Nissan GT-R is impressive, but for $77,000 it should be perfect

— -- You want to love the 2009 Nissan GT-R supercar because it's just so wickedly fast, especially for the price, and filled with the kind of gadgets a factory never has given driving enthusiasts — G meters, for instance, so you can tell how forcefully you're cornering, braking, accelerating.

And how can you fail to be impressed by its engine — never mind the awesome power — that is hand-built, Nissan says, in an environmentally controlled clean room by a single technician? Or the optional Super Silver paint: seven coats, baked five times, hand-rubbed.

Or the six-speed automatic that's tuned to shift as fast as a Formula 1 racer?

That's the kind of stuff that warms the ol' cockles.

But, lordy, what a harsh personality the GT-R has.

The people who know and love the GT-R — a passionate cabal — surely will say that anybody not sharing their enthusiasm "doesn't get it." GT-R did, after all, win Motor Trend magazine's 2009 Car of the Year, though it wasn't a finalist in the respected North American Car of the Year balloting by auto journalists representing dozens of publications. Main braggin' point: It outperforms cars priced tens of thousands of dollars more.

Very impressive. No question.

But, c'mon, for a starting price of about $77,000, shouldn't the power-window switches and the inside door handles be easy to reach? Shouldn't the high-falutin' dual-clutch transmission engage more gently than a whack in the back by a Caterpillar D9? Or the shift lever move toward the words "manual" and "automatic" to choose your mode instead of going one way only? Shouldn't the outside door handles be easier to grab and yank?

Can't there be some technology in this high-tech showpiece that gives those who live where there are real roads with real bumps a smoother ride than the so-called comfort setting on the adjustable suspension? ("Comfort is a relative term, isn't it," acknowledges Nissan's U.S. product chief Larry Dominique.) High performance is no excuse for lack of utility and ergonomic elegance.

Wait, wait, go back: $77,000? A Nissan? Not something sold by its Infiniti luxury brand?

You read right. Mainstream Nissan has a car that expensive. This is the same company that sells a $9,990 economy car in the U.S.? Implausible but true.

OK, here's what you need to know for GT-R to make sense (sort of).

It's an iconic high-performance car never before sold in the U.S. A start-from-scratch design, it's no longer a derivative of the Japan-market Skyline coupe.

The car has been raised to hero status by its appearance in The Fast and the Furious movies.

Though expensive, it's nevertheless tens of thousands of dollars less than cars of similar performance. In fact, there aren't many cars of similar performance: GT-R boasts an amazing 480 horsepower, good for about 195 mph flat out, and an unimaginably brisk, 3.3-second sprint from standstill to 60 mph, according to Motor Trend.

The fury's marshaled commendably with a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system that can shift up to half the power to the front wheels to prevent the short, stubby, high-performance tires turning into smoke and molten rubber. Too, it stops on a dime and gives you 9 cents change. Takes square corners briskly, no sweat.

Nissan says GT-R can be used by "anyone, any time, anywhere."

But it can be like riding a balky horse. The young and restless probably don't mind making a mount mind its manners, but for others, it can get tiresome.

The GT-R suffered by comparison with an Audi TTS test car on hand about the same time, because the TTS (subject of a future Test Drive) went like blazes, stopped great, had sure-footed all-wheel drive, was priced about $25,000 less and, most important, was an easy delight to drive. No, its 155-mph, electronically limited top speed doesn't match GT-R's, nor does the Audi's 4.9-second run to 60 mph threaten GT-R's sprint. But unless you own a racetrack for weekend frolics, the differences are theoretical.

Enough about TTS, or we'll having nothing left to say.

One thing you get in the GT-R and nowhere else is a customizable instrument panel. You can decide what gauges to display in the four or five windows on any given screen, then shift among 11 such screens.

You might never even drive the GT-R. Just sit in the driveway twirling the knob, grinning like a kid who got that pony for Christmas.

Should you exercise the beast, you'll dislike the pause, then slam-bang engagement of the drivetrain common when you first drive off. And unless you live where roads are smooth, you'll probably have complaints about the very, very stiff suspension. Quite a few of today's go-fast cars have suspensions that allow race-car cornering without a go-kart ride as a punishing trade-off. You'll mutter about the design and placement of handles and switches.

But you will absolutely thrill to the powerful acceleration that seems never to stop. You'll run out of nerve or roadway before the car runs out of punch. (Kids, don't try that on public roads.) And you'll feel empowered by the car's stability in most conditions.

The Nissan was fun, sure. Lots of fun. And its use of technology was impressive. But it was disappointing in its almost aggressive disregard for human comfort and convenience.

2009 NISSAN GT-R

•When? Delivered to first (eager) U.S. buyer July 7.

•Where? Made in Japan, using engine hand-assembly by a single technician in, Nissan says, climate-controlled clean room. Sold by only 600 or so of Nissan's 1,100 dealers, who are certified as having special training to sell and service the complex machine.

•Why? Hope that years of clamor from U.S. hot shoes will translate into sales and profits.

•How much? Base model is $77,840, Premium is $80,090 including $1,000 shipping. Those are big jumps from launch prices of $70,850 Base, $72,900 Premium. Rising raw materials costs and sheer demand, Nissan explains.

•How many? Only about 2,500 a year planned, though 1,824 were sold the first six months.

•How powerful? Oh, boy: 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 rated 480 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 430 pounds-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm. Power is routed through six-speed, dual-clutch, automatic transmission with manual-shift mode and all-wheel drive able to send up to 50% of power to front wheels, as needed.

Tests by auto-enthusiast publications show a top speed of about 195 mph and 0-60 sprint in 3.3 seconds. Blazing.

•How fancy? Tech-laden and more-or-less luxurious. Leather, navi, power everything, custom-configurable instrument panel display, massive brakes. Surprisingly, no side-impact or head-curtain air bags on base model.

•How big? Compact outside, subcompact inside, full size on the scales. In inches: 183.1 long, 74.9 wide, 54 tall, on 109.4 wheelbase. In cubic feet: passenger space, 79.4; trunk 8.8. Ignore the back seat; it's all but useless. Weight in pounds: Base, 3,836; Premium, 3,858. Rated to carry just 485 pounds of people, cargo, accessories. Turning circle, 36.6 feet.

•How thirsty? Rated 16 miles per gallon in town, 21 on the highway, 18 in combined driving. Test car's trip computer showed 15.7 in suburban use. Yee-hah driving, measured separately on less-precise gauge, showed about 11 mpg. Easy to imagine single-digit mpg in intense driving.

Premium fuel is specified (and if you're too cheap to buy premium, you shouldn't have this car). Tank holds 19.5 gallons.

•Overall:Sterling performance, tarnished personality.