But other bystanders unfamiliar with Nissan's new super car openly wondered what all the fuss was about and were surprised that the GT-R has a starting price of $69,850 in the US. The GT-R is currently not sold in India, but can be imported for an estimated cost of Rupees 60 lakhs.

Yes, that's a lot for a Nissan — especially considering it isn't overwhelmingly attractive by most standards. But for a car that can out-accelerate six-figure exotic European sports cars and also beat them around a racetrack, the GT-R is an absolute steal.

It's not surprising that relatively few in the United States and in India have heard of the GT-R, even though this latest version represents the fifth generation. Until now, it has only been sold in Japan, where it was called the Skyline GT-R — "Godzilla" to diehard enthusiasts.

For the uninitiated, its nickname should give some indication of the fearsome international reputation the Skyline GT-R has developed since being introduced in 1989.

The latest GT-R — "Skyline" has been dropped — is poised to take on acclaimed sports cars like the Audi R8, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo. The GT-R's main weapons are a twin-turbocharged 480-horsepower V6 engine and a robust all-wheel-drive system that together produce scorching acceleration.

We drove the Nissan GT-R on challenging mountain roads near Lake Tahoe, Calif., before and after a session at Reno-Fernley Raceway, and came away amazed. The surprisingly friendly GT-R provides super-hero performance without scaring the life out of regular drivers.

The GT-R is not only affordable by super-car standards, it's comfortable and versatile enough to drive every day, in any weather. And compared to a Lamborghini, you won't feel like you have to park it a mile away from the supermarket entrance to avoid door dings.

Just don't be surprised if there's a crowd of worshippers around your car when you return.

Exterior
The Nissan GT-R might perform like a Ferrari, but it looks more like a 350Z, Nissan's other sports car, three months into a muscle-building regimen. Few people would call it beautiful. A slew of other sports cars, from the Dodge Viper SRT10 to the Jaguar XKR Coupe, will turn more heads.

However you feel about its appearance, the Nissan GT-R looks like nothing else on the road. We think its strong Japanese identity and function-over-fashion styling are part of its charm.

The functional side of the GT-R's design is evident throughout. Enormous fender vents extract heat from the brakes and create aerodynamic downforce to keep the front end glued to the road. Racing-style Brembo brakes peek out from behind sinister smoke-gray 20-inch wheels. A carbon-fiber air diffuser at the rear ensures that air flows smoothly around the GT-R's posterior to keep it stable at high speeds.

The GT-R boasts some eye-catching details, including a bulging hood, low-slung roof — Nissan calls it the "aero blade" — and four enormous exhaust outlets.

The trunk is reasonably useful with 8.8 cubic feet of storage space, big enough for two wheeled carry-on suitcases and assorted smaller items.

In addition to the standard run-flat, high-performance summer tires, Nissan offers the GT-R with a choice of all-seasons or Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires.

Interior
Nissan makes an attempt at luxury inside the GT-R, with thickly bolstered bucket seats, metal trim and high-quality leather on the dashboard and doors. But the interior won't be mistaken for that of high-end sports cars like the Audi R8 and Porsche 911.

Like the exterior, the cabin is appealing and functional but hardly a paragon of high design. Then again, there's only so far Nissan can stretch the $70,000 base price, and we're glad they seem to have put most of it into the go-fast bits.

There's a lot going on inside the cabin and not all of it is well integrated. The dashboard is a busy jumble of shapes. A multi-function display, created in part by the software engineers behind the "Gran Turismo" video game, features 11 different information screens that display up to 17 performance parameters, from lateral g-forces and lap times to oil pressure and temperature. Some of those screens smack of gimmickry because they’re nearly impossible to monitor while driving.

Switches on the center console that adjust the all-wheel-drive, suspension and stability control systems are more purposeful and intuitive to use. The Nissan navigation system is also well designed. An optional 11-speaker Bose audio system, included with the GT-R Premium model, sounds great.

Occasionally wonky styling aside, the cabin is a pleasant place to take care of driving business. The seating position is comfortable, the steering wheel is thick and grippy, and the metal-topped shifter or steering wheel-mounted paddles make short work of gear changes.

The back seat is almost uninhabitable by adults, with a serious shortage of head and legroom. But like the jump seats in the back of a Porsche 911, they'll do for toddlers or for petite adults on very short trips.

Performance
You may already know some of the Nissan GT-R's widely publicized numbers: 0-100 kilometers per hour in a scant 3.3 seconds, a quarter-mile sprint in 11.5 seconds, a 310 kmph top speed.

