Nissan GT-R competition check

Porsche 911 Turbo

There is a reason why the Porsche 911 Turbo is the GT-R’s arch rival. Both have 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged six cylinder petrol engines. The Porsche’s flat-six churns out 560bhp and 700Nm of torque while the Nissan V6 whips 565bhp of power and 637Nm of torque. The Porsche is lighter than the 1.8-tonne Nissan but the latter gets all-wheel drive and a bunch of electronics to make it a bit faster than the Porsche. With the geeky electronics making their presence felt in the Nissan, the Porsche wins with a purer drive experience.

Maserati GT

The Maserati GT and the Nissan GT-R are poles apart and the only thing that brings them together is probably the price tag. Maserati, typical to its Italian ethos, builds cars to move the soul. The design is beautiful and the lines evocative. It has aggression and style packed in those curves. It gets a 4.2-litre V8 to talk about and the naturally aspirated V8 produces 405bhp of power and 460Nm of torque. But then as they say, it is not about sheer speed for everyone, it is also about the purity of the drive – something that the Maserati has in abundance.

Jaguar F-type R Coupe

The Jaguar F-type, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful automotive designs in the recent years. It has a touch of the classic lines blending gracefully with the modern architecture. The British interpretation of the modern day sports car boasts of the biggest engine of the lot – a 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8. At 543bhp of power and 680Nm of torque, the numbers are close to the GT-R but the Nissan pips it fair and square on the performance front. But then, the electromechanical wizardry does not possess the charm of classic British motoring.