# Iconic Nissan Engines & Drivetrains | Otto Explains | AutoTronix **Section:** Otto Explains **Canonical:** https://autotronix.om/otto/nissan-engines-drivetrains **Language:** English **Arabic version:** https://autotronix.om/ar/otto/nissan-engines-drivetrains --- ## Short Answer Nissan is best known for its straight-six and V6 engines. They include the S20 of the first GT-R, the RB26DETT twin-turbo of the R32 GT-R, the VQ V6 that was on Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for 14 years in a row, and the hand-built VR38DETT of the R35 GT-R. For the Patrol it moved from straight sixes to the VK56VD V8 and now to twin-turbo V6 engines. Its drivetrains range from ATTESA E-TS four-wheel drive and the Patrol’s ALL MODE 4x4 to CVTs, e-POWER and e-4ORCE. --- ## Which engines is Nissan best known for? A handful stand out. The S20 four-valve straight six of 1969 powered the first Skyline GT-R, the L-series straight sixes powered the Datsun 240Z, and the RB26DETT twin-turbo six of 1989 brought the GT-R back. The VQ V6 was on Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for 14 straight years from 1995, and the VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 of the R35 GT-R was hand-assembled by master craftsmen. For the Patrol, the VK56VD V8 of 2010 gave way in 2024 to a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6. --- ## What powered the early Datsuns? Small, simple engines. The Datsun 14 of 1935 had a 722 cc side-valve four-cylinder with 15 PS. After a technical cooperation agreement with Britain’s Austin from December 1952, the Datsun 1000 of 1957 moved to an OHV engine, with its valves overhead, and the Sunny B10 of 1966 had a new 988 cc OHV four, the A10, with 56 PS. The Bluebird 510 brought the L16, a 1,595 cc four with an overhead camshaft, which won the 1970 East African Safari Rally in a Bluebird 1600SSS. --- ## Where did the S20 engine come from? From racing at Prince. Prince’s R380 racing car used the GR8, a 1,996 cc straight six with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshaft (DOHC) heads, mounted behind the driver. Its road-going descendant, the 1,989 cc S20 with 160 PS, went into the Skyline 2000GT-R in 1969, and Nissan describes that car as the first mass-produced car with a four-valve DOHC engine. The same S20 powered the Fairlady Z432, whose name means four valves, three carburettors and two camshafts. --- ## What were Nissan’s L-series engines and its turbo firsts? The L-series was Nissan’s family of overhead-camshaft engines: the Datsun 240Z used the L24, a 2,393 cc straight six, and the 280Z a 2.8-litre L28E. Nissan’s Yokohama engine plant then built Japan’s first turbocharged car engine, the L20ET of 1979, and Japan’s first mass-produced V6, the VG of 1983; Nissan calls the 300ZX’s VG30ET Japan’s first mass-produced turbocharged V6. The 1989 300ZX offered its 3.0-litre V6 with 230 PS or, with twin turbochargers, 280 PS, and the S13 Silvia used 1.8-litre CA18 fours, with or without a turbo, before the 2.0-litre SR20 in 1991. Otto explains [how a turbocharger works](https://autotronix.om/otto/turbocharger-vs-supercharger). --- ## What made the RB26DETT and ATTESA E-TS special? They were built for the R32 GT-R of 1989. The RB26DETT is a 2,568 cc straight six with twin turbochargers, rated at 280 PS and 353 Nm, and ATTESA E-TS is Nissan’s electronically controlled torque-split four-wheel drive, which varies how much drive goes to the front wheels. Together they won every Japanese Touring Car Championship race from 1990 to 1993. --- ## Why is the VQ V6 so well known? For its long run of awards and its wide use. Nissan has built the VQ at its Iwaki plant since January 1994, in sizes from 2.3 to 3.7 litres, and a VQ engine was on Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for 14 straight years from 1995. The 350Z’s VQ35DE was a 3.5-litre with 280 PS, and the VQ37VHR of 2007 added VVEL, which combines variable valve timing with electronically controlled variable valve lift. In Oman today the Pathfinder uses a 3.5-litre V6 with 271 hp. --- ## How was the GT-R’s VR38DETT built? By hand. The VR38DETT is a 3,799 cc V6 with twin IHI turbochargers and plasma-sprayed cylinder bores in place of iron liners, which cut friction and weight. Each engine was assembled from start to finish in a clean room at Nissan’s Yokohama plant by one of nine takumi master craftsmen, whose name is on a plate on the engine. Its output rose from 480 PS at launch to 570 PS from model year 2017, and to 600 PS in GT-R NISMO models. --- ## How does the R35 GT-R’s drivetrain work? The R35 puts its six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, transfer case and final drive at the back of the car, in a separate transaxle, which Nissan calls the world’s first independent transaxle four-wheel drive. Its ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive normally sends all the torque to the rear wheels and can send up to half of it to the front, depending on grip, steering angle and how the car is turning. --- ## Which engines powered the earlier Patrols? Mostly six-cylinder engines. The 4W60 of 1951 had a 3.7-litre straight six, the G60 a 4.0-litre, and the generation of 1980 offered 2.8-litre petrol and 3.3-litre diesel sixes, with a turbo-diesel from 1984. The Y60 