2012 Lexus LFA - First Drive Review
The $350,000 Lexus LFA is the richer man’s Ferrari 599GTB. It’s also a bargain.
BY MARK GILLIES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM ANDREW
October 2009
There’s something slightly weird about this scene. We are about to drive the daunting 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. In a Lexus. Okay, it’s the exotic LFA, a Ferrari-fighting supercar that will cost about $350,000. But the company built its reputation on smooth, refined, and perfectly nerve-calming cars, so why does the LFA exist? In what parallel universe is this thing remotely Lexus-like?
Lexus claims multiple justifications for the LFA program. The car, it says, casts a halo over the Lexus F line of performance machines. It’s also a way for Toyota to explore new technologies, particularly carbon-fiber construction. And since Lexus says it will be selective about whom it will sell to—car collectors and high-profile individuals who use the car rather than park it—the LFA should raise the cachet of the brand as a whole.
For all that marketing happy-talk, the 2012 LFA is a serious outlier in the Lexus lineup and has had a convoluted gestation. The program started in 2000, and Lexus showed the first concept car at the Detroit auto show in 2005. Next, a convertible version appeared at Detroit in 2008, though it has since been canceled. In the interim, LFA prototypes were spotted testing at the Nordschleife, and further, two race-prepared cars entered the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2008 and 2009. But until now, the company hasn’t said anything about production intent. Lexus is finally ready to admit that a mere 500 will be made, with production starting in December 2010.
Although the car is extravagantly expensive, Lexus says it will lose money on every one. We believe it. The last car that incorporated a similar level of technology, performance, and exclusivity was the $650,000 Ferrari Enzo. At $350,000, the LFA begins to look like something of a bargain. The LFA is an exotic, two-place, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe. The chassis and body are made largely of carbon-fiber composite, just like those of an Enzo or a Mercedes SLR McLaren. Per Lexus’s scales, the car weighs 3263 pounds—less than a Corvette ZR1.
The engine is a 4.8-liter V-10 codeveloped with Yamaha. It’s a compact unit that makes 553 horsepower at 8700 rpm and revs to a giddy 9000 rpm. Maximum torque of 354 pound-feet peaks at 6800 rpm, with 90 percent available between 3700 and 9000 revs.
The rear-mounted, six-speed automated manual transaxle incorporates a Torsen limited-slip differential. Control arms comprise the front suspension, with a multilink arrangement at the back. To keep weight down, the suspension pieces and the remote-reservoir monotube KYB dampers are aluminum.
The Brembo carbon-ceramic brake setup consists of discs 15.4 inches in diameter and six-piston monoblock calipers up front, with 14.2-inch discs and four-piston calipers at the back. Forged aluminum 20-inch BBS wheels sit inside bespoke 265/35 front and 305/30 rear Bridgestone Potenza tires. There are four driving modes: automatic, normal, wet, and sport; the driver can also select manual shift speeds. In sport mode, the stability-control system allows for greater amounts of yaw, but the system can be switched off completely.
When it comes to the styling, there’s a definite Japanese aesthetic, what with all the sharp edges and matte-black vents. But it’s not a head turner like the Enzo or even a Lamborghini Gallardo. We definitely wouldn’t order one in matte black—one of 30 available colors—because it looks like someone forgot to paint it properly.
But there is function underpinning the somewhat sedate form. According to chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi, an advantage of using carbon fiber for the bodywork is that it’s possible to make very sharp edges and cutoffs that improve aerodynamic performance. The LFA has a reasonably low coefficient of drag (0.31), and Tanahashi says that the car produces more downforce than any of its competitors. Even the inside edges of the door mirrors are shaped to guide air into scoops over the rear fenders that feed the rear-mounted radiators. A large rear wing incorporating a Gurney flap pops up at speeds above 50 mph.
The interior is restrained but tasteful. The car we drove had a mixture of supple leather, carbon fiber, Alcantara, and “satin metal” adorning the cockpit. Lexus will offer seat coverings in 12 shades of leather or 10 alternate hues of Alcantara, with three color choices for the Alcantara headliner. “Roomy” describes the cabin, although luggage space is minimal. The supportive bucket seats have eight-way power adjustments, and the driving position is superb. The minor controls are as easy to find and use as in a standard Lexus sedan, and the LFA even has the same mouse-style operation for its multi function center-console screen as in an RX350 sport-ute.
