Nissan Now Offering A Subscription Service For Its Cars – Including The GT-R
Following in the footsteps of Porsche, Nissan has launched a subscription program allowing customers to have almost infinite access to its large portfolio of cars. While this sounds like the deal of the century at a distance, getting up close and personal with the numbers tells a different story. Add on the fact that it’s only available within 20 miles from the South Main neighbourhood of Houston, and this looks more than questionable.
There are two packages to choose from. The first tier costs $699/month and gives you access to the Altima, Rogue, Pathfinder and Frontier. And if this seems expensive, that’s because it is. Despite this monthly payment covering insurance, roadside assistance, regular maintenance, cleaning, and delivery, the Frontier, for example, only costs $270/month to lease. Oh, and I didn’t mention, there’s an activation fee of $495 before you even touch a car.
The second tier sits at $899/month, and it lets you choose between the Maxima, Murano, Armada, Titan, 370Z, Leaf Plus and GT-R. This doesn’t seem so bad when you have access to the GT-R, but Nissan will charge you an extra $100/day to access its halo R35. You also can’t take it for more than 7 consecutive days.
Compare this to Porsche, though, and it seems cheap when access to a 911 or Panamera will cost you $3,000. Although you would get the German badge on your drive the whole month, unlike the GT-R.
Mileage is another concern, with Nissan limiting you to only 2,000 miles (or 180 days) in one specific car. After that, you’ll be forced to choose another car. Thankfully, all the cars you have access to will be in the highest trim level possible, and the marque has promised that all the cars will be this year’s model year, or at a push, the previous year.
When the car is delivered, a concierge will introduce you to the vehicle and show you around its features and technology before you take the keys. But how much are those keys worth to you? After all, the 370Z isn’t the most well-reviewed sports car on the market at the moment, leaving you with 7 days of the GT-R or a host of either SUV crossovers or trucks. And a Leaf.
Putting it like that, this doesn’t seem like the deal of the century Nissan thinks it may be.
