Here are the totals: We drove for three days, covered 2000 miles, killed 4,236,465 bugs, touched 170 mph, met hundreds of Inside Line readers, burned through 115 gallons of 91 octane gasoline, used 8 bottles of octane booster, talked our way out of two 91 mph speeding tickets, did donuts on one dry lake, raced at one drag strip and lapped one state-of-the-art road course. We broke speed limits in three states (California, Nevada and Utah), let four Inside Line readers drive the GT-R, ate $100 worth of fast food, stopped at one very flooded, very beautiful, very large salt lake bed named for Captain B.L.E. Bonneville, used the GT-R's launch-control 14 times, answered the question "Is that the new Skyline?" 2,677 times, used our Verizon wireless card a total of 23 hours, killed no one, crashed never and hit one car wash in downtown Reno, the trip's finish line.
Basically it was the trip of a lifetime...
But we did prove one thing: The 2009 Nissan GT-R is an incredible car. Fast, comfortable (relatively) and dead reliable. Nissan's new supercar is a real workhorse that can be driven to work, on the racetrack or across the country. And it likes to go fast.
Yesterday, near the end of the run, I drove the GT-R over 100 mph for several hours. Highway 50 through Nevada is just that kind of road: dead straight, flat and empty for hundred of miles. During this time the GT-R averaged over 17 mpg and kept us cool with its air-conditioning, safe with its stability and on course with its navigation system. Heck, at one point I set the cruise control at 112 mph. Modern cars are simply awesome, and the new GT-R is as good as they get.
And now here's the best part. We're buying one. That's right. Edmunds' Inside Line is buying a new GT-R. We've ordered a white one. A white GT-R Premium with a black interior, the optional floor mats and an iPod jack. We're even paying for it with our own money, no freebies on this one, and should take delivery in July. Then it will do a year's duty in our long-term test fleet and see weekly updates on our long-term test blog.
So there's more GT-R durability testing to be done, and we're looking forward to it. Hey, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.
And now I'm on a road trip kick. Where should we go next and in what car?
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 1,961.7 miles
estreka says:
11:21 PM, 03/29/08
You're buying one!? Oh, this is sweet. Seriously, you guys need to do the Gumball.
http://www.gumball3000.com/
If that's not plausible, just come visit me. I'll even let you drive the S. ;-)
SubyTrojan says:
11:29 PM, 03/29/08
Wow, Scott! This road trip has been so cool! I'm going to try to start getting some traffic numbers for you and Ed when I get into the office on Monday.
:gets in line for a ride in Edmunds' GT-R:
neurotic says:
12:18 AM, 03/30/08
Nice work, fellas. Next trip: Santa Monica, CA to NYC, NY (and back, of course) in a 2003 Nissan Maxima SE that is itching for a cross-country road trip. Seriously.
c1t1 says:
03:01 AM, 03/30/08
I cant believe you F@ckers get paid to do this
omairkhanzada says:
07:10 AM, 03/30/08
best job ever status...
slickersdrip says:
08:30 AM, 03/30/08
How about the 308 to Austin, TX? I've driven from Santa Monica to over here plenty of times. Although in all fairness it was in a Trailblazer SS...
daytona_500 says:
08:39 AM, 03/30/08
I was about to suggest that you guys buy one, but I didnt think there was any way you could get your hands on one. But come on, dont get white! Silver or black is the way to go!
Again can we get some of these GT-R pics in high res format?
rickypryor says:
09:07 AM, 03/30/08
You should have completed the 3000 miles dude. Don't make a half-assed assesment on the driving and using your age as a cop-out for not doing it. If you ain't up for the task at hand, let someone else do it.
banditone says:
10:15 AM, 03/30/08
Man, rickypryor needs a hug.
As it was we were hitting the rack after midnight every night and hitting the road early every morning.
Instead of driving that final 1,000 miles we spend four hours at the dragstrip, three hours at Miller Motorsports Park and atleast four hours with the four Inside Line readers we let drive the car. Those 11 hours would have been enough time to make the distance (at a serious clip) but we thought those track and reader visits were more interesting and more fun than some meaningless mileage goal.
Scott Oldham
Inside Line
Editor in Chief
cp88 says:
11:04 AM, 03/30/08
The car is a great performer, but am I the only one that thinks it is devoid of any style. I love cars and would definitely recognize one if I saw one, but I can't imagine it turning many non enthusiast heads.
rsholland says:
11:19 AM, 03/30/08
cp88
No, you're not alone.
http://66.160.188.111/Straightline/4546
hemi_ownz_u says:
12:28 PM, 03/30/08
You guys have the best job a car enthusiast could ever hope for...being paid to go on road trips.
