AUTOMOBILE Magazine Names the 2009 Nissan GT-R Automobile of the Year

I have nothing bad to say. The GT-R is nothing short of amazing especially when you take into the account the value for the money. It's design is definitely form over function but I like the GT-R's form almost as much as I like it's function.

Congratulations Nissan!!
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First bitches!!

I forgot to say that the A5 is a beautiful car. I haven't had the pleasure to see the interior in person but I have seen the exterior and it's both aggressive and refined at the same time, especially black.

Congratulations to Carlos Ghosn. What he has done to turn Nissan around is nothing short of spectacular. I think Chrysler, Ford and GM all need his expertise now...

i really feel bad for Porsche.
if they had allow the Cayman S have a bigger engine,then be faster than a 911, then they'll have something against the Nissan GT-R or Audi R8.

Now how the hell do you name a car 2009 car of the year when it is clearly still 2008. And don't anyone say 2009 model year, the manufacturing plaque still says 2008.

Well it used to be a good car until it was castrated by the corvette. After that they jacked up the price and now it costs too much to even be considered in the category its in.

I've only seen 1 on the roads in the high class sections of the city. The looks just don't fit in with the category of people who have the money to buy it.

The GTR is a great car. Is it a supercar? I do not see it as anything more than an excellent performance coupe, and if it drove past you on the street, most would probably not notice it and if you did, see nothing really super or exotic looking about it.

so.

Looks? Nice coupe but not super or exotic by any means. This is subjective, but if this car and an exotic were parked side by side, this car would be invisible.

Performance? A Vett can best it, day after day.

Cost? Good value depends on what you want and your sense of value, not what others think. I think in 2 years you would want to trade it in rather than keep it.

Reliability? Yet to be seen, but probably very good.

Collectability? Yet to be seen in 20 years. Do you know many old Nissan's that are?

Track? It performs excellent, rather super-ish.

My vote; not 2009 car of the year. Given all the options, I would own an exotic it if I was looking for a "supercar", not a Nissan.

Is this a surprise to anyone? Its probably the best car made in the last 5 years, if not a lot longer.

"What he has done to turn Nissan around is nothing short of spectacular."

Curious what specifically he has done for Nissan. I still see the same corrosion issues Nissan has always had. Xterras that are only a handful of years old with rust forming magically under the paint in random spots on the body panels, nowhere near an edge or seam. Didn't the 350Z have some corrosion issues early on ?
Where did the Maxima go all of a sudden? I see more of the Infiniti sedans than Maximas.
And just about any Nissan or Infiniti that is 10 years old or older that come in our shop for a windshield comes with a warning to the owner. If we remove the glass and the windshield pinchweld is rotted, we aren't replacing the glass until a bodyshop is able to repair the issue.

Nissan is currently #4 behind Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai in the US. They are currently the Japanese Mopar. The only hot sellers Nissan has in this part of the country is the Altima and the Infiniti platforms. The Rogue and Versa came out of the gate quick, but sales seem to have dried up despite being small cars. The popular Pathfinder has gone the way of the Maxima too, not sure if it was gas pricing The Titan and it's SUV variant are rare sightings on the road and always have. There will always be a place in my heart for the Datsun 240 and 260's, and not much more.

I'm not keen on how they handled the fender venting, but Nissan did hit a homerun with their new toy in my eyes. Guess i'll have to read some reviews online and see what other auto publications thought of it. One magazine review doesn't equal an instant classic.

For those trying to compare Porsche with Nissan, spare us please. I still see and touch more old unrestored Porsche rolling stock than vintage Datsuns by a gaping margin.

GTR... Get Transmission Replaced.

Any car with SEVEN slots in the owners manual for replacement Tranny info should not be a candidate for car of the year (20 grand a pop too).

Also... I can only imagine what those same writers would have to say if an American car would void the factory warranty if you used a built in function (launch control).

It's still a sweet car, but it's no bang for the buck anything with real prices in the hundreds and a twenty thousand dollar glass jaw (or glass tranny rather).

20 grand, GT-R transmission or LS7, possibly soon to be LSA or LS9 for that price. Choices choices. I'll take the 505 hp, 556 hp, or 636 hp engine over a transmission that can shift a few tenths faster then a manual, and not have to worry about it breaking, again, for a long while.

