i think the problem with this car being sold to the united states is were too focused on straight line performance. not that thats bad. i didnt read the OP too long =P so i dont know if he addressed this but the specv seems totally designed for road course driving which i think the vast majority of US car enthusiasts dont participate in. drag racing is probably the cheapest form of motor sports you can get into so theres going to be tons of people into that.
thats the great thing about the vette its good at drag racing and roadcourses. it totally suits american car enthusiasts.
im sure the specv will see some improvement in straightline performance but obviously not that much because thats not what the car was designed for.
MC just posted about the new LC and look how many post wondering 0-60 time. They say it's not that important, but that'll be the first thing they ask and will decide on whether to go with the update.
Nissan is as much to blame for the LC fiasco as anyone. The poor dealership network sure didn't help, but in the US, if you advertise it, you'd better back it up. No people going to bend over and take it here. Just ask BMW.
I was saying from the standpoint of- if that's your attitude toward the car, then you probably shouldn't own it. I think many people are having a hard time not treating the car like a Mustang.
"America is not ready". That is LAUGHABLE. It's too absurdly funny to even be offensive. Let's explore what that probably REALLY means :
1. "America is not ready to pay twice as much ... at least ... for a Nissan with VERY slight, incrementally better performance ... at best."
Why no Nurburgring ring times posted on the SpecV? Hmmmm ... i wonder. Is it because, ALL OF A SUDDEN, the 'ring is no longer important to Nissan and GT-R performance? After the GT-R's 'ring performance was even boasted in the OWNER'S MANUAL? I think not. It's because the 'ring time is only slightly better ... for well over twice the price! Let's explore the quotes concerning the Nurburgring performance from the original post, as Nissan tries to dance around the issue :
"We learned that the general theme of the car was improved performance in a track-focused fashion. Whereas a typical GT-R is a car that may only see occasional track use, this car is designed to spend much more time on circuits. As such, it was designed to be faster in that type of environment, and not necessarily on the streets."
and a bit later :
"Some might think that these sorts of improvements can't possibly yield a significant gain in overall performance. While that might be true in certain cases, this is where the significance of Mizuno's goals comes into play: he made it to be faster on the most challenging road courses in the world. As a result, the benefits of the SpecV's improvements can really be seen on courses such as the Nurburgring, where improvements in traction, stability, and other aspects of performance can become more important than raw power gains."
BUT then :
"Among those in the know, it's a commonly accepted view that the SpecV is able to run with the fastest factory cars to ever hit the Ring. But as quickly as they acknowledge this they tell you how little they care. The Ring, they feel, doesn't really represent the street, or even every track."
and :
"So while they say the GT-R and SpecV are indeed fast on the Ring, they question the greater significance of it and resent what he's done to the community that's given meaning to the administration he now presides over."
Anybody else smell the bullshyt here? There's only one reason why the 'ring performance is no longer important to Nissan : the SpecV is coming up short, especially for the price.
2. "Nissan North America is not ready."
There's some support for this interpretation, directly in the article. The quality of service ... including cars rotting at the port for months ... is not exactly what one expects for a "supercar". But, we all know this isn't purely Nissan North America's fault ...
3. "America is not interested ... because America already has access to some of the best supercars in the world".
Apparently, America is indeed "ready" for Ferrari Enzos, Porsche Carrera GTs, Merceds Benz Black Series, Corvette ZR1s, etc. While the non-SpecV GT-R is a true breakthrough in terms of performance-per-dollar, this REAL supercar crowd leaves precious little room for an overpriced Nissan.
its not an over price nissan, but it should have been an infinity or maybe a joint deal with the likes of lambo to do sales and service, so that quality stays.
I've largely taken Nissan's side on the whole Launch Control issue ... at least, from a legal perspective. But the whole situation regarding LC is not an "American problem". The responsibility ultimately rests with Nissan themselves (and not NNA), for informing the press about a mode of operation that is not supported in legal documentation. That dichotomy was the root cause of the issue ... and I'm the guy who has screamed that we all need to READ the manuals, and IGNORE the press !!! NO, the press didn't discover Launch Control on their own by randomly flipping buttons ...
Maybe he meant, the "American Ports" are not ready for Nissan to leave the cars sitting for months on end as Nissan tries to wrangle themselves out of a legal predicament. Our ports are too salty, and they cause corrosion.
And in my view, the SpecV is certainly overpriced, compared to the competition ... which INCLUDES the non-SpecV GT-R
Like I said above, this whole SpecV "mystique" ... and the comments made in the first post regarding America not being "ready" ... are LAUGHABLE.
Call it what it is : incremental enhancements, at a grossly exaggerated price, designed for a handful of wealthy collectors.
Honda did the same thing with the NSX Type R many years ago
Didn't hurt their sales one bit.
Nissan is mainly an ecomony car manufacturer. The Spec V is a niche market car that won't sell in the US because of it's price point. I see no reason why Nissan is not allowed to sell THEIR car where they see fit.
Honda did the same thing with the NSX Type R many years ago
Didn't hurt their sales one bit.
Nissan is mainly an ecomony car manufacturer. The Spec V is a niche market car that won't sell in the US because of it's price point. I see no reason why Nissan is not allowed to sell THEIR car where they see fit.
and if the notion really is that "Nissan North America" is not ready ... well whose JOB is it, or was it, to get the dealer network ready?
Was the training of the dealer network an "American" responsibility, an "American consumer" responsibility ... or maybe, just maybe, the responsibility to get the NNA dealer network "ready" lies elsewhere?
The more you think about the "America is not ready" comment, the more ridiculous it sounds.
well ill put it this way.... i wouldnt buy it. lol.
the only way i would consider it would be if i was so loaded with money i could buy it just because i wanted to own one of nissans first offerings of their top cars in the united states.
from a performance standpoint it had better be a large increase in performance for that price.
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