You should take a trip to the East Coast next time, and do it in a G8 GXP or maybe a Corvette ZR1.
felonious says:
01:31 PM, 03/30/08
I can't say anything c1t1 hasn't said already. :D I hate you guys, in all the best ways.
purigen98 says:
03:30 PM, 03/30/08
I enjoyed your road trip VERY MUCH! But, I do have a pretty interesting and important question for you guys. I am one of the lucky ones who has a gtr allocated to me to be delivered in July (DMG premium black leather with both ipod and floor mats... but no cold weather pack as I live in CA).
I am trading in my 2007 VR C6 Z06 and I am VERY interested in how the ride quality compares with the c6 Z06. I have never had any problems with the Z and I drive it everyday, but I would always welcome a bit of a softer ride and thought that with the more advanced suspension that you may get a bit of a softer ride (as they did with the ZR1 by changing from and passive to an active shock systems in the form of a more advanced version of magnetic ride control).
Any light that you could shed on his would be appreciated VERY much!
Keep up the GREAT work!
JS
ewg751 says:
04:31 PM, 03/30/08
great write up!!! when your GT-R arrives, care to share the price you will pay with us? :)
next write up, how about Audi R8? or 911 GT2?
Keep up the fantastic work!
rickypryor says:
06:48 PM, 03/30/08
Man, banditone (Scott)...you just don't get it! Yet another cop-out for your failure to hit the 3000 miles. The fact that you're the so-called editor in chief makes it even worse. This really was a half-assed assessment. You should have started in Cali and ended up in Maine. And--for the record, rackin' up miles ain't useless, it's called endurance.
Like I said earlier, if you ain't up for the task at hand, let an 18-year-old kid do it. I'd rather see an 18-year-old redneck take the car from a REAL point A to a REAL point B than some overweight dude going through his midlife crisis complaining about the miles.
samfoodie says:
07:07 PM, 03/30/08
Somebody please put rickypryor out of his misery...
firstwagon says:
07:07 PM, 03/30/08
What's the big deal about hitting 3000 miles? A car like this doesn't belong pissing along an empty highway dodging cops. It belongs on the track.
If you want to cover miles then go rent a Town Car or get on a GreyHound or train.
7driver says:
08:28 PM, 03/30/08
I've done a 3000 mile road trip before. It took us 56 hours of non-stop driving including one 8 hour breakdown. Some sections of it was foot to the floor. Considering you guys made several stops to smell the burning rubber, I'd say you guys did pretty good
rogelioevoxvi says:
11:24 PM, 03/30/08
Man if i had the GT-R i would so drive around to every where i would car about the Gasoline prices or anything
when my father was young he wish i had driven a Countach
now i belive is my countach- my GT-R a car that i wont get till i can or if afford one
heck i might get a the R35 while the R47 is on sale that who long it will take me to get a GT-R oh well let the dreamer dream
zjev says:
06:07 AM, 03/31/08
I agree that rick guy has problems. I also agree the 2000 mile trip was sweet! Nice work. I like the Santa Monica to NYC idea but make it a super car comparison- maybe 2-3 cars. GT-R, 911 turbo, ZR1/R8?
ateixeira says:
08:07 AM, 03/31/08
East Coast! East Coast!
Start in New England and drive down to Daytona. That would be a nice road trip!
Do it in an M3 convertible.
tyndago says:
08:54 AM, 03/31/08
2000 miles / 3000 miles. Not much difference. I have done a few 2000+ and 3000+ trips.
Stopping at the readers houses, stopping at the dragstrip, and stopping at Miller is much more interesting than another 1000 miles of wandering.
This sounds like a perfect One Lap of America car.
On the other guys Countach. I used to idiolize them as a kid. After I drove a few, I came to the realization, that they are really not that nice to drive, not at all fun to try and park in a warehouse full of cars.
I drove the JSpec Connect R35 GT-R and it gets with the program pretty well.
rsholland says:
08:58 AM, 03/31/08
Hey, they're getting one for a full year. ...And in the hands of Edmunds drivers, will get WELL over 3000 miles on it by the time they're done with it.
In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if they put 30,000 miles on it, judging by how much fun Scott and Ed had with this one.
