2009 Nissan GT-R review

We could say a lot of things about the GT-R, and how it left us all in an unstable mental condition when the time came to give it back to Nissan. But there's one thing that we can tell you right now that will make you realize how serious this car is: in the GT-R, we measured a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.93 seconds.

In the GT-R, we measured a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.93 seconds.

That tunnel-vision acceleration is matched only by cars costing much more, such as the Porsche 911 Turbo, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murciélago, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and 430 Scuderia as well as other rare superexotics we don't usually see on Canadian roads. The GT-R costs just under $90,000.

Get lost, Paris Hilton
Feeling lonely? Well, driving around in a GT-R is a great to get some attention. Uh, make that a LOT of attention. The Nissan draws more crowds than when we were riding around in an Audi R8, and even the $135,000 Mercedes SL550 that's also gracing our parking lot at the same time feels seriously rejected. Since the GT-R's predecessor, the Skyline, is a video game hero, lots of young people immediately recognize the car.

And since there are so few on the road, we're feeling like being out on a date with a hot celebrity that everybody drools over. We couldn't even stop for gas without being surrounded by people asking questions and taking pictures with their cell phones.

Blistering performance
This car blasts off like it was shot out of a cannon; at the end of the quarter-mile run, which takes only 12.1 seconds, the GT-R is going 185 km/h. Passing power is equally impressive, accelerating from 80 to 120 km/h in only 2.66 seconds. Ouch.

What makes the GT-R achieve such amazing numbers? First, the engine is a twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V6 that develops 480 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. Second is the car's double-clutch sequential transmission that you can leave in automatic mode or shift using the wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Third is the all-wheel drive system that preserves every drop of power that's sent to the wheels.

The engine of the GT-R is a twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V6 that develops 480 horsepower.