I got a short notice invitation to go to Vegas last week.
Well, I did sign up for our long term 2009 Nissan GT-R for the weekend. That sealed it for me.
It's about 285 miles from my home on the Westside of LA and I got about 17 mpg roundtrip. It took 4 hours to get there, but 5.5 hours to get back on Sunday due to the horrendous traffic.
Although there is a great deal of road noise and some wind noise, the R35 is a superb tourer. It has supportive seats, but not at the expense of any comfort. While the ride is quite firm, even in the comfort setting, it's manageable. And power? No problem -- you can slice through traffic like a katana sword.
I saw a black GT-R in front of a fancy hotel. It may have belonged an NBA star because we spotted D.Fisher of the Lakers and a few other players by the pool.
A few other notes:
1. I find the analog speedo useless, with the numbers too close together to read quickly with a brief glance. I prefer to use the digital speedo in bottom of the tach. (The speedo looks deceptively big and uncluttered in the photo.)
2. The fuel range readout is useful too, but you have to toggle through multiple displays including the digital speedo. I'd like to have the speedo and range available simultaneously.
About that fuel range readout...
It's helpful most the time, except when you're in the bottom of the tank, when you need it most. You see, the readout is pretty linear throughout most of the range and when you're moving along.
However, I had just less than a quarter of the 19.5 gallon tank left and saw that Barstow was just 15 miles away, with plenty of fuel stations. The range display read 60 miles. No problem, I thought. But then I ran into a big traffic jam due to an agricultural check just west of Yermo (that didn't show up on the navi traffic.)
We were goingly slowly, but still moving as the fuel range readout plummetted in increments of 10 or more from 60 miles to Zero in matter of minutes and a few miles. I exited at Yermo and asked a woman who looked local where the nearest station was. I stared at the fuel range flashing "----" while driving the few miles to the station, slowly with the AC off. My gut involuntarily tightened up as I pondered my pending late-afernoon desert stroll -- it was a buck-ten ambient out there!
But I made it. The station was a brand name, but not the best quality fuel, so I added only four gallons. When I fired it up -- the fuel gauge went to almost 1/2!
I guess that range readout is conservative. Anyway, next time I'm the desert, when it's down to a quarter tank (or more), I'm filling it -- fuel range display be damned!
Thank God I didn't have to take the desert hike: it would have put a smudge on a nice weekend by the pool.
And the swimming pools at the Wynn and Encore are quite nice.
There just wasn't a lot of swimming going on...
Albert Austria, Sr Vehicle Evaluation Engineer @ 23,550 miles
mazdaspeed_jon says:
10:28 AM, 06/30/09
Out of all of the LT cars, I think the GTR has to have seen the most Vegas trips. I swear there are at least 3 other posts on Vegas weekends. I wonder why? Is it its ability to cruise at ludicrous speed down the 15? Or maybe it is its unique styling that grabs everyone's attention without the air of snobbishness associated with a car like a Ferrari/Audi/BMW?
jeepsrt says:
10:32 AM, 06/30/09
This happened to me coming back from Denver one time, digital readout stated 85 miles to empty, about 10 miles later it said reserve. Stopped at a crappy station and put 5 gallons in until I got back into town.
fuhteng says:
10:41 AM, 06/30/09
mazdaspeed_jon you might be right. But I would prefer the G8 GT to go to Vegas. Bigger, more comfortable, and unless you're really cruising at ludicrous speed, I think setting cruise at 90 would be fine.
Oh... that's right, it is summer and that thing is ALL black. Nevermind. I bet you could cook meat inside of it if you leave it outside in Vegas.
SadButTrue says:
10:53 AM, 06/30/09
D.Fisher, meet A.Austria.
mikeolan says:
11:23 AM, 06/30/09
I think it's the fact that it's genuinely regarded as a 'special' car without the following stigmas:
D-Bag (BMW/Audi)
Compensating for Something (Ferrari/Lamborghini/Porsche)
Redneck (Challenger, Camaro)
s1gins says:
11:57 AM, 06/30/09
The main MFD screen can be set with both range and speed. I have the 4th user setup to show all of my various temps along with gas gauge with range, speedo and total g.
I keep the tach display to avg speed and avg mpg...
SnakeDoctor says:
12:03 PM, 06/30/09
s1gins:
Thanks for the tip, but I had the Navi and XM up on that screen.
wizard8873 says:
12:05 PM, 06/30/09
I've found that Nissan is very conservative with their range read. It's good to know how much the tank is and when the light comes on. In my Altima, it came on with 16.5 gallons burned out of a 20 gallon tank and the M45 turns out at 15.5 gallons used. using the computer MPG readout, you can usually guess at how much longer you have if you ever get that low. While i rarely run it down that low, i like it a lot better than the cars where it turns on with 1 or less gallons left for reserve.
clarkma5 says:
12:20 PM, 06/30/09
I can't imagine freaking out by the range readout plummeting like that, you know it said 60 miles and you know what the gas gauge read, it's just that range readouts have a tough time dealing with speed changes like that. Just drive to the gas station and fill it, no need for tension.
stovt001 says:
12:27 PM, 06/30/09
+1 to clarkma. Those readouts calculate using current averages and extend them out to a projected future. So if you had 15 miles to go but had to do the entire thing moving 1 mph, then you might use most of that gas just idling. I chalk this one up to an over-reliance on technology and a shunning of common sense.
tekbiscuit says:
01:20 PM, 06/30/09
If you saw Andrew Bynum at the hotel as one of the Lakers, odds are the GTR was his. I remember reading that when the GTR first came to LA, the two first ones sold in the area were to Bynum and actor Donald Sutherland.
SnakeDoctor says:
01:43 PM, 06/30/09
tekbiscuit -
We heard the same thing about Bynum and Sutherland. But Bynum's is Gray (saw it at the dealer during service.) We didn't see him in Vegas, but he may have been there.
Ciao!
SnakeDoctor says:
01:48 PM, 06/30/09
clarkma5 -
Yeah, I was a dumbass. The traffic at the agri check caught me off-guard and I over-relied on that range display. But I tell you, that thing shot down fast! My lesson wasn't too bad as I didn't walk.
Ciao!
s1gins says:
03:15 PM, 06/30/09
Snake,
Isn't the drive a straight shot across the desert? Why have the Navi up...
That said, I do like the center display in the Audi with the secondary display of both the Nav instructions and radio station..
SnakeDoctor says:
03:21 PM, 06/30/09
s1gins -
Navi lets me know the distance left, ETA (est time of arrival), and upcoming towns so I can get fuel (the irony).
Regards
huyracing says:
06:27 PM, 06/30/09
cops are all over the place these days, i doubt you'd be able to haul ass down the 15 like the old days... and i would bet there are plenty more comfortable cars to drive with great A/C in the fleet.
i believe this car has the fun to drive factor that has us making any excuse to drive it... a lot. that fact it doesn't beat you up is nice too...
SnakeDoctor says:
09:54 PM, 06/30/09
huyracing -
There are places on the 15 where you can see to the horizon. (Just an observation; please obey all traffic laws.)
Yeah, others more comfortable, but the R35 is plenty comfortable, power to pass at will, and yes, the MOST fun to drive of any LT test car.
Bonus: all my friends love it (actually go nuts).
And like I said in a previous post, it's special, rarely seen, as others have said, no bad image.
What's not to like? (oh yeah, price and service)
Ciao!
felonious says:
09:40 AM, 07/ 1/09
Josh, don't forget about airplanes!
SnakeDoctor says:
10:02 AM, 07/ 1/09
Josh doesn't live here.