2024 Nissan GT-R World Debut: Godzilla’s Back, Back Again

Nissan went through its iconic sports car with a fine-tooth comb, but we're still looking at the R35 model here

2024 Nissan GT-R NISMO
(Images: Nissan)

It’s not a generational shift, but the 2024 Nissan GT-R does get some changes.

Nissan has been working to significantly update its model range over the past few years, bringing new models from the tiny Versa to the Frontier pickup. What has not changed by leaps and bounds for a long while, though, has been the brand’s GT-R halo. In fact, we’ve been more or less expecting the automaker to either kill the aging R35 model off or bring in a replacement. What we got today when the 2024 Nissan GT-R debuted in Japan Thursday is technically, well, neither.

Instead, the 2024 Nissan GT-R brings a host of subtle tweaks to prolong the 15-year-old GT-R’s lifespan at least a little bit longer. While the company says its a “new” model, you can thumb through the images throughout this article and the video below to judge for yourself. Nevertheless, there are a number of tweaks worth mentioning, with most of the noteworthy changes hitting the track-focused NISMO version.

So, what’s changed for the updated model?

In bringing the GT-R back for 2024, Nissan decided to retain all three models we got for the last model year, including the special T-Spec model (shown in Millennium Jade above). At first glance, you may spot the updated fascia with a reshaped bumper, grille and lights. Nissan said this car uses thinner grille mesh to improve cooling and aid aerodynamics, though its 0.26 drag coefficient remains the same as before. The GT-R Nismo trim, shown in Stealth Gray, gets a revised front lip, canards and a 10% larger rear wing than the past version.

Like before, the 2024 Nissan GT-R Premium kicks off the range, bringing the same equipment spread we’ve come to expect since the car’s last revamp in 2020. That includes an 8.0-inch NissanConnect infotainment system with Apple CarPlay connectivity, SiriusXM satellite radio and an 11-speaker Bose stereo system. You also get dual-zone climate control, Nappa leather seats, 20-inch RAYS wheels and specially developed Bilstein shock absorbers.

Stepping up to the T-Spec brings you two special colors — Midnight Purple and Millennium Jade, in honor of rare variants of the past R34 GT-R V-Spec and V-Spec II Nür, respectively. On the performance front, you get Brembo brakes with carbon ceramic rotors, as well as Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 high-performance tires.

The 2024 Nissan GT-R packs a solidly familiar engine.

At its core, both the GT-R Premium and T-Spec pack the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 as we’ve known for more than a decade. It still packs the same power as it had with the last refresh: 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque. That grunt makes its way to all four wheels through a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.

If that’s not quite enough for your liking, there’s always the GT-R NISMO. That bumps up the output to 600 horsepower and 481 lb-ft of torque, and offers a few more hardcore performance touches as well. You get decently large 16.1-inch carbon ceramic front rotors, while the back set measures out to 15.3 inches at each rear corner. The NISMO still gets 20-inch wheels, though they’re a different style to the other two trims, and Nissan brings in an “exclusive engine cover design” too. Stealth Gray is a new, NISMO-exclusive color option.

2024 Nissan GT-R NISMO

Any word on pricing this go-around?

Despite the relatively minor changes, today’s 2024 Nissan GT-R announcement did not come with formal pricing. Nissan left the R35’s pricing alone for 2023, though it’s doubtful they’ll make the same move again for this upcoming launch. Expect at least a slight uptick from the GT-R Premium’s already hefty $115,435 price tag, and the NISMO’s eye-watering $212,635 barrier to entry.

The updated 2024 Nissan GT-R will begin arriving at select U.S. dealerships this spring, at least if you’re aiming for the Premium or the T-Spec. If you want (and can afford) the NISMO, you’ll have to wait until the summer.