Porsche GT2 v FPV F6 v Nissan GT-R (December 2008)

GT2 v F6 v GT-R

Wheels Magazine
November, 2008
Words: Ed Ordynski

The test of a truly great champion is performance under adversity. All champions deliver stellar performances, yet sometimes, in a field of real luminaries, one produces that jaw-dropping, you're-kidding, shock to the system. Think Ayrton Senna in the wet; cyclist Anna Meares at the Beijing Olympics; or perhaps the greatest of all, Lance Armstrong and his seven consecutive Tour de France victories.

The Porsche 911 GT2, Nissan GT-R and FPV F6 are already automotive champions in their own right. All have turbocharged, six-cylinder engines that are considered to be among the very best in performance- car motivation and engineering.

The first opportunity to test the new GT-R on home soil provides a perfect opportunity to bring together these three big hitters.

The GT-R has already downed the Porsche 911 Turbo in Europe (Wheels, April '08 - more here), so pitting it against the considerably lighter, boostier, track-focused GT2 - the biggest gun in Porsche's considerable armoury - seemed simple logic, especially given the war of words raging between Porsche and Nissan over who builds the fastest Nürburgring-lapping production car.

Tossing in the unrivalled bang-for-buck of FPV's F6 brings valuable perspective thanks to its affordable, uniquely Aussie flavour. But is it really such a stretch to include the FPV sedan in this company? Under its bonnet lurks a long-stroke, variable valve timed, turbo-six. It's an engine that begs few favours in any company and is undoubtedly Australia's greatest ever home-grown performance engine.

Indeed, with each of our trio offering a different cylinder configuration - horizontally opposed for the Porsche, vee for the Nissan and in-line for the Ford - this test celebrates three of the world's great sixes.

Yet we were not to know that our six-pack party was to become its own test of performance under adversity.

Our intention was to revel in the perfect spring weather of South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula and Barossa Valley, using the demanding roads of the Mt Lofty Ranges, famous for the internationally acclaimed Classic Adelaide Rally. Our three key destinations were Mallala race circuit, the stunning Collingrove Hillclimb and Goolwa Airfield for acceleration testing.

The broadcast of severe weather warnings provided the first hint of impending challenge, especially when the tones of angst included gale-force winds and dust storms. A fresh coating of loose gravel on the Goolwa airstrip seemed trivial under the circumstances.

In some of the wildest conditions imaginable, one of our six-cylinder heroes stood up, confronted the elements and proved its greatness.

Porsche 911 GT2
The moment you step into the GT2 and settle into the beautifully shaped seat, the perfect, low driving position instantly says that this car was created by people who understand motorsport. Adjustable only fore and aft, the carbonfibre bucket is a masterful blend of road and race seat, including an integral, thorax airbag. It fits perfectly without tilting, ratcheting or inflating anything.

The small, Alcantara-covered steering wheel is vertical, like that of a race car; the gear lever close to hand and forward near the base of the wheel.

The dry-sumped, 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat-six fires with a key turn and idles with that unmistakable boxer throb. Here, though, in the GT2, it's louder and you feel it in your chest. With the whirrings from various pumps and its rasping, metallic edge, the whole effect is like having a caged beast breathing behind your shoulders.

At Mallala, a dust storm has already made the track extremely slippery and the GT2 feels nervous, moving around on the track, scrabbling for grip, lapsing into unpredictable nibbles of understeer and oversteer. Clearly, the tyres need to be cautiously warmed, otherwise they wriggle, weave and breakaway until up to temperature.

Although I've driven plenty of race and rally cars with outrageous acceleration, the GT2's tall first gear (good for 80km/h) and 680Nm produces a massive rush. It's initially a real shock, and never less than breathtaking whenever you slot the rock-solid gear lever into first and release the strong, yet super-smooth clutch.

Of course, when you unleash 390kW with a kerb weight pared back to just 1440kg, it demands your utmost attention, especially given that the GT2 offers minimal assistance from tricky drivetrains and driver aids. Despite this, and despite the conditions, its time of 1:16.3sec is exceptional, but it doesn't come without some seriously sweaty palms, a few corrective inputs and the occasional, heart-pumping save.

