Several carmakers each year host a
full-line event at which media get to drive everything they market in
America. Once in a while, they will even sneak in a model available
only in a foreign market; but for the most part, they stick to what
they sell here. Every few years Nissan does something entirely
different when it brings virtually every light vehicle it sells in
the world to one location for media to experience.
They call it Nissan 360, and this was
such a year. I attended the first one it held in 2004. Then it was
only a day with far fewer vehicles. This year's version was much more
expansive.
The Resort at Pelican Hill was ground
zero for this year's event. Located near Newport Beach, it is a
30-minute drive from El Toro, the now-closed Marine airbase. Nissan
mapped out several driving courses over the miles of El Toro runways.
There was even an off-road course for its all-wheel drive trucks and
SUVs.
This was a two-day affair with ample
opportunity to drive whichever Nissan a motoring scribe's little
heart could possibly desire.
There was a performance course where I
was able to pilot a full selection of go-fast Nissans and Infinitis
like the 370Z Nismo, Leaf Nismo RC (Yes, there is a Nismo Leaf!),
Infiniti Q60 IPL (coupe and convertible) and a Q50S Hybrid.
There was a street course for driving
world cars like the Note Diesel, Moco, Sylphy and Teana.
Nissan loosed its U.S.-spec cars on
mapped-out routes on California roadways.
 |
| Hey, Ralphie boy! |
The moment the first day's
presentations ended, I hot footed it to the Nissan Civilian. It's a
30-person bus. Why, you might ask, of all the vehicles available did
I choose a bus as my first drive? Are you kidding me? When was the
last time you drove a bus? Exactly, never. It was an opportunity to
channel my Ralph Kramden and I wasn't going to get aced out.
Remarkably easy to drive, I zipped around the commercial street
course in no time. If I had had a nickle squirter on my belt, I would
have headed off the airbase and made a little extra money hauling a
few unsuspecting folks around.
I also drove the e-NT400 Atlas truck.
It's odd to drive something this size powered by an electric motor.
My driving highlight was behind the
wheel of the Juke-R on the high-performance course. I could have
jumped behind the wheel of the GT-R just as easily, but had to choose
between the two. Having spent a week with the GT-R just a month or so
ago, the decision was easy.
Think of a GT-R born and raised within
spitting distance of a nuclear plant. That's the Juke-R. A modified
version of the GT-R's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 gets down to business
under its hood. In this application, it delivers 485 horsepower and
can make the sprint from 0 to 60 in just over 3 seconds. It's
all-wheel drive, which helps when you are going balls to the wall
through the twisties. In its matte-black finish, it resembles a coal
bucket run over by a dump truck. But fun? You bet.
The other car that blew me away was
Nissan's Autonomous Leaf. This is Nissan's version of "drives
itself" technology. Easily consumer ready in five to eight
years, it applies technology already in use in several Nissan and
Infiniti models, such as radar, lasers and cameras to flawlessly
guide itself through traffic along city streets and freeways. It is
astounding how far along Nissan has come with this.
Of course it requires a trunk full of
computers and assorted gizmos to make it all happen, but I would have
been quite confident riding in it on city streets. One demonstration
had it drop its driver off at the curb before he dispatched it to
find a parking space. It went into a crowded parking lot and pulled
into an empty space on its own. With the push of a button on the key
fob, the driver then recalled it to his position on the curb. It
drove right up to him and he climbed back in. Amazing.
Yep, the Nissan 360 was quite the
experience.
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