Nerd Alert
Trick tach puts on a show. Its face turns white for sport mode, glows red near redline. A button on the steering wheel activates lap-timer and shift-point options.
The squared-off steering wheel houses a start button and a switch that controls the instrument-panel display. We like that the alloy paddle shifters are fixed to the steering column; the right-hand lever governs upshifts, and the left one is for downshifts.
The most remarkable interior features are seatbelt airbags—which inflate in a crash to spread the impact’s forces over a broader section of the body than a traditional belt—and the instrument display, which is as cool as liquid nitrogen. Alter the vehicle settings, and the large central tachometer, which also incorporates a digital speedometer and a gear indicator, changes appearance. In sport mode, the background color goes from black to white and the increments between the tach’s numbers get bigger. Pressing the display switch on the steering wheel causes the tach to appear to scoot sideways in the instrument panel. This opens a submenu that allows the driver to access features such as a lap timer and even to change the point at which warning lights appear on the tach.
2012 Lexus LFA - A Grammy Worthy Soundtrack
We drove the car on a mixture of autobahn and dual-track roads, as well as at the Nürburging. Everywhere, all day long, it’s an absolute missile. Lexus claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph—utterly believable when considering the LFA’s power-to-weight ratio of 5.9 pounds per horsepower. (A Corvette ZR1’s ratio is 5.3.) It’s not as quick as a Bugatti Veyron, but then, what is? Besides a Top Fuel dragster, of course.
The engine is stunning, providing massive thrust from 4000 rpm and zinging upward to the 9000-rpm redline. Its note is an incredible wail that sounds like an F1 car’s but quieter. The V-10 is so flexible that the driver can deposit the car in sixth gear at relatively low speeds—say 50 mph—floor the throttle, and the car will rocket to 150 mph in a hurry. Use the full nine grand through the gears, though, and the soundtrack is unforgettable, as is the rate that the scenery and other cars close in.
The shifts are smooth and eye-blink quick in manual mode but become a bit clunky in the automatic setting. (This is the case with most single-clutch automated manuals.) When the tach needle approaches redline, the gauge glows red and there are all sorts of overwrought bleeps and bings.
For all that, the most impressive aspect of the car is its stability at speed. We saw just over 170 mph out on the Ring (and somewhat lesser speeds on the autobahn), and even then, the thing feels as planted as a sequoia (the great tree, not the lumbering SUV). Unlike the video-gamey Nissan GT-R, the LFA is much more tactile. The steering has great feel and weight, which is surprising since it’s a fully electric system. The brake pedal, too, is linear and rewarding, while the carbon-ceramic brakes are sensational. On German roads, which are as smooth as a croquet lawn, the LFA rides nicely—it’s firm but well damped. On the Ring, which is actually bumpier than normal German blacktop, we’d say it was stiff but not uncomfortable.
Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes.
Out on the Nordschleife, even in sport mode, the stability-control system intrudes earlier than we expected, making it difficult to rotate the car into corners with power. But turn off the stability control, and the LFA comes alive. The car’s behavior is then determined by a combination of steering lock and throttle input, just the way a good front-engine, rear-drive car should be. Too little throttle, and the car noses wide; dial in the right amount, and the attitude is neutral. Apply too much power too early, and the tail will slide, but it’s very controllable.
There’s notably more grip above 50 mph, when the active rear spoiler comes into play. The car does everything instantly, with hardly any body roll and loads of grip. Trying hard—but not so hard that the LFA might have a close encounter with the Ring’s many miles of guardrail—we lapped it in just over 8 minutes, at an average speed of 95 mph. (Both the ZR1 and the GT-R have lapped it in 7 minutes 26 seconds with hero drivers at the helm.)
The LFA is the most exciting car to come out of Japan since the GT-R, as it should be for the money Lexus is charging. But it’s more involving than the Nissan and a much more special experience. In many ways, its closest natural rival is the Ferrari 599GTB, although the Lexus is more visceral and exciting and better balanced and more nimble. At the same time, the LFA is easy to drive at everyday speeds, quiet at cruise, and refined, just like a Lexus should be. Whether people can equate the brand with a hugely expensive, hugely competent sports car will be interesting to say the least.
