We take you back to the world of anime, cherry blossoms and samurai to review what is undoubtedly one of the most iconic automotive product lines that a company has ever made, the GTR line. Today we’ll be specifically reviewing three of the most favoured cars in the GTR line, the R32, R34 and the most recent R35.
The R32 was designed specifically to dominate the Group A touring car Championship in which it got it’s name, Godzilla because it knocked Cosworth off the throne for the throne for the Australian touring car championship from 1991-1992. The conversation probably went like this:
Bystander: “Woah look! a Japanese import car! what’s it called?”
Other Bystander: “The GTR. It’s a monster”
Bystander:”It’s not just a monster. It’s that King Kong rip-off the Japanese made”
Other Bystander: “Oh you mean Godzilla?”
And the rest is history. After the R32, each variation in the R line became known as the new Godzilla due to its consistent results. They won so much that turbocharging and all wheel drive were banned after 1993 which effectively knocked Rs off the throne.
All the Rs became famous not only in the racing scene but also in pop culture. Both the R32 and the R34 became famous because of games like Gran Turismo which then spawned into various manga, anime as well as movies such as Initial D (in which there’s two R32s and one R34), Wangan Midnight (there’s a whole squad of people in Rs to try and beat the main heroine who also happens to drive an R32) and of course Fast and Furious (Brian’s R34 has become one of the most iconic Rs anyone has ever seen). Side Note: the R32 has become one of the most competitive JDM cars in almost every racing game i’ve played. I’d also like to point out that Gran Turismo itself was a direct factor in the development of the R35.
The R35 has become somewhat of a disappointment for a lot of car enthusiasts. It wasn’t prominently featured until the release of the new MF Ghost by Shuichi Shigeno, the creator of Initial D which was barely two years ago. The main problem with the R35 was for a lot of people, it didn’t have the legacy a lot of its predecessors did so it’s not largely bought. But then again car enthusiasts are shocked by it’s newly revamped engine as well as the advancements in modern technology to make the car the 9th fastest car around the Nurburgring in 2011.
So that does beg the question, is the newer version of the R better in every way due to modern technology or does the culture and cult like following surrounding the R32 and the R34 make the R35 become a mere Donkey Kong in the face of a real Godzilla? Here’s my take on which car is the best.
R32 looks: 10/10
A lot of people have argued that the R34 looks better but i digress. I think the R32 and the R34 both look badass but first let’s zero in on the R32. Overall the R32 has a much more boxier look. It’s less sleek but it looks very light and nimble, able to zip through corners at high speeds. Starting from the back we have the boxy rear end which does not come with the wing stock form. You have the circular four rear lights which has retained throughout the years which personally i think the R32 does best. Then there’s the iconic Skyline badge emblazoned near the lights with the GTR badge shining proudly, something that has also been carried over the generations.
On to the front, normally we have a GTR badge in front as well but since it’s a NISMO in the picture they don’t have it. Anyways, this particular model has a bigger bonnet than normal which does make it look better in my opinion. What made me like this car in the first place was the headlights. a really simplistic design which makes the car look fast and sleek when in reality it’s a boxy car.
Overall for the R32, a very simplistic design. Nothing complicated like the hexagonal patterns of the Lamborghini Aventador nor is there complicated aerodynamics like the NIO EP9.
R34 Looks: 10/10
A much sleeker look than the R32 for sure but it looks way heavier and less nimble; a machine built mainly for top speed rather than really good handling. Either way i still love this sleeker look and it does look faster in a straight line. From the back we have the signature circular rear lights which was repositioned from the R32 and R33. We have a rear wing that came stock with the car which was really cool. It also had a rear diffuser, something the R32 and R33 never had to aid with handling and airflow.
Moving toward the front you can already see the similarities and differences between its predecessors. It has the same long front end and a bonnet as big as the R32 NISMO. It’s also a bit wider which really makes it seem heavier than the other cars. The headlights have been redesigned which i equally like as much as the R32.
