ROAD WARRIORS.(News)

Byline: DINO DALLE CARBONARE

Thunder toward the corner, and grab the left shift paddle under hard braking. In the blink of an eye, the eight-speed transmission blips the throttle and lands in third gear. Feed power to the Lexus IS-F's 5.0-liter V8, and soak in the bellowing exhaust note while firing out of the corner, with a hint of opposite lock applied to correct slight oversteer. When you pull the right-hand upshift paddle, the gearbox needs only a tenth of a second to grab fourth.

Yes, indeed, if the IS-F is a prequel to future Lexi, the V10-powered LF-A will be one hell of a machine. Lexus is taking the performance game seriously, and this sports sedan is a perfect example. With a year still to pass until the company launches the LF-A supercar, this is the perfect time to pit head-to-head the two most powerful cars that Japan offers today, especially considering that both will be available to U.S. customers.

The tranquil mountains on Japan's Izu peninsula are home to some of the country's best roads, where pavement snakes up and down countless peaks and valleys. It's an enticing venue to test the two cars.

On paper, these machines represent different answers to the performance-car question. Lexus conceived a hot rear-wheel-drive sedan, Nissan a technology-packed all-wheel-drive coupe. Similarities between the two include their prices (the GT-R we drove was fitted with the Premium package and was thus more expensive than the base model) and a mighty thirst for gasoline, especially on these tempting roads.

The GT-R truly shines here, as expected. The car is built to deliver you from point A to point B as fast as possible, no excuses. As you dig deep into its capabilities, your confidence grows exponentially; the GT-R easily absorbs everything you throw at it. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 is ready to play at any point in the rev range; it responds instantly at your foot's prod with almighty acceleration and no turbo lag.

As much as the engine impresses, the gearbox makes this car what it is and provides its character. Located under the rear seats, the dual-clutch six-speed transmission rewards every pull of the paddles with seamless, instant upshifts or sublime rev-matched downshifts. It makes itself heard with a distinct race-car-like whine. The adjustable Bilstein dampers, when set to "normal,'' work hard to absorb road imperfections but still allow the GT-R to plow through every twist at an alarming rate. Bridgestone's RE-070 tires offer tremendous grip, with well more than 1 g ...