First-timers driving a $100,000 Nissan GT-R will want to go in search of a wide, open space -- some sort of long, flat stretch of asphalt. An empty, abandoned parking lot will work. A drag strip is ideal. A disused B-52 base wouldn't be bad, either. You'll need a bit of room before you start the checklist to unleash the brutal side of this car.
Once there, come to a complete stop, then look down to the center console. First, find the transmission control switch (it's on the left) and hold it up until a red light comes on. This makes the shifting more aggressive, and you're going to want that. Next is the suspension switch, to the right. Holding that up rewards you with another red light, firming up the adjustable dampers at all four corners. Then the traction control switch on the far side. Again, hold it up until a third and final red light appears.
Now, left foot firmly on the brake, right foot hard on the gas. Watch the revs rise before completing the most important step: place your head back against the headrest. Then, take a deep breath and ponder the beauty of human existence before slipping your left foot off the brake pedal and enjoying the sensation of your internal organs rearranging as the world around you blurs.
When prepped like this and fired from its launch control, the Nissan GT-R will sprint to 60 mph from a full stop in under three seconds. That's a stat few machines on the road can hope to match, an experience few drivers will ever be lucky enough to have. Maybe that's for the best, as such a ride irrevocably corrupts your expectations for vehicular performance.
That this car happens to be a remarkably civilized machine otherwise is really quite an engineering feat, and it starts with a somewhat bland appearance. Though the exterior profile of the GT-R is enough to make a gearhead swoon, to the uninitiated it looks unassuming. I asked the opinions of many people and few had any idea of the monstrous performance lurking beneath this thing's skin. The styling here is aggressive in a typical Nissan way, but not overwhelmingly so.
All the visual performance cues are there, though none scream for your attention. Wheels are large, as are the brakes within, but the gold-painted calipers are far more subtle than the red and gold you'll find on many other cars at this level. Yes, there's a small wing on the trunk, but it wouldn't look out of place on a family sedan. Even the dual NACA ducts on the hood barely draw the eye. The Nissan GT-R is no sleeper, but neither is it pretentious.
That said, it also isn't an attractive car according to most of those people I spoke with. It is certainly imposing, an impressive visual testament to modern automotive technology, but beautiful it is not. Thankfully, its performance more than makes up for any aesthetic shortcomings.
While the bulk of that performance comes courtesy the 545-horsepower engine slung under the hood, as much credit must be given to the advanced drivetrain wedged in underneath. At the rear of the car is a dual-clutch, six-speed transmission, spun by a driveshaft that runs from front to rear. That transaxle splits power between the back wheels and a second driveshaft, which runs up to another differential in the front.
