If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm an ardent fan of the GT-R. And over the last few days my respect for Nissan's wonder car has only grown. Driving to Fujairah, I wasn't expecting Godzilla to impress me any more than usual. But it did, and then some.
The ride is comfortable, the fuel economy superb (more on that later) and the pace is, well, it's difficult to not be seduced by it. The only minor niggle is that the engine noise and tyre roar are a bit intrusive. But not to the point where you want to get out of the car and kick its headlights in.
Driving 350 kilometres in a supercar isn't easy. I know because I've done it before. The exact same route in a rarefied front-engined machine. The experience wasn't exactly soothing, because the car was lairy all the time. Admittedly, driving a supercar in the mountains is initially exciting. But when you've got long miles to cover the feeling wears off quickly. Soon you're bored and eventually irritated by the suspension-less ride and constant aural battering from the engine.
Not so with the GT-R. The two-hour drive felt like 20 minutes. Honest.
But now I'll get to the really impressive bit. The fuel economy. I'm usually not one to fall for marketing spiel, but I've got to admit that Nissan did a sterling job with the GT-R's fuel efficiency. It took me Dh100 to top up the tank with Super fuel and by the time I reached Al Aqah — about 140km from Shaikh Zayed Road — I'd used just over a quarter of the petrol.
On some stretches the fuel economy display showed a whopping 28.6mpg. I struggle to get anything more than 21mpg from my BMW Z4.
So the conclusion is, if you want to get to Fujairah in the cheapest, most exciting and environmentally-friendly way possible, buy a Nissan GT-R.
Facts
- Driven by: Amit
- Start mileage: 7,640km
- Recent cost :Fuel
- Average fuel economy: 19mpg-plus
- Highs: Fuel economy
- Lows: Tyre roar
