Drive | Lexus LFA
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can the LFA justify Lexus’s first supercar is finally ready to go on sale. But ie Corstorphine its $375k-plus price tag? Yes, and then some, says Jam
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exus is not messing about. After six years of development, including at least one major rethink along the way, the firm’s LFA supercar is finally ready and there is to be no gentle introduction. Instead, they’ve just handed me the key and a handy little sticker that grants access to the Nordschleife industry pool. That’s confidence in your product (and quite a lot in me). So any questions over Lexus’s motivation for producing a supercar, or its timing, will have to wait. Right now it’s full concentration on the task of not stuffing one of only four completed production LFAs, each priced at a whopping $375,000. Yes, you read that right: here’s a Toyota that costs give or take $50,000 more than the rather splendid, V12-powered Ferrari 599 GTB. But it is worth considering just some of the technology that Lexus has employed in the LFA’s construction before dismissing it out of hand. Technology that includes a bespoke 4.8-litre V10 producing 552bhp, extensive use of carbonfibre composites in the chassis and body construction, and a transaxle six-speed automated sequential gearbox.
There is, however, one piece of kit absent from the LFA that you might expect in a Lexus, and that is hybrid drive. Lexus’s intention with the car is to keep the driving experience as pure as possible, which means keeping weight to a minimum, and that rules out electric drive. So what we’re looking at is a hi-tech Japanese take on the old-school frontengined, rear-drive supercar. Twenty seconds in and it feels (and sounds) like the LFA has been worth the long wait. Although in supercar terms 552bhp and 480Nm are pretty much the minimum standard, these figures don’t adequately describe the magnificence of the LFA’s V10 engine. For this is a motor that doesn’t stop until it hits its limiter at a heady 9000rpm, one that gains and sheds speed so quickly and with such a sharp timbre that it feels like a pure race engine. Which, in a sense, is exactly what it is because, air restrictors aside, the road LFA runs exactly the same powerplant as the LFAs that Lexus raced in the 2008 and 2009 Nürburgring 24 Hours, one of which Steve Sutcliffe drove earlier this year at Goodwood. Admittedly the engine does need to be revved to deliver the sort of performance suggested by a 0-100km/h time of ◊
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‘ From 6000rpm the LFA’s engine goes ballistic, producing one of the best notes of any car on sale’ You can tell by Jamie’s grin; he’s nearing 9000rpm
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Beautifully built cabin makes the driver feel cocooned
LFA handles brilliantly on road and track
∆ 3.7sec, but believe me, there is absolutely no chore in that, because from 6000rpm the engine goes ballistic, producing one of the best engine notes of any car on sale. Its noise is similar to that of a V10 BMW M5, but higher pitched and a lot louder – more like a Porsche Carrera GT. Yamaha helped Lexus develop the engine, and the result is a compelling combination of the smoothness and polish you expect from a Lexus, but with much more rawness and intensity. And then you change gear, and the experience becomes even more unreal. Because Lexus wanted the engine to rev with as little inertia as possible, it opted for a single-clutch gearbox. But it also says that this arrangement gives a greater sense of involvement than a double-clutch unit, and it’s not kidding. There are four modes – Auto, Sport, Normal and Wet – and with the exception of Auto there are seven different shift speeds for each. Choose the most extreme setting and the changes are brutal. On full-throttle upshifts at or near the limiter the ’box works very well and is quick; the LFA accumulates speed at a quite staggering
Rev counter’s TFT screen can switch through several modes to display different information
