Why is The R33 Skyline GT-R so Underrated?
JDM fans love the Nissan GT-R. Each generation of GT-R has their fans but the R33 for the most part seems to get overlooked.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 always seems to be the forgotten middle child of the GT-R line up and is the least loved out there. I always wondered why because the R33 GT-R was significantly better than the R32. It's also the only GT-R that competed in the Le Mans 24 hour race, and it was the first mass production car to lap the Nurburgring in under 8 minutes, a huge feat at the time. So why is it so underrated compared to the R32 and R34 GT-Rs? I have a few theories as to why.
1.) The Looks
The first and biggest thing that comes to mind for why the R33 GT-R is underrated is the looks of the car. It didn't really stand out from the rest of Nissan's lineup like the R32 and later R34 GT-R did. It just looked lke every other Nissan from the mid-late '90s. If you don't know what I mean, just look at this side-by-side comparison of a S14 and R33 GT-R.
Do you see what I mean? from this angle, they almost look like the same car. If I was new car enthusiast, or less of one, I might mistake the R33 GT-R for a S14 at first glance, especially the early S14 models. The four door Autech GT-R R33 also looked more like a U.S. spec Nissan Maxima than a Skyline GT-R hence why it is also jokingly called a buff Maxima. The R33's blandness doesn't end there though. It is also prominent through the interior as well, look.
This is a side by side comparison of interiors. The photo on the left is from a 1998 Nissan Maxima, and the photo on the right is from the 1995-1998 Skyline GT-R. As you can see they are almost exactly the same with very few differences. This gives the R33 Skyline a much cheaper, less sporty feel to it and it isn't flattering.
2.) It's "The Boat" of the Skyline GT-Rs
The second thing that I always see about the R33 is that it is considered to be a boat. Now before you start saying in the comments that the R34 GT-R was heavier, let me explain something to you. The R34 GT-R was only heavier by about 13lbs (6kg) yet there nobody considers the R34 GT-R to be a boat. Why is that? The answer was the suspension. The R33 was designed to be more comfortable than its predecessor and thus they made the suspension softer. This made the car less agile and way more prone to understeer in corners giving the R33 GT-R the reputation of being a boat. Nissan fixed this issue with the R34 by making the chassis tighter and stiffening the suspension.
R33 GT-R aka the Boat... Sorry R33 fans.
Does the R33 deserve to be Underrated?
The short answer is I don't know. From a performance standpoint, no it's more capable than the more popular R32 GT-R but the car's design holds it back from being anywhere near as cool the R32 or R34 making it deservingly underrated, but that's not a bad thing and makes it arguably cooler than the R32 and R34.
Thanks For Reading!
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Comments (6)
The r33 definitely deserves more love as I think it is the best looking than the rest of the gtrs
I think it’s the worst looking out of the 3 (except the 400R) without some modification. That said it’s still a pretty car.
Saw one of these beauties today with and r34 spoiler 10 out of 10 would do again
I prefer the stock R33 spoiler.
Favourite one for me
My favorite as well. I think it is better looking than the R32 or R34.