I would also like to see, after one year, how many tickets Edmunds test drivers were able to talk themselves out of. ;)
fst1 says:
09:15 AM, 03/31/08
@rickypryor: Maybe you missed the part about the car needing to be delivered to a hotel in Reno by Friday night?
cumadogg says:
09:43 AM, 03/31/08
rickypryor.....one word: midol
mgood1 says:
12:50 PM, 03/31/08
I think once the one year mark is up Edmunds should give that car to an Edmunds reader so long as you include canada in the contest.
proxima says:
02:52 PM, 03/31/08
Forget the 3000 miles....he's a jerk. 2000 miles is a hard drive and should tell one much about the car. Highway 50 although flat and long is also quite dangerous to drive. True it doesn't have any traffic, but it's very common to come up on a car that's been rolled. People fall alseep because its such a boring drive. I really want to like the GTR..however, I find the exterior and interior styling really wanting. I like the front, but the rest looks clumsy to me, almost like they had two different teams design the front and back. The interior (dash) is a joke. It looks like a reject from the mid 80's when everyone tried to go digital, before auto companies went back to good analog dials. I understand that Nissan may migrate the driveline and frame to Infiniti for a high end luxury coupe/sedan. I hope they do (with a slightly softer ride)..that will be the car of my choice.
tlcruz says:
04:53 PM, 03/31/08
SRLY, ricky needs to get the boot. :)
I really enjoy the blogging about this trip!! It makes me wish I was doing another road trip but it won't be for another 5 years at least!! :(
But I say you come on over to the East Coast and hop by my work!! I go all the BMW/Lexus/Toyota & Scions you could imagine! haha. :D
tlcruz says:
04:54 PM, 03/31/08
AUTHOR: tlcruz
DATE: 03/31/2008 04:54:01 PM
EMAIL: tannis_lorena@hotmail.com
walh2o says:
05:11 PM, 03/31/08
Good job, guys, good job.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
05:23 PM, 03/31/08
So how is Edmunds going to determine who gets to drive the upcoming long term GT-R?
As for road trip, very interesting story. 3000 miles is hard (longest I did in one day by self was 1200 mi., from LA to Portland, at pretty much legal speeds save near LA, where running legal speeds ensures enraged drivers trying to run you off the road ;-) ).
dinomartini says:
08:36 PM, 03/31/08
Can I please become a employee at Inside Line and drive your GT-R? Thank you. :)
Awsome road trip guys, the new GT-R is great. I mean 11.8 at 118mph in a pre-production car? Thats great.
arm51 says:
09:07 PM, 04/ 1/08
Amazing, it was great following this trip! It will be interesting to see how a year with the GT-R will go. As for next time...how about a longer trip in a super sedan (C63\E63, M3\5, RS4, etc) and maybe cover different states, Midwest please :)!
big_bryant says:
09:53 PM, 04/ 1/08
guys this is an amazing thing to do. interesting as hell to read and a blast to imagine being there in the back seat crusing at 112. be sure to let us know how much it REALLY costs you to get the GTR and also think about giving it away at the end of its year long stint. other than that, good job, its not everyday that one gets to read about taking a supercar like that on such a daring adventure. sh*t most dont see that many miles in a year.
rickypryor says:
08:38 AM, 04/ 2/08
Lol. What a bunch of idiots. And for the record, you don't have to hate the messenger (me), hate the message (this half-assed assessment).
ferchizzle says:
08:52 AM, 04/ 2/08
hey guys, anytime you need a person to finish off the last 1,000 miles, please ring me up! i will fly to the nearest airport in seconds.
rickypryor says:
09:04 AM, 04/ 2/08
Lol. That was classic ferchizzle.
Yes, the Japs should have sent a JDM Tester who would've done the job right the first time.
samfoodie says:
11:13 AM, 04/ 3/08
@rickypryor: it's amazing how you didn't see that the idiot, as well as racist, hater, and clown, is you.
so, back to discussing cars. this time intelligently.
rickypryor says:
06:15 AM, 04/ 9/08
@samfoodie: For the record, I'm not a racist, I hate everyone equally.
As for the car part, yes, we WERE discussing the half-assed assesment on the GT-R--nice of you to finally stop in.
croco83 says:
12:27 PM, 04/11/08
Nice job, guys...this is pound-for-pound, dollar-for-dollar, the world's greatest car beyond a shadow of a doubt. Where else are you gonna find a car with such staggering performance and comfort for $80K?
And the scary part about this is that my fiancee and I are sitting on about $800K with her deceased father's estate that she's trying to sell. Once that's taken care of and we get our stuff (and ourselves) together, I see myself getting my GT-R...in black. The only thing wrong is that they don't offer it in the familiar GT-R blue...other than that, I'm there, dude. \m/