of 1987 had 4.2-litre petrol and diesel sixes and, from 1990, a 3.0-litre petrol six based on the Skyline’s RB30. The Y61 added a 4.2-litre turbo-diesel in 1999, the 3.0-litre ZD30 turbo-diesel four in 2000 and a 4.8-litre petrol six in 2001. In 1987 a Patrol became the first diesel vehicle to finish the Paris-Dakar Rally in the top 10. --- ## How do the Y62 and Y63 Patrol drivetrains work? The Y62 of 2010 used the VK56VD, a 5,552 cc V8 built in Yokohama with VVEL and direct injection, giving 400 hp and 560 Nm, with a seven-speed automatic. Its ALL MODE 4x4 has no mechanical centre differential: an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch sends up to 50% of the torque to the front axle, backed by a lockable rear differential and sand, on-road, snow and rock modes, while Hydraulic Body Motion Control links the dampers to reduce body roll. The 2024 Patrol replaced the V8 with a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 of 425 hp and 700 Nm or a 3.8-litre V6 of 316 hp, both with a nine-speed automatic and a new 4WD transfer mode interlock system. In the Patrol NISMO the twin-turbo VR35DDTT, 3,492 cc and assembled at Iwaki, gives 495 hp. --- ## Which gearboxes and four-wheel-drive systems has Nissan developed? Nissan was an early champion of the continuously variable transmission (CVT): it began selling cars with its Hyper CVT in September 1997 and with the Extroid CVT in 1999, the year its automatic and CVT development became a separate company, now JATCO. In Oman today the X-Trail and the Altima use a CVT, and the X-Trail’s is called Xtronic. Nissan also introduced what it calls a world-first Triple Viscous full-time 4WD in 1987, and the X-Trail brought ALL MODE 4x4 in 2000 and ALL MODE 4x4-i with the next generation. The Nissan Z offers a six-speed manual with Synchro Rev Control or a nine-speed automatic. Otto explains [how a CVT works](https://autotronix.om/otto/cvt-transmission-explained). --- ## What are VC-Turbo, e-POWER and e-4ORCE? They are Nissan’s newer answers to efficiency. VC-Turbo, built since 2017, is described by Nissan as the world’s first mass-produced engine with a variable compression ratio. e-POWER, introduced on the Note in November 2016, drives the wheels with an electric motor alone; the petrol engine is not connected to the wheels and only generates electricity, so the car never needs plugging in, and e-POWER 4WD uses two motors. e-4ORCE, shown in 2020, is a twin-motor all-wheel-control system that Nissan says grew from the GT-R’s ATTESA E-TS and the Patrol’s 4x4. Behind them all sits Nissan’s electric-car work, from lithium-ion batteries developed with Sony from 1992 to the first LEAF of 2010 with its 24 kWh battery. Otto compares these drives in [hybrid vs plug-in hybrid vs electric](https://autotronix.om/otto/hybrid-vs-plug-in-hybrid-vs-electric). --- ## What should a Nissan owner in Oman keep in mind? Nissan’s range now runs from simple petrol engines to twin-turbo engines, CVTs and electrified drives. e-POWER and electric Nissans carry high-voltage parts, which only trained technicians should handle: never touch or work on them yourself. Nissan publishes no list of typical faults that Otto could find, so start any concern with a proper check rather than a guess. Follow the service schedule Nissan sets for your model and year, and allow for summer heat, sand and the way you drive. For the GT-R, AutoTronix PERFORMANCE provides performance maintenance, mechanical support and its Performance Vehicle Health Report. --- ## Common Questions **What is ATTESA E-TS?** Nissan’s electronically controlled torque-split four-wheel drive, introduced on the R32 GT-R of 1989. On the R35 GT-R it normally drives the rear wheels and sends up to half of the torque to the front when needed. **Does an e-POWER Nissan need charging?** No. In e-POWER an electric motor drives the wheels, and the petrol engine only generates electricity for the battery, so there is no external charging. **Which engines does the 2024 Patrol use?** A 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 with 425 hp and 700 Nm or a 3.8-litre V6 with 316 hp, both with a nine-speed automatic. The Patrol NISMO raises the twin-turbo to 495 hp. **Why are the GT-R’s engines called hand-built?** Because each VR38DETT was assembled from start to finish by one master craftsman, or takumi, in a clean room at Nissan’s Yokohama plant, and carries a plate with that person’s name. --- ## Related Otto Explanations - Different Engine Designs Explained: Inline, V, Boxer and More: https://autotronix.om/otto/engine-designs-explained --- ## Related Services - AutoTronix Garage: https://autotronix.om/garage - AutoTronix Lab: https://autotronix.om/lab - AutoTronix PERFORMANCE: https://autotronix.om/performance - Performance Vehicle Maintenance: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-maintenance - Performance Vehicle Mechanical Repairs: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-mechanical - Performance Vehicle Health Report: https://autotronix.om/performance/vehicle-health-report --- ## Book a Service WhatsApp: +968 9966 7600 https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=96899667600&type=phone_number&app_absent=0 Location: Mabellah Industrial, Street 7, Muscat — Saturday to Thursday, 9 AM to 9 PM