USA Today: The Nissan GT-R Backlash Starts Here?

Every now and then the mainstream automotive press gets its inner TTAC on. Normally, those moments are reserved for vehicles that A) don’t advertise very heavily and B) don’t advertise very heavily. To be fair, the Nissan GT-R doesn’t advertise very heavily. So it’s fair game for USA Today carmudgeon James Healey. You may recall Healey’s previous work, in which the scribe often sounds like he’s holding a conversation with a PR flack– with Healey playing both critic and spinmeister. (Except when he actually quotes the manufacturer’s rep.) In this case, we get less prevarication, more kvetching.

But, c’mon, for a starting price of about $77,000, shouldn’t the power-window switches and the inside door handles be easy to reach? Shouldn’t the high-falutin’ dual-clutch transmission engage more gently than a whack in the back by a Caterpillar D9? Or the shift lever move toward the words “manual” and “automatic” to choose your mode instead of going one way only? Shouldn’t the outside door handles be easier to grab and yank?

Can’t there be some technology in this high-tech showpiece that gives those who live where there are real roads with real bumps a smoother ride than the so-called comfort setting on the adjustable suspension? (“Comfort is a relative term, isn’t it,” acknowledges Nissan’s U.S. product chief Larry Dominique.) High performance is no excuse for lack of utility and ergonomic elegance.

Tell that to a race car driver. Does this mean the GT-R’s days as unquestioned supercar slayer is over? Are we looking at a car where everyone who wants one (and can afford one) buys one and that’s it? Yes and yes. And as Healey rightly points out, branding this $70k plus two-door a Nissan was a mistake. But then, the G-Coupe. So…