2009 Nissan GT-R - Motor Trend Car of the Year

WHOA. This Nissan GT-R is the ultimate favorite of the car enthusiast out there. On Nov 12th, this same car was the Automobile of the Year declared by Automobile Magazine. Fresh of the press this morning, it is Motor Trend Car of the Year. Let us tell you why Motor Trend picked it. There are 13 reasons to back their Winner.

1. The 2009 GT-R the sixth generation of Nissan's flagship sports car, is the first to come from a "clean-slate" design-all others were based on JDM Skyline models-and the first to be globally marketed.

2. A single technician in a climate-controlled clean-room environment hand assembles the all-new VR38DETT 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 (in Nissan's Yokohama factory) as well as the GR6 six-speed twin-clutch automatic (at the Aichi Machine Industry plant).

3. The GT-R undertook over 3100 miles of rigorous testing at the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordshleife, the world's most demanding racetrack. Its best lap time is 7:29, quicker than those of a Corvette Z06 and a 911 GT2.

4. The GT-R 's "high-speed driving test"-the front passengers enjoying an easy conversation without raised voices at 186 mph-was performed mostly on German autobahns.

5. Product chief designer Hiroshi Hasegawa incorporated historical GT-R styling cues into the new model.

6. For comfort, the GT-R boasts the greatest range of seat adjustment of any supercar-the driver's seat slides nine inches, raises 1.2 inches, and is rake-adjustable, easily accommodating anyone from 4 foot 9 to 6 foot 3. Also, the steering wheel both tilts and telescopes 2.4 inches.



7. Nissan calls it "Independent Transaxle 4WD." In other words, the GT-R is the world's first production car to feature a rear-mounted transaxle (transmission, clutch, and transfer case) and two independent propeller shafts (no torque tube), allowing each axle to control tire grip without manipulation from the other.

8. The GT-R's advanced ATTESA E-TS All Wheel Drive system can deliver up to 50 percent of torque to the front wheels, depending on feedback from sensors that measure speed, steering angle, tire slip, yaw rate, and lateral and transverse acceleration. Also incorporated is a yaw-rate feedback control sensor, which calculates target yaw rate based on steering angle and actual yaw rate based on the yaw-rate and g sensors, and then continuously distributes torque accordingly.

9. Specially developed Bilstein DampTronic monotube shocks feature sensors that gauge 11 elements, including vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle, engine rpm, brake oil pressure, and ABS behavior.

10. The GT-R incorporates "super-wide-beam headlamps" that utilize three additional subreflectors to enhance the illumination area. According to Nissan, they outperform swiveling lamps that rotate in turns, mostly because they provide superior light spread during high-speed straight-line driving.

11. The Brembo brake system uses fully floating 15.0-inch vented and drilled steel rotors that feature diamond-shaped inner ribs for better cooling. Monoblock calipers (six-piston front/four-piston rear) employ racing-style three-bolt structures to generate stout stopping force and avert caliper distortion.

12. The GT-R's body is composed of lightweight and advanced steels, die-cast aluminum (front suspension strut housings, front and rear suspension cross-brace members, rear-seatback support, door inners, tunnel stay), and carbon fiber (radiator core support, front of the engine bay, rear diffuser undertray). Further, the GT-R's underside-made up of, from front to rear, a polypropylene under cover, a glass-fiber sheet molding compound (SMC) under cover, a carbon SMC diffuser, and a carbon diffuser-helps achieve a 0.27 coefficient of drag.

13. Before being shipped from the Tochigi factory, the GT-R undergoes a nine-lap break-in regimen: Laps 1-3 (brake quenching), Lap 4 (brake break-in), Lap 5 (transmission break-in), Lap 6 (transmission break-in, engine boost pressure check), Lap 7 (transmission contact-sudden start), Laps 8, 9 (reducing friction of suspension).

There we go our devoted enthusiasts. Nothing but facts on our winner. Meanwhile, imagine cruising this GT-R and listening to our Kanye West's - GOOD LIFE music video. Enjoy......

Source: Motor Trend