Yes, you need to be smooth and feed in the power with sensitivity, but that only adds to the sense of driver involvement with what is a seriously fast car by any standards.

Weather conditions are similarly challenging at Collingrove Hillclimb, where flying debris and bits of tree branches from the howling wind make conditions dangerous. The Porsche moves around more than expected but, aside from this, the Adelaide hills offer a near perfect GT2 drive experience. The superbly weighted, fast-response steering implies limitless grip and incisive turn-in - something not entirely unexpected from the now-warm 19-inch, semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup rubber. Between corners the push-in-the-back is stunning, the rate at which ground is covered astonishing. On gear changes, the muted woofle from the turbos' dump valves is delivered subtly, and only out of genuine necessity.

Braking performance from the ventilated and cross-drilled ceramic composite units - 380mm at the front clamped by six-piston calipers; 350mm at the rear with four-piston calipers - is truly outstanding. With a meaty pedal taking up just millimetres from the top, they provide hugely powerful, progressive retardation.

Lastly, we head to Goolwa Airfield, where the loose-chip surface was never going to be ideal for performance testing a rear-drive car with massive torque. Nevertheless, using launch control, the GT2 reels off a staggering 4.3sec zero to 100km/h and 12.1 seconds for the 400m. I try several attempts manually, managing one run with just a haze of wheelspin to achieve a 12.1sec and 0-100km/h in 4.2sec but all other efforts are slower.

Heading for home, I have time to appreciate how the curve of the dashtop, steering wheel and large, central tacho align just millimetres below your natural line of sight through the windscreen. I'm reminded, too, of the GT2's firm yet acceptable ride, its completely conventional, fuss-free operation and sense of unburstable solidity. This is a hugely desirable car.

Nissan GT-R
Confession time: I wasn't exactly looking forward to jumping straight into the Nissan GT-R after several slippery laps of the dusty Mallala race circuit in the Porsche 911 GT2.

Everyone at the circuit has assembled to watch this most anticipated return of a legendary model name to Australia. Everyone has also just witnessed my slipping and twitching around the track in its notorious rival.

But at least I'd previously driven the GT2 at race speed during last month's Wheels' Handling Olympics, here I'm stepping straight into the GT-R without ever having idled one, let alone cornered it in real anger.

That trepidation is erased on only my second lap, when the GT-R knocks a massive 1.6sec off the Porsche's best, clocking 1:14.7sec.

The bulky 1740kg Nissan squirrels under brakes, wriggles mid-corner as you feel millisecond adjustments within the all-wheel-drive system, and the whole car hunkers down at the rear with a slight drift angle for sweet corner exits. The engine wails like an angry giant while the gearbox slams home ratios like an F1 car on steroids.

I have to trust the technology, forcing myself to keep the right foot buried against the firewall and tapping the gearshift paddles in an attempt to quell the car's lust for revs and higher gears.

The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 changes personality completely at full throttle; its note becoming more angry and deep-chested, its surging rev band demanding instant response from the rapid-fire transmission.

Trying to contemplate the 353kW and 588Nm outputs seems meaningless, such is the rate of vicious acceleration. You simply hang on and try to keep up.

The braking happens in a similar rush. Massive 380mm, cross-drilled and ventilated discs grabbed by six-piston Brembo calipers up front fight the monster speed spooled up by this epic engine.

Amazingly, the 20-inch Bridgestone tyres - 255/40s front and 285/35s rear - seem to be able to cope with all this mayhem. It's actually the brake pedal that gives in first, softening a bit during hot laps.

On the dirty, slippery Mallala surface, its stunning performance shocks the assembled audience, as well as this driver. This is an astonishingly fast car.

Collingrove Hillclimb gives me a chance to see the GT-R at full noise with its owner at the wheel. Its traction off the line and sheer speed into the first corner is something to behold; the engine rarely drops peak volume as each perfectly spaced ratio slams home, and there's not a hint of wheelspin or slippage on the undulating surface.