rate. But at anything less than maximum attack – for instance, when I later leave the track and try the LFA at road speeds – it feels a little too involving. In the less extreme modes the change is slower and marginally less physical, but still not smooth, and in its slowest setting it can feel like it is slipping the clutch. On the whole, the gearbox is one of only two things I’m not so sure about in the LFA. The other is the steering, which is electrically assisted – an unusual move for
The beautifully machined aluminium pedals are an interior highlight
a supercar. While it is super-precise and quick, it takes some getting used to, mostly because it is very light. There is some flow of information from the wheel, and the movement away from the straight ahead is progressive, but the LFA does not steer as intuitively as the best sports cars. The experience is mired further by a ludicrously flat-bottomed steering wheel. Lexus say this reduces the mass of the wheel and therefore gives a more natural self-centring action. Make of that what you will, but if that’s the case, why does the race-prepped LFA have a conventional circular wheel? However, small question mark over the steering aside, the LFA handles brilliantly, both on the track and road. There are two consequences of Lexus’s extensive use of carbonfibre. First, at 1480kg, the LFA is pretty light for a front-engined supercar, especially one with the luxuries of sat-nav and a plush cabin. The stripped-out, mid-engined Ferrari 430 Scuderia may be lighter, but the more equally matched 599 GTB is around 100kg heavier. Second, the carbon fibre-reinforced chassis tub is ◊ November 2009 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 47
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‘ Technology and exclusivity aren’t the LFA’s only draws. It offers something different from other supercars’
Q&A HAruHiko TAnAHAsHi, LFA CHieF engineer Why is Lexus making a supercar? To demonstrate the capability of Lexus (and Toyota), and because it was the right time to make a new challenge. Also to act as a halo model for the F versions of Lexus’s regular production cars. Why has it taken so long? We wanted to produce the car earlier [to coincide with Toyota’s elusive first F1 win], and it was completed to an acceptable standard, but then we wanted more from the project. That’s why we switched to a carbonfibre chassis for improved rigidity and handling. What are the LFA’s competitors and what makes it different? The LFA sits between cars like
the Ferrari 430 Scuderia/ Lamborghini gallardo LP550-2 and bigger supercars like the murciélago SV and Pagani Zonda, but with a more protective side to its character. If you go beyond the edge there is the knowledge that the car is on your side. Who is going to buy it? A buyer who is not as extrovert or showy as the traditional supercar customer, and someone who is interested in technology.
∆ incredibly rigid. You can feel this lightness and strength in the car’s willingness to change direction with minimal roll and no flex. As with the engine, there is very little inertia, combined (on a dry road, at least) with masses of lateral grip. The LFA also rides relatively well for such a serious machine – firmly but not busily, and that’s without trick adjustable dampers. There may be other supercars with more power, or more driven wheels, but down a road (or track) with more corners than straights I’d be very surprised if the LFA couldn’t keep up, or go significantly quicker, such is its composure and control. The brakes, which are carbon-ceramic and 390mm in diameter at the front, are monumentally strong and precise. Whether on track, where the LFA stops with more reassurance than any road car I’ve tried, or on the road, where the brakes perform better at low temperatures than comparable systems, the anchors are very well sorted. So it goes quickly enough, goes round corners nearly as quickly and stops exceptionally well. It also sounds the part. But is the LFA emotive enough to qualify as a supercar? Does it feel like a Lexus?
