Nissan GT-R (R35)

We couldn't wait to drive the real R35 Nissan GT-R, so months ago we picked up Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which has a virtual GT-R. Unlike the in-game car, whose engine sounds hopelessly generic, the real GT-R's sound is dominated by its turbos. The 3.8-litre V6 isn't particularly loud or throaty, but when you give it some gas, the twin turbochargers whirr up like turbines. We tapped the gas while getting on a freeway, and by the time we had a chance to glance at the speedometer we were already doing 100km/h. The GT-R reaches 60 mph (96km/h) in 3.5 seconds

Handling wise the GT-R is truly phenomenal. To get the GT-R out of sorts, it takes the kind of driving you can only do in a controlled environment. We threw it into one particularly good corner with some speed, and felt the grip loosen for a fraction of a second, then get taken up by the all-wheel drive.

The GT-R uses a six-speed double-clutch manual transmission. There is no clutch pedal, as the dual clutches are controlled by computer. You can set it for either automatic shifting or manual, using the column-mounted paddle shifters to change gears. The car's automatic mode is designed for economy, rapidly shifting up to sixth gear even when you are only going 55km/h. In manual mode, the GT-R's shifts are visceral and solid. You can feel each one through the car as you push the left paddle for down or the right paddle for up.

Step inside the cabin and you'll notice the many race car touches, like the deep front seats that embrace you. The flat, metallic spokes of the GT-R's sterring wheel handle mundane functions, like the cruise control and audio system. Our U.S.-spec GT-R was kitted with a 11 speaker Bose system, which sounded very good but it has a lot of road noise to conquer. The system didn't flinch at heavy bass and reproduced highs nicely, although the sound was slightly compressed.