R35 Looks: 10/10
I don’t know about you but for me, the R35 is also very good looking. Overall the R35 is very sleek looking. Much more sleeker looking than the R34. It honestly does look a bit heavier than the R34 but it’s not much heavier. It has all the things the R34 and R32 have, in which despite it’s heaviness it does look more as nimble as an R32, the best of both worlds. They did keep the circular rear lights from its predecessors and that’s a plus. They did redesign the rear wing and the rear diffuser, adding two more exhaust pipes.
The front of the R35 has become iconic in JDM culture, even more so with the facelift where they added more vents. The headlights give it a way more sleeker feel and look. The curves on the front bumper as well as the low front diffuser does give it a slightly more futuristic look. The hood is shorter and the vents are really well placed. Overall, a really good change for the better. The sleek luxurious look of the R35 really equals the iconic racey look of the R34 and the R32.
R32, R34 and R35 Modability: 10/10
Modability has been a staple for GTRs for years and years and it’s safe to say all of them are equal in terms of modability. The R line of cars is pretty unique. It’s not like other lines such as the Camaro line or the Charger line of cars where over the years less and less mods can be put in the car which was mainly because the designs changed drastically since the ’60s and ’70s and the cars now are mainly built for drag racing. This series of the R line hasn’t had very drastic changes so there’s still a lot of mod options which is why i chose to combine the three cars in modability.
NISMO, the Nissan tuning company much like Mugen for Honda has played a huge part in spawning tuner culture for this car. Like shown in the Looks section, the NISMO R32 came with a spoiler, updated suspension, rims, a new front bumper, new NISMO spec rims, NISMO brakes as well as a NISMO body kit. It also came with engine tuning which i will also cover in the Engine section of the cars.
As for customer modability there is a wide array of mod parts available for the R32.
Body kits especially ones from HKS or Rocket Bunny are readily available. NISMO parts such as NISMO front bumpers, diffusers, rims, brakes, as well as brake calipers are available if you want to flex a little. Rims are also very abundant. This car’s body is literally a canvas so you can do anything you like.
For an R34, what better way to represent its modability than with Brian’s
R34
Overall the car looks simply amazing with all the mods in there. A bigger front bumper with no grille and the Blitz Racing intercooler sticking out makes the car look 1000 times better. There’s a slight camber on the car which wasn’t there on the original car, a huge rear wing, BBS rims, blue livery and my favourite part of Brian’s car, blue underglow. Absolutely amazing.
The R35 is also a top contender be it in the drift scene, stance scene, Time Attack scene or SEMA builds, you name it.
A lot of parts do fit the R35 which makes it very versatile if you’re thinking aerodynamic mods. So there’s a +1 for that.
R32 and R34 Engine and Performance: 9/10
This engine is probably the holy grail of all JDM engines, the RB26DETT, a 2-3L twin turbocharged inline 4 DOHC/SOHC engine making a whopping 250bhp. NISMO with their handiwork simply replaces the Garett turbocharges with bigger TO4B which ups the power by about 20bhp and prevents the old turbocharger from getting damaged due to the heat. The engine redlines at about 7600 rpm which makes for pretty short shift timings with 5 gears, and for all those wanting to buy an R32 or an R34, good news, the engine is all in manual transmission.
Coupled with it’s lightweight body, the R32 can accelerate from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds which beats a lot of modern sports cars even today. It tops at 251 kph which is pretty fast for the limitations of the ’90s. Tune it a more and it’ll go as fast as 325kph at 800bhp on straights. The R34 is slightly slower with a 5.1s 0-60 time and a 250kph top speed, probably because of it’s heavier bodyweight with the same engine.
The cars also featured one of the most revolutionary AWD systems, the ATTESA E-TS. Now what that does is when the R32 skids, a separate viscous housing in the rear differential transfers torque to the opposing direction which quickly straightens the car and allows for better cornering which proved advantageous in touring car championships. The R34 came with an updated version of the ATESSA E-TS.
