the visual tweaks include a new front fascia with new carbon-fiber fog light surrounds with air inlets, a new V-Motion grille, an updated wraparound front splitter, elimination of the gills ahead of the front wheels, a reinforced hood, and clear indicator lenses. The changes to the rear are a little more subtle and they include clear rear-quarter indicators, a new four-exit exhaust system, and a reflector in the lower, center section of the rear diffuser.

The 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO (Credit: © Nissan)

In the cabin, the NISMO has most of the same changes as the base GT-R as Nissan tries to make its supercar a little more tolerable on long drives. In here, Nissan changes things up by redesigning the dash and steering wheel and wrapping them in soft Alcantara, reducing the number of switches in the center stack from 27 to 11, increasing the size of the touchscreen from 7 inches to 8 inches, adding a new Display Command Control, and including leather-wrapped Recaro seats with faux-suede inserts.

Under the skin, Nissan uses the new-found stiffness of the GT-R’s body as the perfect catalyst for a chassis upgrade. So, it tosses in refined shocks, springs, and stabilizers that result in roughly 2 percent improvements in slalom times and cornering performance. Unlike the base GT-R, however, the NISMO’s 3.8-liter V-6 sees no power upgrade, keeping it at 600 ponies and 481 pound-feet of torque.

Nissan has yet to announce when the new GT-R NISMO will hit showrooms.