Supercars are great for posing in front of night clubs, but in the real world of kids, traffic jams, rising fuel prices, global warming and speed humps, they're as useful as a penknife in a swordfight.
Take the quintessential supercar, the Lamborghini Murciélago, for example. Getting in and out of this king of supercars is nearly impossible for anybody over 45. The car is fantastically good-looking, but not particularly comfortable or practical. Granted, it's astonishingly quick but it's heavy, cumbersome and extremely tricky to drive at high speed.
With its mad scissor doors, the Murcié insists you do things its way. And, make no mistake, it will make you pay in a big way if you don't. And to own a car that's not green, user-friendly or comfortable, you have to part with some 1.4 million of your hard-earned dirhams.
So being the purveyor of sensible motoring, Nissan decided to get in on the act and build an every-day supercar that would be undemanding on shopping trips, blow the owner's mind on a track day and yet cost no more than a premium German saloon. Ergo: The GT-R.
We've read great things about the GT-R's performance, and how it will lap the Nurburgring faster than a 911 Turbo or a Ferrari F430. But what's even more dramatic than its performance figures is the bog-standard stuff.
The GT-R is astonishing not because it's faster around some racetrack in Germany than some supercar. It's because the Nissan is great at the everyday, un-supercar stuff as well.
You sit high up in the car, the outward visibility is fantastic and driving around town feels remarkably ordinary. This is like the Infiniti G37, you catch yourself thinking.
Moreover, despite the face-bending performance, the GT-R meets Japan's strict Ultra Low Emissions Standard (ULEV), and returns about 24mpg if you're careful with the throttle.
And there's more: The GT-R's back seats will seat two, albeit very small adults, and the boot has enough room for your weekly shopping. As an every-day car, the GT-R works almost as well as a Nissan Sunny.
Obviously, it doesn't look like a dull family saloon, because of its curious styling. This is not a car that you'll fall in love with because of the way it looks. An Alfa Romeo is a perfect example of more style, less substance, but the GT-R is the other way round.
The styling was almost entirely dictated by aerodynamics, says Nissan. And I'm surprised it has still managed to make it look as good as it does. It doesn't try to look like an Italian supercar, and has a distinctively Japanese look. It's almost like a futuristic, robot car. It is hugely striking in the metal, without being brash or over-the-top. It looks purposeful, even subdued. And the car is huge.
Surprisingly, though, the sensible stuff hasn't neutered the GT-R's performance. The 3.8-litre V6 officially develops 485bhp, but owners who have dyno tested the car claim it makes power north of 570bhp at the wheels.
Takumi tales
The source of this staggering power is, of course, the engine. The V6 is hand-built by the an elite band of craftsmen, dubbed the Takumi. Naturally, the more engines the Takumi build, the sharper they get at the job. This means that, even though all engines adhere to stringent quality standards, the newer ones are slightly different and slightly better.
The engine is then mated to a double-clutch transmission, which is optimised to work with a particular engine. This painstaking attention to detail pays dividends on the move.
With launch control, the GT-R will power from standstill to 100kph in 3.4seconds — or even faster. That's quicker than a Zonda F, which costs as much as a Bugatti Veyron.
Drive line
Obviously, power figures are a meaningless collection of numbers, if the car doesn't feel rapid. But the GT-R does — it feels blindingly quick. Switch the gearbox to manual, all-wheel drive system, suspension and traction control to race ‘R' mode and floor the accelerator pedal. The GT-R takes off without as much as a chirp of wheel-spin. Although there's a hint of turbo lag for a second or so, as soon as the boost builds up the GT-R pushes you violently into your seat.
It feels exactly like in an air-craft before take off.
But, thankfully, the GT-R doesn't take off. In fact, it pushes harder on to the road the faster you go. With its flat, carbon-fibre underbelly, and massive rear spoiler, the GT-R is one of the few cars in the world that actually produces downforce. That, coupled with the ATTESA all-wheel drive system, which transfers torque to the wheel that needs it the most, gives the GT-R an extremely sure-footed feel.
Even though the 1,730kg GT-R is a heavy car — and you feel some of the weight in corners — it never feels unnerved or wallowy — thanks to a plethora of clever electronics. It's almost like driving a car on a Playstation — the only difference is you can spin the car in the game.
This might sound like doe-eyed dribbling, but the GT-R really is that good. I haven't driven a car that feels as quick and comfortable at the same time. My only grouse is over the slightly low-rent plastics in the cabin, which were presumably used to keep the cost down.
But that hasn't helped the UAE pricing much, as the car is expected to retail at a very un-Nissan-like Dh425,000. That's just 30K less than its arch rival, the 911 Turbo, which is almost as quick, but much nicer inside. Moreover, it's a Porsche. That means, despite the GT-R's ability, badge snobs might still take issue.
Verdict
Despite the high price, I would still pick the GT-R over the 911 because, to drive, it feels like absolutely no other car out there. Every petrolhead should experience the fury of the GT-R at least once, even if they can't afford to buy one.
Nissan has been making a noise about the GT-R's performance, and despite the hyperbole, the GT-R is actually much better than its maker claims. Honest.