A high-performance model that will satisfy Skyline lovers
Nissan’s current Skyline has a new limited edition Skyline NISMO model with even better performance than the high-performance 400R model. It has “enough performance to awaken Skyline lovers”, which even convinced motoring journalist Jun Nishikawa, who said he had given up on the Skyline for a while.
A long association with the Skyline with its twists and turns
I love the Skyline. I’ve probably bought the most Skyline of all the cars in the automotive media industry. After all, since I started working I’ve driven everything from an R30 to a V36.
The first manual car I drove on public roads after getting my licence was a ‘Japan’. The first car I bought was a Celica XX, but my first new car was an R31. Then came the R30, R32 and so on after I came to this industry.
When the 34 became the 35, I, like many Skyline fans, was reluctant to switch, not because of the V6, but because it was not developed as a Skyline, but when the coupe came out I couldn’t resist. The ’35 is no Skyline!’ But I couldn’t resist when the coupe came out, because it was such a cool coupe that it blew away the “35 is not a Skyline”.
However, the Skyline is essentially a four-door car. The Hakosuka (the 3rd generation C10 Skyline that debuted in 1968) was the symbol of this: from the 35 to the 36, I bought the first ‘Hakoska’ = four-door Skyline in my life (partly because I had an R35 in the garage). Although the model was criticised in many ways, I liked it, including the design. I replaced the emblem with an Infiniti one and got a kick out of it.
When the V37 (current model) was introduced, Mr. Nakamura, the head of design at the time, said something like “This is a redefinition of the Hakosuka”. I didn’t think much of it, but I didn’t dislike the shape either.
In the end, though, I didn’t even consider the V37, partly because they didn’t offer a coupe in Japan. I thought it was time to move on. I wanted the Skyline name to continue, but it seemed like it wasn’t the Skyline I wanted anymore. I mean, it had the Infiniti badge on it from the start, you know? I knew it was more Infiniti-driven than the previous generation, but …….
Nissan is not giving up on the Skyline
Since its debut in 2013, the V37 has had many other incidents. It started with just a hybrid V6, and a Mercedes-Benz engine. It also got a lot of attention for installing steer-by-wire and giving it away with ProPilot 2.0. But with each mention of such topics, my Skyline fever cooled even further. To be honest, there were times when I didn’t even want to test it.
Interestingly, since 2019, when it changed to the Nissan badge, the Skyline seems to have returned. Maybe it’s because the SUV style was at its height in the world and this kind of shape (three-box) sedan look itself was becoming rare. The Skyline crossover came too soon, but as a result, only sedans remained and the Hakosuka era had returned in two rounds! And now Nissan’s only sedan (rusty).
Nissan is not giving up on the Skyline. SUV? or BEV? Amidst all kinds of speculation, Nissan unveils the 400R, a daring model that goes against the grain of today’s times. The naming was somewhat of a ‘waste’ (you’re using that word here!), but it had enough performance to awaken Skyline lovers.
And then there was Nismo, the star of the show, whose performance was even better than the 400R, leaving 400R owners in the dust, but that’s what the Skyline is all about! (It used to be worse.)
The Skyline has to be the most well-made GT in Japan
So I borrowed a bright red Nismo (92/1000) and drove it from Tokyo to Kyoto as usual.
The sedan look, with only the lower half of the body gussied up, is already nostalgic; it would never look like this in an SUV. It’s a mischievous old man’s style if you like. It might even look fresh to the younger generation. I’m an old man with an Arakan accent, so it stings a lot. The red colour, which is more intense than Mazda’s cars, also suits this style.
The cockpit atmosphere is already classic nowadays. A design that was already “not new” when it debuted, it has taken two turns to give old car lovers a sense of security. It will look different to those who are used to digital cockpits, but it also has its charm.
Running. The strong launch and thick torque in the mid-range are enough to make you realise the difference between the 400R and the 400R with a single tap on the accelerator. The slightly oversensitive character matches the extreme sedan character. The ‘thump’ at high revs is also pleasant.
The thick tyres grip the ground firmly. Combined with the hardness, the body width feels narrower. In short, for the driver, the body feels reminiscent of the old Skyline sedan. It would be easier to understand if we say that the driver feels the body size is about 34. In any case, the driver does not feel the size of the body, so the Hakosuka feeling is even greater than that of the 400R.
It’s a stunning GT (GranTurismo) at high speeds. The ride feeling is comfortable and stable. There is no vague feeling around the centre and you can cruise with confidence. The Skyline has to be the most well-made GT in Japan.
I played around a bit on the usual winding roads and found it to be arguably the fastest and most fun Skyline sedan ever, apart from the GT-R model.
translated by DeepL