2012 Nissan GT-R

Nissan’s a marque that’s been on quite a roll in the past few years. They’ve been resurgent since the revised 350Z came onto the scene, scaring BMW Z4 owners with its sonorous 313bhp V6 in 2006. Since then we’ve seen the absurdly capable, supercar-slaying GT-R, the new 370Z, the hugely popular Qashqai and a whole host of eco-friendly cars such as the innovative (if a little overpriced) Leaf.

Although the indomitable GT-R has been around for a few years now, in 2012 specification the car has had its 3.8-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 massaged to give 542bhp; up 12bhp on last year’s model. The slight increase in power comes courtesy of a revised intake system and new valves, which promise to sharpen throttle response and be harder-charging past 5000rpm. It’s also good for 199mph.

Its gearbox has been honed further as well, so the already fast-acting paddle-shift changes are even quicker than before. Along with other changes to its set-up including revised dampers and stiffer springs, it’s fair to say it’s had a thorough going over. Annual revisions to models are usually insignificant, but the 2012 GT-R has been typically engineered to within an inch of its life to build upon its already formidable reputation.

It truly is a fascinating machine on every level. It's a technological wonder that's loaded with computing wizardry, and it's also monumentally fast in a way that it has no right to be. Sure, you’d expect it to be fast with 542bhp of twin-turbo grunt, but this car weighs a massive 1740kgs, so its 0-60mph claim of 2.8 seconds is quite hard to get your head around. It's that correlation between the power and weight that simply doesn't add up. The GT-R has no right to be as accelerative as it is; really there’s only the Bugatti Veyron that can match its brutal acceleration figures to 100mph. With launch control engaged there’s no fuss, just supreme tractability and this is its party piece as it's flawless off the line. For the record, 0-100mph takes just 7.1 seconds…

However, for all of its undoubted pace, it does lack in certain departments. There is an edge to the big GT-R’s look that gives it a menacing stance, but it can’t hope to compete with any flamboyant Italian offerings. You get the sense that the GT-R has been designed by an engineer, not a designer. From behind, it has the obligatory Skyline quad rear-light style that we’ve seen on the iconic R32, R33, and the R34. From the side, its coupe-style roof gives cohesion to the shape, and from the front it's a mean looking thing with chiselled bonnet vents to cool its large-capacity V6.

Inside, again it’s a disappointment. The Recaro seats are supportive and are its only saving grace, as the design’s generally cluttered and busy, with a plethora of buttons that access the car’s performance graphs, g-meters, pressure gauges and lap timers. Its driving position is undeniably good however.

Settle into the comfy bucket seat, put your right foot on the brake, press the small but vibrant red starter button on the transmission tunnel and the V6 clears its throat with a dry rasp that, strangely, sounds very like that of a Porsche flat-six. It’s got that same gruff, nasally tone emanating from it.

In manual mode, all that's required is a gentle pull on the right F1-style paddle behind the steering wheel, lift off the brake, and with a bit throttle you're away. It really is as easy as that. Contrary to what people may think, these new-generation, supremely useable supercars are just so easy to get in and drive.

It doesn’t take long to tap into the GT-R’s magic. Second gear acceleration is phenomenal; there’s no other word for it. From 30 to 70mph there's not much that could cope with its devastating turn of pace. The torque is the other notable part of the GT-R experience; it is spread out between 3200-5800rpm so there's always pulling power available wherever you are in its rev-range, and the pick-up is as brutally urgent as you'd expect. With the power band as wide as it is, turbo lag simply isn’t an issue unless you’re at really low revs. Its character is spookily familiar to a naturally aspirated engine as although there is that inevitable twin-turbo kick in its delivery, it revs to over 7000rpm as well and so the power continues.

Combined with the accurate and communicative steering, this agility helps to make the car feel lighter and smaller than you know it is. The GT-R manages to feel sharper and lighter than ever when you show it corners, and you'd swear that it was 300kgs lighter than it actually is. Turn-in is beautifully direct, its traction is spectacular and the security of its four-wheel-drive means there’s an invisible safety net. Pair of all this with the GT-R’s absurd levels of grip and you’re left with something that alters any pre-conceived perceptions of the term 'fast'.

