FACTS AT A GLANCE
Nissan GT-R, from £77,995 on the road
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo petrol producing 542bhp and 466lb/ft
Transmission: Six-speed automatic driving all four wheels
Performance: Top speed circa 190mph, 0-62mph in circa 2.7 seconds
Economy: 23.9mpg combined
Emissions: 275g/km of CO2

NISSAN has split the GT-R range into two very different avenues, the hard-as-nails Nismo version to satisfy track day addicts, and this, the newly softened standard car.

The idea is that by softening the suspension, this model will be more GT than R, but with four times the power of an average family hatchback it’s hardly a pussy cat.

Thanks to some remarkable aerodynamics work the GT-R actually cuts through the air like a swallow. Its image, is as potent as ever. The GT-R’s legendary brutality commands awe from everyone who sets eyes on it, and the new Vermillion Red paint job hardly does it any harm.

The boot opens like a laundry basket and there’s actually quite a lot of space for luggage, but since the rear seats are all but useless it’s not like the GT-R will need to excel at carrying pushchairs.

Inside the lushly-appointed cabin, figure-hugging sports seats are swathed in high-quality materials including optional full leather.

Cruising along a French motorway at silly speeds, the new ride quality is a complete revelation. Where the 2013 GT-R was skittish and edgy at speed the new model is astonishingly stable, and on these relatively well-surfaced highways the comfort levels in the suspension’s softest mode are almost at Bentley levels.

But this is still a GT-R and transforms from “cruise” to “missile” in the flick of a couple of aircraft-style toggle switches. The engine becomes ferociously responsive and the slight turbo lag explodes into a monumental surge of turbocharged acceleration.

Corner exit grip from the high-tech four-wheel drive system is incredible too, finding untold levels of traction from the ice-cold hairpins around the ski resort of Val Thorens. At less than £78,000 the GT-R is hardly priced in everyday family car territory, but for the sheer capability on offer against rivals costing almost twice the price, the big Nissan is quite a bargain. It’s now an involving, raucous and intoxicating driving experience.