We wouldn't normally associate a 2009 Nissan GT-R with Sunday brunch with Grandma and Grandpa, but that's precisely where we were going this weekend. So the four of us piled in.
Truth be told, there wasn't enough space for me to frame a proper picture of the resulting rear seat legroom. After all, this is a real car, not a cutaway used for catalog shots. Besides, the girls weren't in a posing mood. Shelby, our taller 12-year old, fit much better than 10-year old Sarah because her legs are long enough to allow her feet to hit the floor and her toes to slip under the front seat. And she wasn't stuck sitting behind me, either.
But a couple of interesting/weird points are nevertheless visible in this photo.
1) The rear seat belts go the "wrong" way. They pull from the inside to the outside. Not being out in the open makes the buckles hard to get at, especially for "big" people. But big people don't fit back here anyway, so it doesn't matter much. Still, it's an odd choice.
2) Those seats don't fold and there isn't any sort of pass-through, but the Bose subs are backed-up by an unseen vent that turns the whole trunk into a resonator. Couldn't really try it on Sunday morning, though. I didn't want to boost the bass of the Car Talk guys any more than necessary.
"Hello, you're on Car Talk."
"Hi Tom and Ray. I'm Dan from California. I need your help. My transmission is making a funny noise."
"So's my brother. What kinda car is it?"
"It's a 2009 Nissan GT-R. It all started after I used launch control to dust-off this guy in a Porsche..."
OK, I made that last part up; My call never got through and the GT-R's transmission noises are no more humorous than usual.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 16,198 miles
dougtheeng says:
10:58 AM, 01/26/09
With music on, does that sub arrangement make it uncomfortable or annoying to sit in the back seats?
e10rice says:
11:08 AM, 01/26/09
Ok so the seat belts pull from the inside out. Yeah a bit out of the ordinary. Now to the "the seats dont fold and there isnt a pass-through". Who cares, this isnt a car you buy to haul things that need a pass-through. I mean your not heading to home depot to get lumber and bring it back for your weedend project. I doubt many other Super Cars have that feature either. Oh yeah you guys dont like to think of it as a "Super Car".
chavis10 says:
11:09 AM, 01/26/09
7 series BMWs used to have the same rear seat seat belt layout.
pengwin says:
11:53 AM, 01/26/09
"Ok so the seat belts pull from the inside out. Yeah a bit out of the ordinary. Now to the "the seats dont fold and there isnt a pass-through". Who cares, this isnt a car you buy to haul things that need a pass-through. I mean your not heading to home depot to get lumber and bring it back for your weedend project. I doubt many other Super Cars have that feature either. Oh yeah you guys dont like to think of it as a "Super Car"."
Heh, someone has their panties in a bundle. I appreciate the editors putting their ideas online for everyone to see. Allows others to see and experience what a normal person would notice daily if they had a GT-R. That said, e10rice, you wasted a good 20 seconds reading your idiotic comment. You should stop, makes you look like an idiot.
canadaphant says:
12:39 PM, 01/26/09
Oh man, would I ever love to hear you arguing with Click and Clack about launches in the GTR.
e10rice says:
01:54 PM, 01/26/09
"I appreciate the editors putting their ideas online for everyone to see. Allows others to see and experience what a normal person would notice daily if they had a GT-R."
It just seems to me anyone buying the GTR for their "Daily Driver" isn't thinking about that stuff. Heck their not even concerned about the placement of the seat belts in the back because lets face it their not gonna be back there, and if there are belts back there thats good enough for them. And its not that i have my "panties in a bundle" pengwin, but you'd never get a write up on why other cars of like the GTR are like this.
I would like to hear Click and Clack talk about the GTR and its short comings. They'd make it worth hearing about.
pengwin says:
02:42 PM, 01/26/09
Alright, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in the market for a GT-R seeing you want to "hear Click and Clack talk about the GTR and its short comings." I should have known about the massive influx of people who suddenly are genuinely in the market for a GT-R and need to know it's reliability. Shame on you Mr. Dan Edmunds with your post about how a normal day with the GT-R would be, shame on you.
pengwin says:
02:42 PM, 01/26/09
That was sarcasm by the way, not sure if you caught on.
e10rice says:
08:21 PM, 01/26/09
Nope never would have caught that! Thanks for clearing it up!
tcolberg85 says:
11:03 PM, 01/26/09
I eagerly await the day that you or any other Edmunds staffer gets through to chat it up with the Tappet Brothers.