Thankfully we can officially report that the humongously ugly rendering of a GT-R based SUV, which appeared in Best Car's early February edition, has no basis in reality. Reliable sources, both at Nissan's HQ in Tokyo and at the company's development center in Zama, who typically answer questions with non-committal "can neither confirm nor deny" statements, were adamant that no such project exists.
With the GT-R snatching the Porsche 911's crowns left, right and center, and the upcoming new hardcore Z rumoured to be a Cayman eater, Porsche can relax in the knowledge that the Cayenne, at least, is safe for now.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2004m3driver @ Apr 28th 2008 12:05PM
Good, I can sleep a bit better at night now.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 28th 2008 12:12PM
That's not significantly uglier than the regular GT-R.
Beastage @ Apr 28th 2008 12:15PM
Yes yes it is... the GTR is good looking car btw
all depends on how you approach it, if you set your mind to japanese anime mode you understand the design behind the GTR
Yar @ Apr 28th 2008 12:29PM
"all depends on how you approach it"
You mean, if you approach it blindfolded.
Quattroporte @ Apr 28th 2008 12:43PM
@Beastage
My mind doesn't have a "japanese anime mode".
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 28th 2008 1:04PM
Okay, let me modify my statement with regards to what Beastage said.
To my eye, that's not significantly uglier than the regular GT-R.
John Doe @ Apr 28th 2008 4:28PM
At least the GT-R will beat the crap out of any of your factory spec rides around the curves LOL
Torrent @ Apr 28th 2008 12:15PM
It looks better than the Murano. That's for sure.
mikeyt @ Apr 28th 2008 12:25PM
the front end actually seems okay for an suv. at least its better looking than a lot of suv(/cuv)'s.
cc @ Apr 28th 2008 12:27PM
Here's a simple rule regarding stuff that appears in Best Car (and I say this out of love as a long time fan of the magazine): "If it's not a photo, it's b***s***." :)
havoc @ Apr 28th 2008 12:29PM
Rendering should be left to fat
kris @ Apr 28th 2008 12:44PM
That'd make you forget the regular GT-R in a hurry, so offending it is. Then again, it's not a whole lot worse than an Altima Coupe. (http://goodcarbadcar.blogspot.com/2008/04/coupe-izing-good-sedans.html) Similarly droopy.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 28th 2008 1:05PM
I do find the Altima coupe to really stick out. It's unique-looking. I'm not sure it's as all-out ugly as it is odd though.
DJ @ Apr 28th 2008 12:55PM
Maybe Nissan can just drop this engine into the new FX? That might give Porsche a few more fits and tantrums.
Franz @ Apr 28th 2008 1:04PM
True, but I don't think they've got the balls to do it. It'd be a monster. Shame the current FX isn't as good looking as the old one. (IMO)
Franz @ Apr 28th 2008 1:03PM
[Collective sigh of relief.]
RG @ Apr 28th 2008 1:21PM
Whew, that was a close one.
Now can we start entertaining the idea of a GT-R sedan to take it to the M3, RS4, C63, and IS-F?
Frylock350 @ Apr 28th 2008 1:40PM
At least Nissan had the good sense not to whore the GT-R's sports tradition out to trends. I'm looking at you Porsche...
nastinupe @ Apr 28th 2008 1:44PM
It amuses me that these automotive journalist really believe that the GT-R or Z06 or ZR1 will actually take money out of the pockets of Porsche.
I own a 997 C4S and the only way I see me and my Pcar buddies leaving the frat is if Ferrari or Lamborghini went downhill and made a sub $130,000 (After Options... and Paint and a Steering Wheel) sports car.
I graduated from the HP race a long time ago. I am very happy with 355 hp and active AWD. Sure there are faster cars out there, but does that really matter in the grand scheme of things? A true sports car is all about balance, and I can truly say that getting around the "ring" 10 or 20 seconds faster is meaningless if the drive around it isn't enjoyable.
Franz @ Apr 28th 2008 2:19PM
While I agree with you that most current Porsche owners would never trade their cars for a GT-R, I also think that a lot of potential first time Porsche buyers will be tempted to take a look at a GT-R. Face it, the GT-R is Porsche's first true rival (performance and body configuration-wise) in a very long time. And even though you might have graduated from the hp race, but Porsche knows that not everybody has. That's why they keep upping the power every iteration, and coming out with GT2 variants on the 911. Never make the mistake of thinking that you are the standard by which everyone else should be judged. You and your "Pcar buddies" represent a very tiny fraction of a very big pie.
Also, remember that these cars are sold worldwide... maybe then you'll realize that there's more than a chance that a lot of people will buy a Nissan GT-R over a 911 variant. Hell, in Australia I happen to know that in previous years a lot of people have bought Impreza STis over 911s mainly because the Subaru handles the rough stuff better, is way more practical and can be tweaked to produce 911 turbo beating performance numbers for a fraction of the cost.