Nissan Test Drive @ Ontario Place Sept 30-Oct 4 (includes 370Z) [Archive]

sprung

Sep 11th, 2009, 05:58 AM

Source (http://www.nissan.ca/about/events/en/shift_into_gear.html)

THE NISSAN SHIFT INTO GEAR EXPERIENCE IS BACK, AND IT�S STILL THE BEST PART OF YOUR DAY.

A test drive. It�s never that exciting, is it? Get into a car, leave the lot, make a few turns, and come back. That�s no way to see what a car can do. We think it�s time someone changed the rules. This fall, the Nissan Shift Into Gear Experience is back. From September 30th to October 4th, we�ll be giving you the opportunity to test drive the Nissan lineup - including the all-new 370Z � on a professionally designed course at Ontario Place. No appointments, no pressure, no boredom. Just the unadulterated thrill of the Nissan driving experience. We hope to see you there!

UPDATE - remember folks this event is taking place in the parking lot of Ontario Place. That means it is totally free, they do not charge admission to walk/bike into the parking lot. BTW - Ontario Place is closed after Sept 20 so there wouldn't be anybody to pay anyhow.

spazzamatic

Sep 11th, 2009, 07:32 AM

No appointments, no pressure, no boredom and no freeebie . Just the unadulterated thrill of the Nissan driving experience. We hope to see you there!

=(

thankss sprung!

no freebie:( and we'd have to pay to get in just to test drive their cars.. booo

sprung

Sep 11th, 2009, 12:53 PM

=(

and we'd have to pay to get in just to test drive their cars.. booo

no admission payment needed. Event takes place in the parking lot and Ontario Place is closed after Sept 20.

harnak

Sep 11th, 2009, 03:30 PM

looks awsome...thanks!

http://www.nissan.ca/about/events/en/shift_into_gear.html

Seems to be totally free....

H

Sepiraph

Sep 11th, 2009, 04:37 PM

=(

thankss sprung!

no freebie:( and we'd have to pay to get in just to test drive their cars.. booo

Free test drive ... I guess for those who live to drive. :)

angel_wing0

Sep 12th, 2009, 02:41 AM

damn i m going!! i always want to see how the 370z is, they better have manual cars there...

longitude

Sep 12th, 2009, 02:49 AM

this is awesome, great!

KorruptioN

Sep 14th, 2009, 10:21 AM

Looks good!

ToniCipriani

Sep 14th, 2009, 12:59 PM

Entry is not free, right?

nite4evr

Sep 14th, 2009, 01:38 PM

Any GTR?

lazy_prodigy

Sep 14th, 2009, 10:26 PM

Entry is not free, right?

no admission payment needed.

:arrowu:

ToniCipriani

Sep 16th, 2009, 07:48 AM

:arrowu:

As in getting into Ontario Place... last checked it's not cheap...

sprung

Sep 16th, 2009, 08:01 AM

As in getting into Ontario Place... last checked it's not cheap...

It is actually just $10 Play All Day pass (http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=789991&highlight=ontario+place) for their last weekend of the season (Sept 19/20). After that the park is closed until next year. That means you pay $0 for the Nissan event. Parking will be free.

UrbanPoet

Sep 16th, 2009, 01:55 PM

Any GTR?

yep.
:lol:

aricebox

Sep 16th, 2009, 02:16 PM

wow if there's actually gonna be a GTR then im going for sure! :D

segadcsonic

Sep 16th, 2009, 11:47 PM

They had a similar event last year I think? If so, any info. on a Vancouver date?

jbird

Sep 17th, 2009, 12:24 AM

lol is there really going to be a gtr? op highlighted the 370z, which sort of implies that the 370z's going to be the best car there. lol

inspire

Sep 18th, 2009, 09:07 AM

Knowing Nissan ...

There will be *no* GT-R -- 99% sure there won't be. And if there was, only the Nissan rep will drive it (you be a passenger) so that you don't drive it off the course (and out of the pavillion ... LOL).

More importantly, I can almost wager that the 370Z will be an auto-tragic and no 6-speed manual will be there. I'm sure there will be people who will want to dump the clutch at 5k RPM just to see a patch of rubber on the pavement.