But what makes the GT-R so special isn't just that it goes fast in a straight line. In April, a Nissan test driver circled the renowned 13-mile Nürburgring race circuit in Germany — long used as a performance testing ground for serious sports cars — in 7 minutes and 29 seconds. That's the fastest lap of any mass-produced, street-legal car in history, besting such mighty beasts as the $1.5 million Bugatti Veyron, the $440,000 Porsche Carrera GT, and every Corvette, Ferrari and Lamborghini to attempt the feat.

At Reno-Fernley Raceway, the Nissan tempered its furious capabilities with a gentle demeanor like few cars we've tested. Its sophisticated all-wheel-drive and stability-control systems monitor acceleration, braking and cornering forces and send torque to the wheels that need it most. The result is a car that can be tossed into turns — and then explode out of them — with none of the unsettled feeling that plagues many high-powered cars and makes them intimidating to drive fast. Instead of frightening drivers, the GT-R lets them have fun.

It all starts with the hand-built, 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that is smaller and lighter than other engines with similar power output. It uses advances like specially coated cylinders that are lighter than traditional iron ones, thus reducing engine heat and weight while increasing power and fuel efficiency. Even though fuel efficiency isn't a top priority for sports cars, the GT-R does meet ultra-low emissions standards.

If forced to find a flaw, we'd single out the engine's exhaust note. It's too genteel and not befitting the GT-R's roaring performance.

The Nissan GT-R's six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission is a technical marvel. It's similar to Audi's direct sequential gearbox (DSG), and also the transmission in the Bugatti Veyron (Audi/Volkswagen owns Bugatti). In these types of transmissions, there is no clutch pedal for the driver to engage, but they're not technically the same as an automatic transmission.

Audi doesn't offer DSG on its $109,000 R8, claiming the transmission couldn't handle so much power and torque. Yet Nissan somehow managed it on a car with 60 horsepower more and a price that's lower by $40,000.

By using two separate clutches, one for odd and one for even gears, the GT-R's transmission is able to pre-engage gears above and below the one in use to pull off shifts that are lightning-quick yet incredibly smooth. So, for example, when you're in third gear, the clutch that controls the even gears pre-engages second and fourth in anticipation of an up-shift or down-shift.

Compared to single-clutch automated manual transmissions like on BMWs, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, a dual-clutch transmission operates much more smoothly in full-auto mode, where shifts are made automatically without driver input. This is a boon for normal driving around town.

See photos of the Nissan GTR

The GT-R's transmission has a three-way control switch with settings for normal, racing and snow. Racing mode produces the quickest shifts. There's also a hill-start assist feature that holds the GT-R steady on inclines until you press the gas.

Despite extensive use of weight-saving aluminum and carbon fiber, the Nissan GT-R still checks in at a hefty 3,836 pounds, about 600 pounds more than rivals like the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911.

Part of this heft comes from the extra mechanical parts required by the all-wheel-drive system, and still more comes from the equipment and insulation that makes the GT-R a competent daily driver.

An adjustable Bilstein suspension features comfort, normal and race settings. The ride is decidedly firm, even in the comfort setting, and the wide tires on 20-inch wheels seem to seek out nooks and crannies in the road, tugging at the steering wheel. That being said, the Nissan GT-R has a less punishing ride than some other purpose-built sports cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Another trick feature is launch control, which is the secret to the GT-R's incredible 3.3-second blast to 100 kmph. The feature is enabled by switching stability control off and setting the suspension to race mode. Then, with the brakes engaged to keep the car from moving, the driver revs the engine. The GT-R's engine maintains 4,500 rpm until the brakes are released and the gas pedal pressed to the floor, at which point the Nissan barks its rear tires and hurtles forward at breakneck speed. It's almost completely foolproof. Unless the power takes you by surprise and you fly off into the weeds.

Ultimately, it's this ease of use that is the Nissan GT-R's reason for being, a quality that has fanatics drooling and some dealers reportedly adding tens of thousands of dollars to the list price. Nissan's Godzilla is designed to chase down and chew up Ferraris and Porsches and make their drivers wonder why they paid so much more.

Is the Nissan GT-R for you?

Buy the GT-R if	You want maximum performance for minimum cash.
Who Fits?	Two adults at the front, plus enough space for two children at the back. Plenty of legroom and knee room for the front passengers. Boot accommodates enough luggages for two people on a multi-day trip.
Closest Competitors	Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe,Porsche 911 Turbo,Audi R8.
Did you know?	The GT-R's current layout — all-wheel drive and a twin-turbo V6 — dates back to 1989, but the GT-R name can be traced back to 1969, when it was a trim level of the humble Skyline sedan.

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