Notwithstanding its grand, racy looks and Lamborghini-reproduced representation, the R8 is edified sufficient to drive each day. The gutsy 4.2-liter V-8 is plenty unyielding, but the wailing, 525-hp V-10 raises the R8 to Ferrari contender. Stay with the six-speed manual and its open-entryway metal shifter.
The television show Top Gear compared the Nissan GT-R to the R8, and remarked that the R8 was "simultaneously less impressive and yet somehow more involving". On the R8 they wrote that "it rewards driver input", calling it "fantastic in a way that will appeal more to true car enthusiasts", but also remarked that it was "much slower", and the GT-R was cheaper.On their test track, the car performed better than a Lamborghini Gallardo and an Aston Martin DB9.