After a major upset from the rule changes in touring car championships, the engine was made bigger from 2600cc to 4600cc to compete in the higher displacement class and made the engine go up to 300bhp in which NISMO homologation cars had that engine available to the public. in the form of V-specs and V-spec II
I’ve talked about NISMO but haven’t talked about V-spec, V-spec II or the V-spec Nür. These cars are rare with the V-spec and V-spec II only having about 1000 cars made and the V-spec Nür having less than 400. Other than the engine update from 250bhp to 300bhp, each of them stiffened the suspension, changed parts of the interior (which I’ll touch on in practicality) increased the brakes, added NACA ducts, a carbon fiber bonnet as well as a carbon fiber rear wing.
The one problem i have with the engine is that when buying an R32, do pay attention to the turbochargers as well as the PSI settings. I mentioned before that the turbochargers can get damaged which was why NISMO made new ones but they are bloody expensive so try finding a cheaper alternative. Like the RX-7, if you push too hard the gasket, headers as well as the bearings might blow so keep an eye for engine temperature.
R35 Engine and Performance: 9.5/10
First of all, the R35 was designed to be a Grand Tourer so they had to put in a bigger more powerful and more reliable engine than it’s predecessors. So they decided “screw it, let’s split the cylinders” and made a V6 engine.
A totally different engine from the RB26, the R35 is equipped with a twin turbocharged 3.8L VR38DETT V6 engine with the older engines making a whopping 450bhp and the newer ones making 522bhp. That’s enough to make that Lamborghini you’re racing cry. The engine is a stark upgrade to the 60bhp that the world’s first GTR had and that speaks volumes of the GTRs evolution. Thanks to the ingenuity of the engine designer, the 3.8L V6 might seem like a gas guzzler but in fact it’s not, sitting at 26 miles per gallon which i’d say for a 3.8L? That’s not bad. The car has way better stats than it’s predecessors. It has a top speed of 313kph and a 0-60 of 1.7 seconds despite it being almost 100lb heavier than the R34. Now that’s how a sports car should operate.
Despite it being a V6, the engine sounds similar to its predecessors. While some people think it’s a pleasant sound, others like Jeremy Clarkson commented in 2012 that it sounded like a vacuum cleaner.
Maybe it’s because of the exhaust pipe….
Other than the okay gas mileage i’m happy to say that the turbocharger problems of the R32 and R34 are all but gone in the R35 so anybody buying one shouldn’t have to worry too much. The gaskets and the headers have been reinforced but that’s still a slight problem.
R32 Practicality: 7/10
surprisingly okay practicality.
The seats in a stock R32 are slightly racey comfortable bucket seats in the front and standard rear seats you see in most modern cars of today. The seats are both bolt on so finding new weight saving seats won’t be a hassle. In fact, if you find the seats of your R32 are dated, you can just take the seats of an R34, readjust them (because the back seats don’t fit) and put them in. NISMO seats are slightly less comfortable to save weight.
The car comes standard with AC, stereo and cup holders. It also comes with the essential three gauges such as a 180kph speedometer, a 10,000 rpm tachometer and a fuel and oil gauge. NISMO ones come with an optional AC, no rear wiper, a 320kph speedometer and the removal of ABS. The mesh that protects the intercooler is also gone. It also has manual steering, a manual radio and manual windows so expect some sort of primitive drive. Also if you’re importing the car, the car is right hand drive so if you’re in the USA do take note.
One look at the trunk and i’d say “it’s smaller than my pinky toe” because gosh the trunk is tiny. Groceries can barely fit into there, much less a cooler full of drinks or IKEA tables. The good news is that at least it can fit two big size Samsonite suitcases so picking up your hubby from the airport in this bad boy should be no hassle. I never found out what the actual volume was but i can tell for certain the space is way less than taxies or it’s descendants.
