Autoblog

UPDATE: Due to its awesomeness, we are re-running the GT-R drive.

Click above to view our massive gallery of the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

With only 20 miles separating us from North Lake Tahoe, it's obvious that I hadn't secured the hood of our Super Silver Nissan GT-R after poking and prodding inside the engine bay. The left side of the bonnet is raised about a quarter-inch and flapping slightly at speed, so we pull off into a newborn subdivision to slam it shut. I step back inside and catch a glimpse of a silver Corvette in the side view mirror. The telltale air intake on the front bumper confirms that the man behind the wheel is an aficionado; it's a C6 Z06 and there's no doubt the driver knows what the GT-R is.


All photos © 2008 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.

The first round of reviews hit the 'Net yesterday in what was apparently a Euro-only embargo on driving impressions of the Nissan GT-R. The jurors from AutoExpress, Car and the Telegraph all came away from the drive with one resounding statement: this thing is fast! Adding that the brakes are the most impressive of any production car currently on sale. Lofty praise, no doubt.

While Car could barely contain its enthusiasm, AutoExpress and the Telegraph seemed to provide a more honest critique of the GT-R as a whole. AE's Oliver Marriage and Car's Gavin Green had some diverging viewpoints on how the GT-R handles low-speed cruising, but both recommend that jaunts around town are best when the seven-speed gearbox is left in "D." AutoExpress' scribe and the Telegraph's Andrew English were less than impressed with the ride quality of Nissan's new supercar, despite the dampers being set to "comfort" mode, with English saying that "even a Porsche 911 GT3 rides better."

A few other choice quotes include Green saying that the GT-R is "quick enough to make a Porsche 911 Turbo feel unexciting," continuing, "Quite simply, the new GT-R is the world's most multi-faceted supercar... An M3 beater? Easily. M5? Think higher. This car is faster, more high-tech, sharper, more capable."

We absolutely, positively can't wait to get behind the wheel.