GT-R

Make
Nissan
Segment
Coupe

Way back in 2007, the R35 Nissan GT-R carried a sticker price of around $78,000. Jump forward to today and Nissan has just announced that its GT-R flagship, the 2017 GT-R Nismo, will start at $174,990. Yes, that's more than double what the '07 GT-R cost, but the Nismo is a hell of a lot more machine. Thing is, the 2017 GT-R Nismo also costs $25,000 more than last year's model, which had an MSRP of $151,585. What's different and supposedly better this year? Lots, actually.

The 2017 GT-R Nismo benefits from all of the updates the "standard" GT-R receives for 2017, including new front and rear end styling, a more refined interior with an 8-inch touchscreen and better build materials overall. The base GT-R will also go up in price by about $8,220 from last year but, again, those aforementioned updates are worth it and, not to mention, there's a bit more power coming from the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6. The GT-R Nismo, however, will continue to produce 600 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque. For 2017 it'll receive exclusive leather-upholstered Recaro seats, a unique Nismo Alcantara steering wheel, carbon fiber rear spoiler, and red-accented carbon fiber ground effects.

Do a quick comparison, for example, of the updated GT-R Nismo's price tag to that of the Porsche 911 Turbo S, which begins at just under $190,000. Both are AWD supercars and now that the GT-R Nismo sports those much needed refinements it's become a more effective competitor to the 911 Turbo S. In fact, some may even see it as a bargain. Either way, the R35 GT-R has come a long way since its "2007 affordable supercar" beginning.