Later, at Goolwa Airfield, the GT-R raises a fat finger of attitude to its excess kilos and on-paper deficit of grunt compared to the GT2. The incredible all-wheel-drive system launches the Nissan on the slippery, loose-chip surface from zero to 100km/h in 4.0sec dead, and on to the 400m mark in 12.1sec.

No driver can change gears in a conventional gearbox as fast as the GT-R's unique, rear-mounted, twin-clutch, independent transaxle can. It's utterly irrefutable.

But there is a downside to the Nissan that becomes apparent away from the track on normal roads. Here the GT-R suffers from small bump impact harshness, coarse-surface road noise and the occasional background clonk and bang. It lacks the suppleness and insulation provided by the GT2, and doesn't begin to approach the comfort of the, admittedly, far less focused F6.

The transmission, brilliant in maximum-attack driving, is not as smooth-shifting in normal conditions. In auto mode, it's noticeably inferior to the conventional ZF torque-converter automatic in the F6.

And unlike the GT2, whose engine, clutch and gearbox are always a delight to use, the novelty of clicking the paddles on the GT-R soon wears off in traffic and suburban driving. What's more, auto mode makes the otherwise pleasant engine sound lacklustre thanks to early upshifts at light throttle openings, commendable though this may be with regards fuel efficiency.

Overall, there was universal approval of the GT-R's manga styling, Gran Turismo-inspired dash and its sight and sound at full tilt. The car is an other-wordly experience, but one that we occasionally needed to swap for the calmer, less intense ambience of the FPV.

FPV F6
Drive the FPV F6 immediately after the GT-R or GT2 and it feels like the steering, brakes and chassis are barely connected to anything. Of course, this is largely because the GT-R/GT2 combo have much stronger weight in the controls for competition driving - especially the GT2, which has the level of control weight exactly right.

It takes a few corners before you re-tune yourself with the low wheel and high seat, and realise the light steering actually works very well.

The brakes, too, take several kilometres of forcing yourself to just brush the pedal gently, as the overly-assisted system sees it travel a fair way, then with little warning, summons up maximum braking.

Likewise, the isolation from the road surface gives the big FPV a float-over-anything, hovercraft feel.

However, even in this illustrious company, the F6 is not underdone in the engine department. This is a truly world-class powerplant, and provides the most linear power delivery of any of the engines here, able to pull from near idle for mountains of accessible torque.

Its 310kW and 565Nm feels particularly refined, more so than the ravenous, wild-dog Nissan. It's always grunty, responding as obediently as the family pet, then tearing off like an uncaged kelpie when the throttle is pinned.

At Mallala, there's no doubt the appalling track conditions work against the F6. As grip levels deteriorate, the gap between it and the GT-R and GT2 becomes a yawning gulf, and the Nissan goes on to move ahead of the Porsche.

The F6 struggles to put down its immense power on the dust-covered tarmac, the 235/35ZR19 Dunlops rarely able to take full throttle. The sliding around and lengthy braking are reflected in the lap time of 1:25.2sec - a whopping 11 seconds per lap slower than the GT-R.

Like the GT-R's, the F6's brakes are the first weak link, and it only takes a couple of laps for its 355mm front discs and Brembo four-spots to begin to wilt.

But the F6's performance at the track is not any indication that the big Ford is incompetent; simply a clear reinforcement of the astonishing capabilities of the other two contenders.

On the Goolwa Airfield, the F6 is not disgraced at all. The traction control turns out to be too much of an interfering nanna and the best times are all recorded with traction off. It actually gets off the line quite well, then breaks into wheelspin at the top of first gear.

A 5.4sec 0-100km/h time and 13.5sec 0-400m is genuinely quick - actually, staggering for such a large, affordable 1800kg sedan.

Collingrove shows up the relatively soft suspension on the F6. Over the crests and dips, it moves through its full range of travel, even butting the bump stops at times.

But as a value equation, the F6 stands tall. The suspension tune is near perfect for Australian conditions. Inside it's quiet, effortless and beautifully insulated. Its automatic transmission is one of the very best at any price, shifting imperceptibly at all speeds and always seeming to be in the right gear. Sedans offering the performance and touring capabilities of the F6 are rare, and at just $66K, this is obviously one of the best value cars on the planet.