Lexus LFA | Drive Carbon fibre tech helps the LFA to feel fairly nimble
And is such a combination sufficiently appealing to justify the serious price? Slightly harsh gearbox aside, the LFA is impressively competent – clinical, even – but anything but detached. From the way the engine responds to the throttle to its chassis balance, the LFA has a level of sharpness and seriousness that definitely endorses its supercar credentials. And yet there are elements that could only be a Lexus – such as the attention to detail and the build quality, which is absolutely first rate. Open the doors, bonnet or boot and you’ll find exposed carbonfibre, but it’s so beautifully finished that you can’t help but stare. Similarly, the interior is incredibly well constructed, with a mixture of leather, carbonfibre, aluminium and a hi-tech TFT screen rev counter. And the pedals are simply exquisite; each one is a single piece of forged aluminium. You also get a 12-speaker stereo, but one that is lighter and smaller than Lexus’s regular system. What you probably won’t get from the pictures is just how contoured the cabin is, or how, as the driver, you feel alongside the tall transmission tunnel and in a low seating position. It may not be that subtle in 1980s throwback red and black ◊ November 2009 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 49
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Drive | Lexus LFA
Believe us when we say the LFA’s V10 sounds every bit a racing engine
Lexus v FerrAri
Price 0-100km/h Top speed Economy CO2 emissions Kerb weight
$375,000 (est) 3.7sec 325km/h na na 1480kg
FERRARI 599 gTB FIORAnO HgTE $350,000 (est) 3.7sec 330km/h 14.9L/100km (combined) 415g/km 1638kg
engine
Vitals
LEXUS LFA
Engine layout Installation
V10, 4805cc, petrol Front, longitudinal, rear-wheel drive 552bhp at 8700rpm Power 480Nm at 6800rpm Torque Power to weight 373bhp per tonne Specific output 115bhp per litre Compression ratio 12.0:1 6-spd automated manual Gearbox
V12, 5999cc, petrol Front, longitudinal, rear-wheel drive 611bhp at 7600rpm 607Nm at 5600rpm 373bhp per tonne 102bhp per litre 11.2:1 6-spd automated manual
dimensions
What is clear, though, is that the LFA is packed with technology that has been developed to an incredibly high standard, presumably at astronomical cost. For example, Toyota invested in its own carbonfibre manufacturing facilities to ensure its quality standards. Only 500 LFAs will ever be produced, a sure sign that even at the price Lexus is asking it will be losing money on each one. But technology and exclusivity aren’t the LFA’s only draws. It genuinely offers something different from other supercars – not necessarily better, but different. Its combination of refinement and rawness sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it actually does. It is better appointed and less flamboyant than anything Italian, but just as poised and alert. It is perhaps what Mercedes and McLaren tried (but failed) to achieve with the SLR. So for the privileged few, those who have tried (and probably own) the usual supercars, the LFA is much more than something else to park in their garage. It is a credible and exciting supercar in its own right. The rest of us should just be thankful that there are still manufacturers out there making (and reinventing) supercars, especially when the results are this good. L
Length 4505mm Width 1895mm Height 1220mm Wheelbase 2605mm Fuel tank 73 litres Real-world range na Boot na
4665mm 1962mm 1336mm 2750mm 105 litres 365 miles 320 litres
at each corner
(10 other colour schemes are available), but I like the fact that Lexus has not simply followed the standard supercar template, and instead tried something a bit different. It’s unmistakably Japanese but also has a real sense of occasion. And the same goes for the exterior; I’m not saying it looks pretty, or stylish, but it is certainly captivating. Unusually for a sports car, I think the shape works better statically, when you can pore over all the little details. One of which is the huge rear wing, which I’m sure is effective at reducing lift and very impressive in its hydraulic operation (complete with sci-fi whirring and hissing noises), but it is a touch obvious. So in its construction and thoroughness the LFA has the hallmarks of Lexus, but in its concept and focus it feels nothing like what Lexus/Toyota has produced before. Lexus says the LFA’s role is as a halo model for its F range of cars (we’ve only seen the IS-F so far, but more are in the pipeline), but the truth is that the LFA is massively more serious than any series production car. Not only in its performance, but also its purity. It is the product of a small and talented team of engineers, and it shows. Is it worth the money? For performance the answer has to be no; other supercars offer more power, more straight-line speed and (subjectively) more brand lure for less.
Front suspension Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar Rear suspension Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes 390mm carbon-ceramic discs (f), 360mm carbonceramic discs (r) Wheels 9.5x20in (f), 11.5x20in (r) Tyres 265/35 R20 (f), 305/30 R20 (r)
Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar, Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar 353mm ventilated discs (f), 328mm ventilated discs (r) 8x20in (f), 11x20in (r) 245/40 R20 (f), 305/35 R20 (r)
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