Maybe Nissan Canada will surprise me and have both a GT-R and manual 370Z available for the general public to take on their 'test track'. I have been underwhelmed by similar offerings by BMW and Cadillac (private invites on both).

sprung

Sep 18th, 2009, 10:24 AM

Maybe they'll be one manual car. I did a similar BMW event a few months ago at Downsview. The one manual car had a rule - 2 stalls and they'd boot you from the event. They had spotters all over the course with radios to monitor us.

JDMpanda

Sep 22nd, 2009, 10:22 AM

I'll be checking out this event :D.
Thanks OP

angel_wing0

Sep 22nd, 2009, 12:42 PM

i would go if the 370z is a manual.

sprung

Sep 24th, 2009, 04:03 PM

UPDATE -
A little while ago, Nissan invited you to take a test drive. And by test drive, we didn�t mean four consecutive right turns with someone sitting in the passenger seat. Our version of a test drive is called the Nissan SHIFT_Into Gear Experience. It gives you the chance to test drive the Nissan line-up on a professionally designed course.

sprung

Sep 30th, 2009, 09:55 AM

BUMP - starts today, nice weather for it

LOCATION:

ONTARIO PLACE � PARKING LOT #2
955 Lake Shore Blvd. West -Toronto, Ontario

EVENT DATES AND TIMES:

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH
12:00 PM � 7:30 PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1ST
9:30 AM � 7:30 PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2ND
9:30 AM � 7:30 PM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD
9:30 AM � 7:30 PM

* OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving) Day
Make a small donation to a great cause and enjoy a car wash!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4TH
9:30 AM � 7:30 PM

* Argos Autograph Session (PM)
A chance to have your picture taken with Argos players and cheerleaders
* Z-Car Day
Check out a plethora of Zs, courtesy of the Ontario Z-Car Owners Association
* OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving) Day
Make a small donation to a great cause and enjoy a car wash

tyfriend

Sep 30th, 2009, 10:55 AM

C ya guys there :D

taxman007

Sep 30th, 2009, 10:57 AM

they had a silver GTR there yesterday :cheesygri

tyfriend

Sep 30th, 2009, 03:03 PM

Just came back from the test drive. Nissan organized this event very well. A lot of different tents. They even provide refreshments courtesy of Tim Hortons. Before you test drive they give you orientation with a chance to win a Nissan Cap. The question we received was what does the acronym DOHC stand for.

I tried the maxima, versa, altima hybrid, murano and the 370z. Every vehicle except the Murano had good handling. I was most impressed by the Versa and 370z. The 370z is absolutely astounding. You must test this vehicle.

Oh yeah, no manual cars are available.

Flyer

Sep 30th, 2009, 07:18 PM

DaVibe

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:05 AM

Okay, great review BUT ...
Can you drive the GTR (especially if that's automatic - available to more drivers IMO) ???

willyxjai

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:23 AM

Any GTR?

I was thinking the same

Flyer

Oct 1st, 2009, 03:03 PM

They have a prototype and a production GT-R. No test drives of those.

Pictures can be found here (http://flyer.teamgwailo.org/gallery/v/2009-10-01-Nissan_Shift_into_gear/)

marcopolo85

Oct 1st, 2009, 04:36 PM

Can you atleast sit in the GTR? lol

Flyer

Oct 1st, 2009, 04:54 PM

Can you atleast sit in the GTR? lol
Why yes, yes you can. I was staying inside it just to stay warm
http://flyer.teamgwailo.org/gallery/d/364-2/CIMG0061.JPG

EDIT: Videos can be found here (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AED34AE02C2DCD69).

Sepiraph

Oct 1st, 2009, 10:46 PM

I went on the 1st day, pretty nice run. Test track was pretty tight and short but it was enjoyable. Test drove the 370Z, Altima Coupe, Altima and Maxima. Except the 370Z, IMO my lancer GTS out-handle the rest. The 370Z handles well and I went all out on it as it was my last drive (and killed a cone or two in the process) :o

Why yes, yes you can. I was staying inside it just to stay warm
http://flyer.teamgwailo.org/gallery/d/364-2/CIMG0061.JPG

EDIT: Videos can be found here (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AED34AE02C2DCD69).