The car’s launch control is something that just baffles your mind as well. Put your left foot on its brake, have a glance at the read out on its centre console which tells you if you’re applying 100% pressure on its pedal, bury your right foot into the carpet, and then it holds at 4000rpm awaiting your next move. Lift your left foot off its brake and what comes next is something extraordinary as the car’s technological genius just grips and goes. All that’s left to do is hold on for dear life as the G-forces build and shove you back violently into the Recaro seat. It’ll execute flawless sub three second sprints to 60mph all day long.

So then, it's got all bases covered. It's perfectly capable at dealing with the mundane stuff, and utterly brilliant when you're in the mood to get to know the car’s abilities. It somehow manages to lose a few-hundred kilos on the move and turns into a manic, brute of a machine at anything above 4000rpm. If out-and-out performance is your thing, for £75,000 the 2012 GT-R is simply unbeatable. Sure, its cabin lacks in quality when compared to its German rivals, but all of that’s forgotten when you feel the GT-R’s unrelenting surge of power. Most importantly, it just immediately feels special, and that’s surely what this car’s all about.

Nissan Juke-R

What happens when you cross a supercar-slaying, performance icon of its generation, with a popular family SUV? Although they might at first appear to be a ludicrous pairing, using elements from both has created something extraordinary.

Complete with its 480bhp GT-R sourced 3.8 twin-turbocharged V6, it’s quite hard to get your head around at first. The Juke is an odd-looking thing in its tamest of guises, but when it’s dressed in sinister matte black, sat on those familiar 20-inch GT-R alloy wheels and with a whole host of aero enhancements, there’s no denying it’s taken on some of the GT-R’s menacing styling cues and it's worked well.

Open the back doors and you’re not greeted by the usual rear seats. Your eyes meet a full competition-spec roll cage, and there are five-point harnesses for the front OMP bucket seats. It’s a bizarre thing to behold.

Getting into the driving position is quite an arduous task in itself. Once you’ve negotiated your legs over the roll cage bar, you’re immediately clasped in by the seat. It’s certainly a snug fit, but once you’re harnessed in and anticipation levels are at an all-time high, you brace yourself for what’s to come.

As with the GT-R, it’s easy to move off the line as it shares the same semi-auto gearbox. It’ll shuffle along through its speeds with consummate ease. It’s a strange thing as your eyes recognise the familiar Juke interior cues but then they catch things such as the GT-R rev counter, the speedo, and the GT-R–style G-meter screen which tells you everything you could ever need to know about how the car's behaving.

So what does a 480bhp Nissan Juke feel like on full power? It’s absolutely bonkers. Stamp on the throttle and as with its bigger brother, there’s instant traction and instantaneous momentum generated by that fantastic engine. It’s not quite as fast as the GT-R, but there are many similar characteristics in the two cars.

First up, the brutality in the way they pile on speed is evident. Zero to 60mph takes just 3.7 seconds in the Juke-R, so it’s supercar fast. Then, because the two share the same four-wheel-drive set-up, that invincible point-to-point pace is there as well. It’s also got that same feel to its responses when you’re pushing its limits as it manages to feel hugely lighter than it actually is. At 1806kg, it’s a heavy car, but you’d swear the car’s a few-hundred kilos lighter once it’s on the move. The noise is louder in the Juke-R, as inside it’s much more pseudo-racer than the GT-R is. Although there are no race-spec materials to the touch, its hip-hugging seat and harness immediately gives the driver a completely different mind-set, as opposed to the relative luxury you're used to in the GT-R.

The rear’s much more playful in the Juke-R, too. It’ll understeer at first, and then oversteer if you’re overly ambitious with the throttle. It’s not the confidence-killing type of inconsistency though, as it’s very easy to judge on the limit and the four-wheel-drive offers its driver a huge margin for error.

As Nissan only commissioned two of these incredible cars to be made, I’m honoured to have been given the opportunity to drive the Juke-R. Its engineers, RML, ought to be extremely proud of what they’ve achieved with their interpretation of the humble Juke. It shares many similarities with the sensational GT-R, but also manages to have a unique character of its own. The Juke-R truly is a revolutionary and hugely memorable creation, and although it was never destined to make it into full production, the Juke crossover is clearly a capable basis for handling a sportier set-up.