Edmunds Inside Line : Long Term Test : Nissan GT-R

Edmunds Inside Line

"And now, only a few weeks into that test, we've bought something that makes the Evo look sluggish, simplistic and, well, attractive in comparison: a 2009 Nissan GT-R. Sure, we're a bit tired from the wave of adrenaline we've been riding, but for our dedicated readers we'll suck it up and spend the next 12 months putting 20,000 miles on Japan's 480-horsepower, all-wheel-drive sensation known colloquially as Godzilla."

"Total out-of-pocket cost: $73,165. Yes, we got it for MSRP. How? For starters, we started the search nearly nine months ago. We eventually signed a deal with Nissan of Cool Springs, a place that understands car enthusiasts that's in Franklin, Tennessee, some 2,500 miles from our office in Santa Monica, California. Within days of the official availability of the 2009 Nissan GT-R on U.S. soil, we sent Senior Editor Erin Riches to pick it up in Tennessee, and updates from the inaugural drive across the country will be posted in our Long-Term blogs."

"The next 20,000 miles are not going to be easy on the GT-R. A car that is supposed to beat the Porsche 911 Turbo should be prepared to haul ass for the long haul.

Keep up with the 2009 Nissan GT-R in our long-term blogs. Twelve months with Godzilla begins now.

Current Odometer: 3,752 miles
Best Fuel Economy: 20.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.7 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.0 mpg"

Edmunds had mentioned back when they were testing Daryls JDM cars that they were buying a US model for a long term test. They should beat it up, and take it to the track a few times. I guess we will see how much of a "ringer" the press cars were.