A legend among Japanese supercars, Nissan's GT-R finally made it to the US in 2008. Powered by a twin-turbo 3.8L V-6 coupled to a 6-speed dual-clutch transaxle, the all-wheel drive GT-R is one of the highest performance sport coupes available at any price. Each engine is assembled by hand at Nissan's Yokohama engine plant. The latest iteration of the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system varies torque-split from the normal 0:100 to 50:50 (F/R) as road and driving conditions require. Nissan's VDC stability control system and transmission shift mode have three settings controlled by the driver. Brembo disc brakes are at all four wheels, with 6-piston calipers in front and 4-piston calipers at the rear. Dedicated Bridgestone run-flat tires on forged 20-inch alloy wheels are standard: 255/ZRF20 (front) and 285/35ZRF20 (rear). In the cockpit, a complex multi-function display tracks all mechanical and electronic subsystems of the GT-R, and can record vehicle performance data for review. The GT-R was a bargain when first introduced in 2008, but is steadily increasing in price to near supercar levels.

What Changed:

The 2013 GT-R is rated 15-bhp higher at 545.