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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Inside Line Audio & Technology Review: 2009 Nissan GT-R


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Any self-respecting automotive enthusiast might regard an audio or navigation system as practically irrelevant in a car like the new GT-R. But after the initial thrill of driving the 480-horsepower beast wears off a little (however slowly), drivers may want to listen to some decent music, get directions or make a call without breaking some hands-free law.

This car is equipped with a Bose audio system, like the one you find on the Infiniti G-series of vehicles. Of course, the specific cabin acoustics of the GT-R were analyzed and taken into account for the EQ'ing. The system plays CDs and files off your iPod or an SD card (there's also a hard drive for storing your music). There's no DVD (or other format) playback, but this is an above-average two-channel system that achieves its objective of good sound.

To overcome the GT-R's significant road and tire noise, its sound system needed more than a couple of 6x9s. And it does. Godzilla's frontstage consists of a three-way speaker setup in the doors (a 3.25-inch Twiddler and 6.5-inch full-range speaker with a 1.5-inch tweeter in the sail panels), plus a Twiddler at the top of the center of the dash. There are a couple more Twiddlers on the rear deck for fill. The two 9-inch woofers deftly integrated in between the two rear seats are the highlight of the speaker system (pictured). They provide decent bottom end and look pretty cool to boot. An eight-channel digital amp powers the speakers.

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In general, the soundstage was a little narrow and music imaged lower than I would've liked. But this will vary with your head height. The tonal qualities, however, were quite decent. I played Jay-Z's "99 Problems," which on some factory systems can sound muddled. Here the guitars were fairly distinct and had the right crunch. Sigur Ros' "Svefn-G-Englar" didn't reveal any resonance issues as it sometimes does. The dynamics on this track were well reproduced. "Boxenkiller," which I use to audition every system, would've been better if the bass had more definition, but the system provided a live feel with authentic-sounding toms. Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back" had too much high-end that I had to dial back the treble on, but the song had plenty of impact.

Next I played some tracks off my iPod. I connected it through the USB cable and selected from the complete menu of options, accessing songs by playlist, songs, albums, etc. The graphic quality of the monitor leaves something to be desired, but the functionality is perfectly fine. Even with some of the lower bitrate files I have of some Corinne Bailey Rae and Alicia Keys tracks the audio system provided a good listening experience.

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Controlling the audio and other features is easy. The center stack is simple. You're not overwhelmed with a thousand buttons like on some cars, and the touchscreen has just the right sensitivity. Plus, the steering wheel controls follow suit. That is, everything is easily identifiable and located properly for access with your thumbs. The only weakness in terms of ergonomics is the location for the disc slot. It's too low and in front of the shifter.

The monitor is well-positioned for viewing the navigation info, but the pixelated quality of the graphics takes away from the total system. Frankly, in a car with this lofty price tag, it's disappointing. However, there's not too much to complain about with the overall performance.

That includes the hands-free Bluetooth. My iPhone worked without a hitch. There was some echo of the other party's voice, but mine was delivered clearly. It may take a driver some time to begin to appreciate the other aspects of this GT-R, but the car definitely delivers on more than one level. -- Ben Oh, Inside Line Contributor

IL Tech Ratings (10 is Best): 2009 Nissan GT-R
Audio: 8
iPod: 8
Navigation: 8
Ergonomics: 9
Bluetooth: 8

Posted by: Donna DeRosa December 8, 2008, 11:24 AM

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