Nissan's GT-R is not the most powerful car we've tested. It's also not the most expensive - not by a long shot - and probably not the sexiest car you've ever seen yet it's become a living legend in supercar circles at a fraction of the price of its competitors.
So what's a R1.175-million Japanese supercar like to drive?
Step into Godzilla (another common name for the GT-R, especially with 10 to 20-year-olds) and you're greeted with an environment familiar to other current Nissans - similar colours, materials and fonts written on all of its many rectangular buttons.
Atop the fascia is a palm-sized screen that, besides displaying dull things such as radio and aircon settings, monitors every temperature, pressure, steering input and g-force at any given moment and displays it in video game-like animation. No coincidence that it was programmed by the developers of PlayStation games such as Gran Turismo.
Never heard of it? Ask your 10 to 20-year-old.
However, ignore that for now because the red start button behind the gear selector is far more important. Push it and the 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V6 fires up with an unassuming burble. More assuming is the clatter emanating from beneath the car where the semi-auto transmission's six forward gears and dual clutches are warming up in preparation for a battering.
If you've ever heard a proper racing car idle or splutter slowly through the pits you'll know that suspicious noises are common. The GT-R is no different. In traffic, where it hates to be, you'll hear what sounds like a lot of slack between the crankshaft, gearbox and two differentials, front and rear.
The rattle is especially evident when the mechanicals are operating cold; it's a groggy beast if not woken properly. That screen's digital needles will let you know when the car's had enough foreplay and is ready to really rock 'n roll.
You now need to choose the kind of trip you're about to make. There are three toggle switches just under the radio that control gearbox sharpness, shock-absorber stiffness and VDC stability control. If you actually own a GT-R you can ignore the third (off) setting for the VDC because selecting it means Nissan will void your warranty.
I found myself flicking the switches quite often, depending on my mood, but by far the most popular was with all three up in R mode.
PREPARE FOR A RUSH
All those noisy inner workings, and there are a lot of them, will start to harmonise once put under pressure; adding to the mechanical whine filling the cabin is an electronic one much like a high-pitched radio frequency that re-iterates the GT-R's Japanese personality.
Push the throttle, even a little, and prepare for a rush. For a moment, just long enough for the turbos to gasp a big breath, there's an eerie calm but before you know it the scenery is passing in a blur.
There's a lot of power here. Acceleration happens with a relentless surge, all the while tracking straight and true and not hesitating for the slightest stutter between gears. The speedometer needle, which points near straight down at 120km/h, sweeps clockwise as if determined to peg 300 whether you or the Metro like it or not.
As I said earlier, this is not, at 357kW/588Nm, the most powerful car we've driven but it is the quickest we've yet monitored with our V-box test equipment. Even quicker than the Audi R8 V10.
'WE'LL LET YOU KNOW...'
Our acceleration test revealed a 4.4sec best to 100km/h and, although we're more than pleased with that number, we can't help but wonder if we could have reached Nissan's claim of less than four had the launch control system's revs been set higher than 2000rpm.
A Nissan spokesperson said only the car and all its sensors would decide when the engine was properly run-in (our test unit had covered 5000km) and allow an uninhibited, all systems go, launch. (Yes, we'll take you up on the offer to re-test later, Nissan!)
Denis Droppa adds...
Seeing that Godzilla has become famous for its heroic antics around the Nurburgring, we took the car to Kyalami and our sub two-minute laps confirmed that this Nissan isn't just a straight-line specialist.
Though heavy, the GT-R feels forgiving when driven hell-for-leather through the turns, with a neutral balance on the limit that allows it to be flicked between understeer and oversteer at will.
The steering's beautifully weighted and the electronic nannies keep you out of the kitty litter without being overbearingly intrusive.
At half the price of a similarly powered German sports car and a third the price of an Italian one, the Nissan GT-R is a sports car bargain.- Star Motoring