Does Godzilla have a soul??? Autoblog review of the 2010 Nissan GT-R
07-27-09, 11:14 PM
#1
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Does Godzilla have a soul??? Autoblog review of the 2010 Nissan GT-R
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/27/r...a-have-a-soul/
So what's up then? Why the bum rap? Why do so many journalists (and I can't name names because I'm friends with so many of them) write off the GT-R as highly competent but ultimately soulless? Sure, it's one of the four or five most mindboggling performance vehicles on sale, but... meh. They just don't dig it. Besides not driving it hard enough, here's another explanation: Remember when compact discs came out? There was a seemingly endless series of interviews on MTV with guys like Tom Petty bemoaning the loss of the pops, hisses and scratches inherent to records. The flaws were part of the sound, man. You can't flip a CD over – how do you know what side of the record is playing? That's fine, but it's just knee-jerk reactionary nostalgia.
Let's look at the 2005 winner for supercar bang-for-the-buck: the Corvette Z06. It makes about identical power compared to the GT-R, but weighs 700 pounds less. Yet the GT-R is faster, both in a straight line and around corners. Stops better, too. Neat party trick, no? Yes, laying fat, smoky strips of incinerated rubber a hundred feet long is fun, but it's old fashioned, and in many ways, it's making the best of a compromised situation. On the other hand, the GT-R inhabits the same plane of existence as Porsche's legendary 959. Better driving through science. Of course, the Nissan is faster, more nimble and worlds less expensive than my favorite Porsche. Now I'm not blind, deaf or numb. A certain number of imperfections do add flavor. But that's hardly the only way to build character. Might I suggest a 485-hp, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 coupled to a fancy-pants AWD system and a dual-clutch tranny from hell? For my money, that's about as soulful as a car gets.
So what's up then? Why the bum rap? Why do so many journalists (and I can't name names because I'm friends with so many of them) write off the GT-R as highly competent but ultimately soulless? Sure, it's one of the four or five most mindboggling performance vehicles on sale, but... meh. They just don't dig it. Besides not driving it hard enough, here's another explanation: Remember when compact discs came out? There was a seemingly endless series of interviews on MTV with guys like Tom Petty bemoaning the loss of the pops, hisses and scratches inherent to records. The flaws were part of the sound, man. You can't flip a CD over – how do you know what side of the record is playing? That's fine, but it's just knee-jerk reactionary nostalgia.
Let's look at the 2005 winner for supercar bang-for-the-buck: the Corvette Z06. It makes about identical power compared to the GT-R, but weighs 700 pounds less. Yet the GT-R is faster, both in a straight line and around corners. Stops better, too. Neat party trick, no? Yes, laying fat, smoky strips of incinerated rubber a hundred feet long is fun, but it's old fashioned, and in many ways, it's making the best of a compromised situation. On the other hand, the GT-R inhabits the same plane of existence as Porsche's legendary 959. Better driving through science. Of course, the Nissan is faster, more nimble and worlds less expensive than my favorite Porsche. Now I'm not blind, deaf or numb. A certain number of imperfections do add flavor. But that's hardly the only way to build character. Might I suggest a 485-hp, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 coupled to a fancy-pants AWD system and a dual-clutch tranny from hell? For my money, that's about as soulful as a car gets.
07-27-09, 11:37 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
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that is a GREAT (well-written) review. 
what a fantastic car. car must be amazing to drive.
even though the lf-a will be fancier, i think the performance credentials of the gt-r sent lexus back to the drawing board. the gt-r's performance sets a VERY high bar.
what a fantastic car. car must be amazing to drive.
even though the lf-a will be fancier, i think the performance credentials of the gt-r sent lexus back to the drawing board. the gt-r's performance sets a VERY high bar.
07-28-09, 04:21 AM
#3
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Only a souless person can say the GT-R has no soul. WTF is up with this old *** Euro garbage "soul" argument???? They apply it when they want to and what they want.
GT-R is kickass and has soul like James Brown. Period. Deal with it fanbois that hate the GT-R!!
GT-R is kickass and has soul like James Brown. Period. Deal with it fanbois that hate the GT-R!!
07-28-09, 07:04 AM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
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lol. the gt-r doesn't have much chrome i don't think, and certainly looks like there isn't any inside, and doesn't really have 'quirks' and the europeans can't really find fault with it, so they have to say it lacks soul. the car's a beast. i also think the GEEK interior turns off the (mostly) non-technical types that do car reviews.
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07-28-09, 09:39 AM
#10
This so called 'Soul' is the last defense barrier of Euro cars against the Japanese competition.
I remember when the NSX came out, most Euro mags wrote it off because it lacked this so called 'Soul' even though it had no electronic gadgetry and it outperformed the Ferrari 348 and Lotus Esprit Turbo
Yet, they never accused the Porsche 959 of lacking soul, even though it was extremely high tech for its time.
I remember when the NSX came out, most Euro mags wrote it off because it lacked this so called 'Soul' even though it had no electronic gadgetry and it outperformed the Ferrari 348 and Lotus Esprit Turbo
Yet, they never accused the Porsche 959 of lacking soul, even though it was extremely high tech for its time.
07-28-09, 09:46 AM
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This so called 'Soul' is the last defense barrier of Euro cars against the Japanese competition.
I remember when the NSX came out, most Euro mags wrote it off because it lacked this so called 'Soul' even though it had no electronic gadgetry and it outperformed the Ferrari 348 and Lotus Esprit Turbo
Yet, they never accused the Porsche 959 of lacking soul, even though it was extremely high tech for its time.
I remember when the NSX came out, most Euro mags wrote it off because it lacked this so called 'Soul' even though it had no electronic gadgetry and it outperformed the Ferrari 348 and Lotus Esprit Turbo
Yet, they never accused the Porsche 959 of lacking soul, even though it was extremely high tech for its time.
What about the Veyron? Enzo? Zonda? These cars are some of the most technologically advance cars, yet I don't see no one questioning their soul?
07-28-09, 11:21 AM
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How much does a soul cost exactly? Maybe that's that extra price premium you're paying for with the Germans and Italians. I haven't checked the Porsche site lately but is there an "add soul package" in the "build your own Porsche" section?
07-28-09, 11:26 AM
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Haven't driven a GTR, won't even dare comment on how it feels.
But we all know where this is going - It's all about "feel", and "character" that differentiate some ho-hum Asian cars from European ones. This isn't applicable 100%, there are some great Japanese cars which will stirr your soul, but on average...come on. Camry/Accord put up against a Citroen C5? It's all about the flair. It't too easy on the internet to fall into only assessing numbers, but in the real world you have to assess the cars on more qualitative aspects.
But we all know where this is going - It's all about "feel", and "character" that differentiate some ho-hum Asian cars from European ones. This isn't applicable 100%, there are some great Japanese cars which will stirr your soul, but on average...come on. Camry/Accord put up against a Citroen C5? It's all about the flair. It't too easy on the internet to fall into only assessing numbers, but in the real world you have to assess the cars on more qualitative aspects.