LOL nice video... I like how your friend goes "he's going really slow" :cheesygri
Too bad I didnt film my run in the 370Z as I got a passenger that time.

DaVibe

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:21 PM

Why yes, yes you can. I was staying inside it just to stay warm

Thank you. Now I'll be going.

Flyer

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:40 PM

LOL nice video... I like how your friend goes "he's going really slow" :cheesygri
To be fair, it was a woman driving the Z...

KorruptioN

Oct 1st, 2009, 11:47 PM

Discussion here: http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/nissan-shift-into-gear-event-starts-today-796306/

Sepiraph

Oct 2nd, 2009, 12:54 AM

To be fair, it was a woman driving the Z...

Heh, yea I saw your run in the Versa which was much faster and you caught up with the Altima Coupe lol. Your (guy?) friend in the Altima was pretty slow though.

Flyer

Oct 2nd, 2009, 03:18 PM

Additional videos (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AED34AE02C2DCD69) and pictures (http://flyer.teamgwailo.org/gallery/v/2009-10-01-Nissan_Shift_into_gear/?g2_page=4) uploaded from the event.

Remember, this takes place rain or shine!

WestMallDUDE

Oct 2nd, 2009, 04:42 PM

For anyone that has already went to this event,

Does it look like there is an opportunity they might allow someone elses car on the track to compare the handling against a Nissan 370Z?

Also, it's raining all weekend, do you think they will still allow the event to continue in the rain? That would be loads of fun.

Also, was it very crowded at the event? How many hours did you have to wait from registration until you got to drive a car?

Thanks for your responses.

by-cy

Oct 3rd, 2009, 09:48 AM

is there free parking on site?

KorruptioN

Oct 3rd, 2009, 10:43 AM

Does it look like there is an opportunity they might allow someone elses car on the track to compare the handling against a Nissan 370Z?

Also, it's raining all weekend, do you think they will still allow the event to continue in the rain? That would be loads of fun.

Also, was it very crowded at the event? How many hours did you have to wait from registration until you got to drive a car?

No.
Yes.
About 30 minutes.

is there free parking on site?

Yes.

xiLLeNtz

Oct 3rd, 2009, 11:34 AM

so... will my G2 be okay? LOL. i want to test drive

bogi093

Oct 3rd, 2009, 01:36 PM

so... will my G2 be okay? LOL. i want to test drive

Imma try to go with my dad, and i only have a G1, ill tell u guys how it goes :P
If they dont let me, my dad will just take the wheel

N_Raged

Oct 3rd, 2009, 05:43 PM

You can always ride along as a passenger if you yourself are not able to drive.

Flyer

Oct 3rd, 2009, 06:36 PM

The rule was you must have a full G class license and be 21 or older to act as a driver.

mebiuspower

Oct 4th, 2009, 11:36 AM

I'm totally not impressed with the 370Z, they went totally retro with the styling and also went retro with ergonomics. Rear view is absolutelly horrid, they might as well not put a rear view mirror there. And if you're 6" or taller you can honestly forget about it.

Track is so narrow & tiny so you can only go so fast, I presume it's an liability/insurance thing.

Why would they bother putting the moving bathtub as part of the test drive? The corporate talking heads must have thought of that one.

jstaneon

Oct 4th, 2009, 07:08 PM

the GTR is garbage anyways. You launch the thing hard 6 times and the transmission breaks. Its so bad they even have a separate maintenance log for how many times you've replaced the transmission.

I'll take a Corvette Z06 over the GTR any day.

DaVibe

Oct 6th, 2009, 12:10 AM

The rule was you must have a full G class license and be 21 or older to act as a driver.

21 as a driver and 21 as a passenger.
I brought my sister's boyfriend who drives his own car every day with a G License and he couldn't even be a passenger in my car ... that sucked for him.

And what I think everyone failed to mention (or at least in the posts that I read) that though the track was short, THEY WANTED you to hammer the cars ... you were by yourself, they don't you to push it and they wanted you to get a feel for the car and the ABS ...

I've never done that before and I would definitely recommend in years to come ;)
Would I consider a Nissan - definitely.