Despite the storms and gale-force winds lashing our test, these three turbo sixes all managed to offer shattering performances in their own way.

If the test of a true champion is performance under adversity, then the new Nissan GT-R is in a league of its own. The more fearsome the conditions, the more it continued to destroy preconceived limits.

And while its twin-turbo V6 becomes utterly ferocious when unleashed on the track, it's actually the GT-R's stupendous transmission and all-wheel-drive system which makes the Nissan such a high-performance engineering marvel. When it officially launches in Australia next April at around $150,000, the GT-R will be an absolute performance bargain.

Yes, the $447,500 Porsche GT2 struggled to match the GT-R's lap times in admittedly difficult conditions. Yet the attraction of the GT2 is the way in which it demands more of the driver, requiring you to know it intimately to squeeze the best out of it, using subtle throttle control and steering inputs. The GT-R has technology doing much of that for you.

The Porsche invites you to work up to its limits, rewarding your efforts along the way. It whispers encouragement, while the GT-R takes charge to show you the right way of doing everything.

And the FPV F6? At $66,590, it offers a blend of abilities few ordinary cars can match. Outstanding engine performance, cosseting ride quality and a level of refinement that's far beyond its relatively meagre price. But, engine aside, it's out of its depth in this company.

If pressed to choose, I'd take the GT2 because it offers a sense of occasion every time you take the wheel; everything works with such strong sense of precision, feel, and understated class. It's also more in touch with the driver. But I do respect the numbers backing up the GT-R's victory.

Our aim was to compare three very differently priced and configured turbocharged, six-cylinder engines. What we discovered, though, was an entire drivetrain providing a new level of greatness.

And presently, the only car with that drivetrain is the Nissan GT-R.

BOOSTY BOYS
Each manufacturer has a very different take on what makes a great turbo six. Here's a quick guide to the high points of each design.

» FPV F6
The Turbo Falcon mill is the best performance engine to come out of Australia, no question. Long in the stroke and small in the bore, the turbo FPV lugs well down low while still pulling to over 6000rpm. Variable cam timing helps the performance while a new piston/con-rod design increases engine durability.

While the conventional Turbo Falcon has a new, smaller turbocharger, the F6 stays with the larger BA-BF version to deliver its strong top-end punch. Performance fro the basement can be a little less urgent compared to the standard Turbo Falcon motor with this turbo choice, but the FPV still steps off the line very cleanly before breaking into wheelspin at the top of first gear.

» PORSCHE 911 GT2
Its roots might be old-school 911, but the GT2 engine is a technological marvel. It features Nikasil low-friction bore liners and a heap of other trickery; from variable camshaft timing through to a unique and totally reverse-thinking 'expansion inlet manifold' to improve bottom-end torque.

Its turbos were a joint development between Porsche and German turbocharger manufacturer KKK, and feature variable-vane technology which dynamically optimises turbine vane angle in an attempt to reduce turbo lag. Notably, the GT2 achieves its massive power and torque figures (in part) by running 55 percent more boost than the GT-R and 100 percent more boost than the FPV.

» NISSAN R35 GT-R
A classic V6 design with a slightly larger bore than stroke gives the VR38DETT Nissan engine the promise of a free-revving nature and good torque response off the bottom end. Technical highlights are the completely variable camshaft timing, and the 'plasma-infused' bore liners, although they do require inspection at the 80,000km service interval.

Using tried and proven turbocharger technology in the form of IHI RHF55 turbochargers (the same kind of unit as used on the '06 model WRX STi) the matching of turbocharger to engine is good enough to deliver almost imperceptible turbo lag and the best low-rpm response of the bunch.

#Track: Goolwa Airfield, dry. Temp 14°C. Driver: Ed Ordynski

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More research
FPV F6 -- Wheels review: here
FPV F6 -- Carsales Network launch review: here
Nissan GT-R -- Wheels review: here
Nissan GT-R -- Carsales Network launch review: here
Porsche 911 GT2 -- Wheels review: here
Porsche 911 GT2 -- Carsales Network launch review: here