GTO = Gas, Tires and Oil
GTR = Gas, Tires and Rice

Oh get the heck out!! I've spent the last few posts saying that the GTR was a bit over-rated but now you guys bash it like crazy. Its still crazy fast, porshe 911 turbo territory for damn sure. A 3.2 sec 0-60 is damn fast and is right up there with the McLaren F1. And about that trasmission thing, every high end car has a transmission that wears fast. Btw, with THAT (Mclaren F1) car, you'd have to replace the clutch every 5000 miles. I don't see you guys bitch about the F1's reliability though...hmmm. Ok, so the ZR1 has a twin plate clutch. How long do you think those clutches will last if you drive it like its supposed to?? Older Z06's that were modded also had a problem with their rear differentials breaking under high horsepower too. My younger brother's (modded) Evolution can pretty much stomp on all these cars on the quarter mile e.t. wise but his twin plate clutch WILL not last 20k miles, I guarantee it. Ask any old or new school drag racer Domestic or Import and they'll tell you the same thing. With insane power, of course your transmission wont last. That should be a given. But hell, with the GTR's four wheel drive and barely a hint of wheel spin, all that shock is for sure gonna put a hurt on the tranny or differentials. That's the price to pay to haul ass - on any given car.

Old Z06 that were 'modded' and making 'high horse power' had a problem with the rear. Hmmm, I think the key words there are 'modded' and 'high horse power'. Anything that is modded beyond spec can have issues with anything, from engine, to transmission, to drive shaft, to rear, etc. But, the new ZR1 has a warranty for 100,000 miles, so I think the trans is covered in that and will last that long.

Now to say any car that hauls a$$ will have an issue is not quite true. A very popular mod to F-Bodies and GTOs is replacing the clutch with a Z06 clutch, wonder why that is? It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that it is stronger and can handle more horse power and torque then the stock clutches.

Nissan voids your warranty the instant you use launch control on the thing. Glass tranny, voided warranty for a car they know will be driven like hell. I don't see GM voiding a Cobalt SS's warranty when you use launch control on that, and it is a less then 25 grand (no, I am not comparing a Cobalt SS to a GT-R). The point is, Nissan knows its a weak link, they know it will break, and they know you will have to get it fixed/replaced at some point. That means going back to Nissan and spending possibly 20 grand plus whatever labor costs. So now a car that costs 70 grand now costs 90 grand or more. Knowing this, does Nissan turn a profit with the GT-R?

With a Mclaren F1 and an Enzo and other high end exotics, you know they are going to be high maintenance from the start. A Z06 and ZR1, not so much, change the oil, tires, trans fluid, engine coolant, good to go. GT-R as we are finding out has quite a few issues. Horsepower variations from 400 hp to 480 hp at the wheels, Porsche saying it is no where near as fast, hand picking them for reviews and for track runs, voided warranties, and now a 20 grand glass tranny? What other secrets will come out about the GT-R next? Maybe it will have rust issues like other Nissans?

Avatar, you have many valid points. I have to concede with many of them. A good friend of mine's 07 z06 clutch lasted him 23k. Not near 100k. It IS his daily though. Btw, about corvette clutches, you are talking about putting a clutch from an higher output LS6/7 into a car with a lower output LS1. It should be able handle the power on those cars because its holding over 100 less torque and horsepower to the wheels. And as for the GT-R horsepower figures - The car's ecu sorta figures something is up when the rollers spin in different speeds thanks to its electronic power split gadgetry and it cuts power whenever the car is put on a dyno. Its been known to do that. However, hitting 120mph or so in the quarter with 3800 lbs curb weight surely shows that it DOES have 480hp if not more doesnt it? But yes, you have a point about the Nissan's reliability. Also, never listen to Porshe. They whine about everything and likes to get certain cars banned/gimped/rules changed from racetracks because they cant beat them (M3GTR/Skyline). Way back when, they used to hound Audi all day! C'mon, would you listen to a company that charges a 30k premium for a Cayenne Turbo S when the only difference over the regular Turbo is 4lbs of boost and 50hp?? That is like paying $30,000 for a custom tune!!

Nissan SUCKS
Their (filthy) company are useless & stupid
Nissan are scum, morons & gangster assholes
All their vehicles are all shit, rubbish, garbage & all dump
Their (needless) companies must be removed from this face of this planet
Anyway Nissan (forever) SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS & SUCKS