Motor Trend’s Edward Loh Takes “Meaty Chunks Of Awesome” To The Face

Give the crew at Motor Trend some credit: they aren't even pretending to be anything other than an advertising outlet for the automakers. Witness this particularly succulent bit of bragging by Ladyboy-Editor-in-Chief Edward Loh, published yesterday: Ever wonder what it might cost to borrow a brand-new Nissan GT-R Black Edition for a year? Try 33,482,741 views. What's that, you say? As of this writing, that's the total number of views of the top 16 GT-R related YouTube videos Motor Trend has produced. Until recently, Motor Trend at least kept up the mildest of facades that its million-dollar fleet of brand-new vehicles served some purpose that would be beneficial to the mixture of waiting-room residents, caged parakeets, and ESL students that makes up approximately 99.97% of its readership. That facade has now been thrown aside with a shameless flourish worthy of Messalina. Motor Trend, in its agent as an advocate for Nissan, has produced at least sixteen promotional videos for the Nissan GT-R. They have been duly rewarded with a one-year lease of a $106,000 car, something that would probably cost the little people out there in Readerland four or five grand a month if they wanted to have the same car under the same conditions. There you have it. Editorial content, bought and paid for. But what's this business about "meat in the face"? The bizarre oral-sex metaphor comes about halfway down MT's most recent blog entry: It still drives like the beast we knew, with meaty chunks of awesome that hit you in face: May I remind you that this "man" is Editor-In-Chief of what at least purports to be a major publication? those Recaros, the smorgasbord of nerdtastic performance menus on the LCD screen, that purposeful steering wheel flanked by rubber-edged magnesium paddles, and, of course, gut-squashing acceleration and handling. There is a bit of polish and refinement that's immediately noticeable, too, like the way the plastic radio knobs have been replaced by cool machined versions that twist with a satisfying clickety-click. Comfort mode is now truly more comfortable, and the buzzing/whirring from the dual-clutch, rear-mounted transaxle transmission seems softer and smoother. So, it's basically the same car as last time, then. So, what are we going to do with a stronger, yet smoother Godzilla on its second go 'round? Same thing we did the first time: match it up against everything we can get our hands on to generate a zillion more video and page views. …because that's MT's sworn duty to Nissan: to make their payment worth the effort. On its off days? Well, I like to think that this our victory lap with the GT-R, so it will spend time with each and every staffer — like Lord Stanley's Cup. You'd better believe we're going to enjoy ourselves all over again. The correct analogy, of course, given the talent on offer over there, would be if the Stanley Cup were given to a last-place youth hockey team. Does any of this matter? One might suggest that the GT-R sells in such dismal numbers (877 units moved last year in North America) that it hardly matters if MT openly services Nissan's meaty awesomeness right out in the proverbial street. Assuming that Nissan's actual cost in providing this car is somewhere south of $40,000, and that their net profit on every GT-R is ten grand or so, all that has to happen is for four lottery winners or drywall contractors to see a GT-R on the cover of Motor Trend in order for their investment to pay off. Any GT-R "intender" stupid enough to bypass the forums and the reputable sources and take their information from the same people who made the Vega, Citation, and Volt "Cars Of The Year" probably deserves to have meaty awesomeness smack them in the face. The squick factor will come into play the next time MT reviews a Sentra. Will the "Stanley Cup winner" who arrives in the GT-R to work that day have anything bad to say about Nissan's compact car? Rest assured we will take our Cipro and read that test very carefully to see what influence Nissan's $106,000 gift has had on the results. Remember, everybody: taking a thousand bucks from Nissan to promote its product will get you fired. Taking a $106,000 car from them? Why, that will only make you the Editor-In-Chief. Mr. Loh may get to have the meat slapping him in the face, but anyone who is hoping to get an honest opinion on a Versa or Altima from his magazine should look away while that particular sausage is being made. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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