Quote of the Day: Lexus IS-F Vs. Nissan GT-R

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

“If the Lexus feels like it’s being pushed out of the way by a 130-kilogram NFL lineman on his way to get a fresh libation from a scantily clad Budweiser girl, the Nissan feels like said Budweiser girl is his girlfriend and he smacked you, full-force, upside the head with a telephone book because he thinks you’re hitting on her.” The writer here is not Dan Neil or Jeremy Clarkson. And in case you hadn’t figured it out already (and I know you had), the scribe is Canadian. While the rest of David Booth comparo in the National Post doesn’t ascend to greater heights than this excerpt, his summary’s rhetorical hammer hits the proverbial nail on the metaphorical head. “The IS-F is as sporty as Lexus can make it without sacrificing one iota of luxury; the GT-R is as luxurious as Nissan can engineer it without sacrificing even a bit of performance. The IS-F is a slightly softer competitor to BMW’s M3; the GT-R is a stiffer, more committed alternative to Porsche’s 911 Turbo.” Well, that makes it easy to choose. Porsche Turbo please.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Jurisb Jurisb on Sep 27, 2008

    For you it is never going to be a good enough Nissan, for you guys are badge whores. No matter what lap times GT-R sets, it still hasn`t got the feeling. You know what, take yout Porsche on a gravel, wet, or winter track and let`s see how it competes with the nissan. Betcha, even GT-R v_spec isn`t going to be good enough for you. Oh, right Nissan`s leather hasn`t got the right smell of that leather. Actually it is first time in automotive history that I would have heard people complaining and ranting that Nissan has got more hp than official specs. Imagine Joes ranting about Corvette ZR1 that it has got actually nasty700hp not those lovely 623hp. Well, at least nobody`s going to mix GT-r with prev gen Nissan Bluebird, couldn`t say the same about Porsche.

  • Patapon Patapon on Sep 27, 2008

    You people are way too picky. I'd take them both.

  • Oklahoma Mike Oklahoma Mike on Sep 28, 2008

    "Then why didn’t it say CFL lineman?" Because although he's Canadian and speaking to Canadians, he was talking about a NFL lineman rather than a CFL lineman. Not many CFL linemen are that big. NFL linemen are, and that is exactly who he meant. Canadians are familiar with both games and with the size of an NFL lineman. But, because he was talking to a Canadian audience he used metric to describe the size. Just as if I had made a similar analogy to a US audience but with a Sumo wrestler I would say "450 pound sumo wrestler" instead of "205 kilo sumo wrestler". Even if the sumo wrestler keeps track of his own weight in kilograms, the audience I'm addressing would understand pounds.

  • John R John R on Sep 29, 2008

    Maybe its a generational thing. Maybe its because of the proliferation of the Boxster. Maybe its because 911s share the same difference that Bimmers have vis a vis porcupines. Or maybe I'm just an anti-establishment kind of guy, but I will take a GT-R over ANY contemporary 911 of any stripe or variation. I look at the GT-R I don't want to jerk off to it, I don't want to make love to it or feel like its making love to me through my senses. It looks like its made for Defcon 5. That's what I love about this car. It looks like it WILL break your neck (check Clarkson). It looks like war. I look at this thing and I really get the sense that if you cross it, it will do this and break you. Its why I will never patronize GM's Bayformers. They picked the wrong hero car. (BTW: Funny thing about Transformers, it's actually a Japanese invention. Just don't tell any True-believers that. :) )

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