RENO, Nev. -- The first time I thought I had driven too fast into a corner in Nissan's new GT-R, I realized this was not just another high-powered sports car. Instead of plowing toward the outside of the turn, or spitting out its tail, the 2009 GT-R simply hunkered down, gripped harder and saved me from embarrassment with a minimum of drama.

Before driving the GT-R at the remote but challenging Reno Fenway race track in Nevada, I'd heard the talk about this car -- it's quicker than a Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo and can beat exotic supercars many times its price. But talk is cheap and I remained skeptical.

En route to the track, the GT-R showed it could be a relatively docile beast. Even though it has a very serious 480 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V-6, the GT-R drives much like a normal car around town. The dual clutch, six-speed transmission shifts fairly smoothly in automatic mode or pops up and down gears lightening fast with a flick of the steering-wheel-mounted paddles. And there's very little engine noise to disturb the peace, even when I blip the throttle to redline.

That lack of distinctive engine note, however, is one of the few disappointments of the GT-R. Compared to the cool, jet turbine-like howl of a 911 motor at high rpms, or the bellowing roar of a Corvette V-8, the Nissan's exhaust sound, dampened by the turbochargers, is underwhelming.

On smooth roads, with the suspension on its softest setting, the GT-R's ride is not too harsh, although occasional bumps and ruts are keenly felt. Like most of its peers, this car will not win any awards for ride comfort, but then cosseting the occupants is not this Nissan's main purpose in life.

The car's real strengths become clear at the Reno racetrack, a twisting circuit with hills and dips guaranteed to upset a road car's chassis and make the driver sweat. My first observation is that the steering works very well; it's crisp, quick to respond but not twitchy like some supercars. The Nissan turns in sharply at the end of the long, high speed (120 mph plus) straight and I expect to feel understeer or a mild drift from the rear. But neither happens. The combination of the GT-R's sophisticated all-wheel-drive system and the ultra-sticky Bridgestone Potenza tires give the Nissan more grip than virtually any other sports car I have experienced. That wealth of traction is the magic ingredient that turns this $70,000 Nissan into a veritable giant killer.

In normal circumstances, 100 percent of the Nissan's engine torque (a maximum of 460 lb. ft.) is sent to the rear wheels, but when needed, up to 50 percent goes to the front end. The computer brain in charge of the torque split decides based on the difference between the driver's input at the controls and the actual yaw rate of the car. Even when I felt on the edge of losing control, I simply pointed the car in the desired direction, applied more throttle and the GT-R pulled itself out of trouble. I'm pretty sure a 911 would not be so forgiving and I know the Porsche's suspension damping, especially at the front end, is inferior to the tightly controlled Nissan's. And in similar conditions a Corvette has looser steering, more body roll and, due to its rear wheel drive design, a tendency to oversteer.

In terms of sheer acceleration, published numbers suggest that only a Lamborghini Murcielago is quicker from 0 to 60 mph than the GT-R. Nissan's claimed figure is 3.5 seconds, equal to a Mercedes SLR and faster than a million dollar Porsche Carrera GT. At the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany, widely considered the world's benchmark test venue for performance cars, only the Carrera GT records a faster lap time, 7.32 minutes versus the GT-R's 7.38 minutes.

At higher speeds, meaning well over 120 mph, a 911 Turbo, Corvette Z06 and a Viper will pull away from the surprisingly heavy GT-R, because of their superior power and/or larger engine displacement. But at lower speed ranges and on most race tracks the Nissan is likely to be unbeatable, simply because it can put its power down to the ground better than any rival. The GT-R's secret weapon, besides its superior traction, is that it imbues the driver with the confidence to go fast. It complements an expert driver and flatters an average one. To echo Nissan's words, it's engineered for use by anyone, anytime and anywhere.

There is one questionable area in the Nissan's makeup and that is its design. Even the car's most ardent fans inside the company admit that it's not pretty. Nissan designers deliberately echoed the GT-R's heritage of angular, upright styling. You either appreciate it or you do not. Nor is the interior design and finish anything to write home about. The instrument panel is equipped with a neat, multi-function central display (inspired partly by Sony PlayStation's game, which features the GT-R). But its design is disjointed and jumbled visually, and its materials and finish are well below the standard of its rivals.

That said, the Nissan costs just $70,000 -- a little over half the price of a 911 Turbo -- and a fraction of the cost of a Ferrari or other Italian exotic.

Judged purely from a performance and handling perspective, the contest between the GT-R and a 911, or a Corvette, is fairly easy to decide in favor of the Nissan. But aesthetically, the decision is much harder.

In any case, Nissan only plans to sell 2,000 GT-Rs in the U.S. this year, which is well below the typical annual volume achieved here by either the Corvette or the 911. The Nissan's real achievement will be a dramatic resetting of the performance and handling benchmarks for today's top sports cars.