R34 Practicality: 7/10
While the R32 is all analogue the R34 is a lot more electronic which does make it a bit more convenient from an everyday drivers standpoint. The original stock version has everything the R32 has but automatic. Auto windows, power steering and even offers an automatic gearbox for those who want to flex the car as a daily driver. They even added a multifunction screen.
The NISMO version stripped out all of these things and added a more racey feel of the car while still keeping the essentials. Aircon is optional like the R32. ABS is gone, the steering wheel was remade and the shiftknob was made lighter. NISMO parts as well as auxiliary gauges are readily available too.
I thought that the R32 trunk space was tiny but holy crap. The R34 trunk is very very small. It might fit one big samsonite suitcase but nothing else. It probably won’t fit much groceries which certainly won’t be good for daily driving.
R35 Practicality: 9/10
The R35 interior has become less racey and more posh because the designers advertised it as a luxury sports car, much like a Bentley and boy did it work. It’s a five seater so we can fit a mid size family. One look at the interior and you’ll know the seats are more comfortable than the bucket seats of the R32 and the R34. Some upgrades from the R34 is that there’s power steering, there’s more electronics powering the speedometer as well as the tachometer. The newest additions are the more recent ones such as Apple Carplay, Bluetooth connectivity and satellite navigation which come in really handy. It also comes with Sport mode and Street mode which is good if you want to switch from a soft suspension to a harder suspension while you’re racing.
The NISMO version has more racey seats, built in boost gauge as well as no ABS. Again AC is optional just like the R32 and R34.
The bootspace is small but not as small as the R34 thankfully. It does have space for a few big Samsonite luggages and of course groceries which is pretty practical.
R32 Price: 7/10
The R32 is almost unavailable because of its age as well as its difficulty in importing it, both in Singapore and in America. The car is also incredibly rare in Singapore with only a mere 11 units being shipped to Singapore. But at least in America after 25 years it is finally legal to import it in most states and is readily available.
Literally none in Singapore. No R32s whatsoever new or used.
In the USA the car is still available but at a slightly higher price.
It’s not an exhorbitant amount but it’s not exactly budget either for a Japanese car.
R34 Price: 8/10
For the R34 it’s not much better. There are quite a lot of R34 cars in the USA
A starting price of $60,000 is quite a bit of a departure from the R32 but $40,000 for a heavier car with the same engine and a more luxurious interior… i don’t know. A bit steep.
R35 Price: 9/10
The price jump from the R34 to the R35 is way more but is a lot more worth it.
In the USA new, the R35 goes for about slightly less than $150,000 and the NISMO costs you $210,000.
Used the R35 will go for anywhere between $70,000 to $100,000 depending on condition and the NISMO anywhere between $120,000 to $200,000. There’s good news too since it’s readily available in Singapore.
New, the GTR goes for half a million Singapore Dollars not including COE which is again typical highway robbery fashion for the country.
Modded and used, the car goes at almost $200,000 which is still a lot of money which might be a hassle if you’re looking to buy the GTR for daily driving.
That doesn’t change the fact that buying an R35 will give you more bang for your buck in almost every way
R32 and R34: 2 points vs 4 points :R35
They were tied for looks and mods because all three of them are oh so BEAUTIFUL! But when it comes down to the more technical things like who had the most reliable and faster engine or who can haul more ass, the R35 came out on top.
The new and improved 3.8L VR38DETT engine has way more horsepower than the 2.5L RB26DETT engine and is way more reliable, breaking down way less and omitting some of the problems the RB26 had.
The R32 and the R35 were more or less tied practicality wise which compared to other cars, is not that good. But i have to say that the R34s practicality was just sub-par.
All these answers the question that although the R35 isn’t bought much due to it’s price leading some people to sell their own organs, the R35 is worth the price because in retrospect, the electronics and the practicality make the R35 the most liveable R on this list AND is a beast on the track. But of course if you just want a cheaper alternative to track and flex to your opponents, the other two are for you.
Overall these three cars have been one of the pinaccles of motorsport as well as the benchmark for JDM tuning and will forever be ingrained into our gearhead minds.
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