2012 Nissan GTR

Rarely is one afforded the opportunity to pilot a car that can reach speeds of nearly 200 mph and hit 60 from a dead stop in the 3-second range. Doing so changes the way you think about modern transportation, given the rest of it goes by so slowly in comparison.

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That the 2012 Nissan GT-R costs less than $100,000 while achieving performance that usually costs at least twice that boggles the mind — and being able to drive it so easily blew my mind.

For 2012, the GT-R has received a number of updates, both performance and cosmetic.

Performance

Nissan has created a performance machine that is stunning for two significant reasons.

The first is the car's sheer ability. Its all-wheel-drive system puts the twin-turbo V-6 engine's 530 horsepower to the pavement superbly. Teamed with an independent rear suspension and the grip of 20-inch high-performance summer tires, the all-wheel drive made cornering at the limits mere child's play.

There's no highway off-ramp this cart can't take like a racetrack carousel (absent other traffic, of course).

That sublime handling comes in second, though, to the sheer acceleration. I told everyone I met during my test drive — countless people stopped to ask me about the car — that it wasn't the zero-to-60 time that was so impressive, it was zero to 80 or 90. The GT-R launches so powerfully that your mind cannot fathom the speed — or likely even register it — before you hit 60. The real feat is slowing down before any legal ramifications are enacted on you.

Your head snaps back with enough intensity to cause whiplash as the GT-R easily hits 1 g of force shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear using titanium paddles behind the steering wheel. How can you tell it's a full g of force? Handy display screens show acceleration, braking and cornering forces.

Luckily, the massive 15.4-inch brake rotors up front and 15-inch rotors in the rear slow the GT-R down precisely.

Of course, with this much handling and performance ability, there has to be a sacrifice somewhere, and that's in ride comfort. Thanks to the rigid setup, drivers will feel every road imperfection, hear every pebble they kick up and curse any concrete highway they're forced to travel.

There's a switch labeled "comfort" placed amid settings that can adjust the transmission and stability control system. Unlike the other two options, I don't believe the comfort setting accomplished much. Driving in comfort mode, I was still painfully aware of every crack in the road, like a kid playfully calling out about breaking your mother's back. Which you might do if she's riding shotgun in the GT-R.

During the first few days of my test drive, I thought the ride quality would sour me on the rest of the experience. I generally prefer a good mix of performance and comfort, as you'll never wring out the abilities of a car like the GT-R on anything but a track.

By day six, though, I had nearly talked myself into buying a GT-R despite the abusive ride. There isn't anything I desired south of $200,000, except maybe an Audi R8 GT, and that car is nearly $50,000 more than the GT-R. Plus, while more exotic, it doesn't have the Nissan's velocity.