Damn I work just down the street from there and Friday I’m working mornings. If the meet goes down I wouldn’t mind stopping by on my way home on Friday.
A bunch of 240’s lined up at the parking lot as close as possible to the even would surely look good… Would also intimidate the ricers going there just to check out the GT-R…[/QUOTE]
that’s an sick idea seeing as i’ve never really been to a real meet i’m down if i can get the poo40 stopping better lol
:lol:
Just a reminder that this event starts tomorrow through to Sunday! Hope to see you all out!
drove the 350 today it was meh my triptronic 350 was faster lol
Thank you to all who attended! Keep your eye pealed for more events coming soon!
Thanks for hosting this event. Your staff were very friendly and helpful. Some feedback though…
I understand the need to keep the event safe and enjoyable for all; however if Nissan wants to market itself to the true enthusiasts; then Nissan should make the event more performance oriented.
The limitation of keeping the car in 1st gear and no wheel squeeling puts a real damper on the event and does not show what the cars are capable of. I know many who attended that decided not to test drive the cars because of these limitations.
I would think Nissan wants attendees of the event to say… wow, that Nissan Maxima/350z/SER looks great BUT performs exceptionally on the track.
Take for example the BWM 3-series events a couple of years ago @ Downsview; the course was fun; you were allowed to shift up to 3rd; and push the car. The event was a blast.
Mini’s event had the same limitations of Nissan’s… leaving people with the same disappointed feeling.
Nissan should do more events like this; especially with the new GTR as the flagship; performance and Nissan should be synonymous. One way to demonstrate this is by people experiencing this at Nissan hosted events.
Finally there should be sales people around the cars to show the features and answer questions of potential buyers…
Thanks!
Mitch
Thank you for the feedback, it does help.
In response to some of your comments though, to help with clarification of the event just passed, the idea was to experience the trill of the cars, not to sell them. Sales staff were not on-site, although invited, for the basic reason that this was not a sales oriented program. Product Knowledge Specialists, specially trained at Nissan Canada were in attendance to answer any and all questions one may have had. However the weather of the weekend definitely put a damper on conveying information regarding the products with individuals such as yourself.
The venue locations and driver skill put the program at it’s limits as well. BMW has trained professional drivers in the vehicle with you during the event and their selected venue allow for higher speed driving. Our close proximity to the public, especially towards Toys R Us, put a damper on speed. The sheer number of drives that went through also shows that this type of event, much like that of Mini’s, is hard to tailor towards groups of people. I assure you, we wanted to allow for greater flexibilty in driving as well as higher speeds, but for example, when approximately 20% of those driving this weekend were first time drivers of manual transmission, the last thing we would want is them pushing gears and accelerating to 100+km/h in a public area, especially in the rain. Safety, no matter what event, is the top priority for any manufacturer.
As for squeeling tires, well it sure is fun, but in any type of racing, one rule always stands: “Smooth is fast”. 
Thank you once again for your comments. They go along way towards further development of such programs!
^^ that makes perfect sense to me. I wouldn’t want some unexperienced driver plowing into a toys’r us parking lot full of children. I’m sure the squeeling of tires was also a rule set by the surrounding stores since that deters customers and causes unnecessary noise and attention.
I’d be looking forward to an event that is at a more enclosed venue like downsview which will allow experienced drivers to drive at a higher speed.
Good work on getting out there. Every step counts!
Thanks! My input was for future events; we all understand the need for safety.
I was using the BMW test drives as an example that was successful and could be applied to Nissan to improve the experience…
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Product awareness; a simple explanation of what you’re driving and key features to be aware of before you test drive.
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Drivers had the option for auto or manual; drivers were not accompanied by BMW staff; only limitation was to not go past 3rd gear. - Shifting is fun. (shiftintogear.ca ???)
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Bigger/Safer venue - Downsview Park
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Participants were not removed from the event due to tire noise during slalom.
Nissan should make future events safe AND enjoyable; so that consumers appreciate the peformance aspect of Nissan and want to buy their product.
They also need to understand what the product is that they are buying.
Promoting events in car clubs/enthusiasts site is a good idea; but the expectation is that you will be able to experience what the car really is like on safe closed course.
Great event I dropped by, like everyone said I talked to a few people disappointed due to limitations. They thought the car had more balls, better overall performance so that is my recommendation.