2012 Lexus LFA - A V8 Revved Too Slow and a V12 is Too Heavy
DRIVETRAIN
The LFA’s engine is a V-10 simply because that was the layout of Formula 1 cars when Lexus embarked on the project. Plus, according to chief engineer Tanahashi, “We couldn’t get such high revs from a V-8, and a V-12 is too big and heavy.” The 72-degree angle is best for primary and secondary balance on a V-10, Tanahashi adds. Exotic features of this engine include titanium valves and connecting rods, individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, carbon- and silicon-coated rocker arms with integrated oil jets, and magnesium alloy cam covers. The engine spins so quickly that Lexus says it had to use a digital tach because an analog version couldn’t keep up.
To keep the center of gravity low, the engine has a dry-sump oil system, and the oil and water pumps are mounted low and to the rear of the engine. The engine is connected to the transaxle by a massive torque tube—the exhaust system runs underneath this piece to ensure a narrow central tunnel that enabled the engineers to place the occupants lower and closer to the centerline of the car. The obsession with keeping mass within the wheelbase and as low as possible led to a 48/52 percent front-to-rear weight distribution. The six-speed transmission fires off shifts between 0.2 and 1.0 second depending on the program the driver selects.
CHASSIS
A reason this car took so long to emerge is that its chassis construction changed from aluminum to carbon fiber during development. Lexus used carbon fiber to keep weight down, claiming that the body in white is 221 pounds lighter than it would be were it made of aluminum.
The LFA uses a central carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque with aluminum subframes at the front and rear, which are bolted on and reinforced with glue. If the car is damaged, these subframes can simply be unbolted and replaced. (A full carbon-fiber structure would cost much more and require more repair time.) Sixty-five percent of the body structure is made of carbon fiber, with the remaining 35 percent being aluminum. Lexus decided to produce the carbon fiber in-house, using its own weaving technology. The company also decided to abandon traditional carbon-fiber fixings, in which threaded aluminum inserts are wrapped in the fabric; instead, Lexus engineers used a flanged aluminum collar to link carbon fiber to aluminum.
Lexus says that the structure is incredibly stiff but added some additional crossbraces as a result of the lessons learned in two 24-hour races at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The best finish in those two races was fourth place in class and 87th overall.
________________________________
The $350,000 Lexus LFA is the richer man’s Ferrari 599GTB. It’s also a bargain.
BY MARK GILLIES, PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM ANDREW
October 2009
There’s something slightly weird about this scene. We are about to drive the daunting 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. In a Lexus. Okay, it’s the exotic LFA, a Ferrari-fighting supercar that will cost about $350,000. But the company built its reputation on smooth, refined, and perfectly nerve-calming cars, so why does the LFA exist? In what parallel universe is this thing remotely Lexus-like?
Lexus claims multiple justifications for the LFA program. The car, it says, casts a halo over the Lexus F line of performance machines. It’s also a way for Toyota to explore new technologies, particularly carbon-fiber construction. And since Lexus says it will be selective about whom it will sell to—car collectors and high-profile individuals who use the car rather than park it—the LFA should raise the cachet of the brand as a whole.
For all that marketing happy-talk, the 2012 LFA is a serious outlier in the Lexus lineup and has had a convoluted gestation. The program started in 2000, and Lexus showed the first concept car at the Detroit auto show in 2005. Next, a convertible version appeared at Detroit in 2008, though it has since been canceled. In the interim, LFA prototypes were spotted testing at the Nordschleife, and further, two race-prepared cars entered the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2008 and 2009. But until now, the company hasn’t said anything about production intent. Lexus is finally ready to admit that a mere 500 will be made, with production starting in December 2010.
Although the car is extravagantly expensive, Lexus says it will lose money on every one. We believe it. The last car that incorporated a similar level of technology, performance, and exclusivity was the $650,000 Ferrari Enzo. At $350,000, the LFA begins to look like something of a bargain. The LFA is an exotic, two-place, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe. The chassis and body are made largely of carbon-fiber composite, just like those of an Enzo or a Mercedes SLR McLaren. Per Lexus’s scales, the car weighs 3263 pounds—less than a Corvette ZR1.
The engine is a 4.8-liter V-10 codeveloped with Yamaha. It’s a compact unit that makes 553 horsepower at 8700 rpm and revs to a giddy 9000 rpm. Maximum torque of 354 pound-feet peaks at 6800 rpm, with 90 percent available between 3700 and 9000 revs.
The rear-mounted, six-speed automated manual transaxle incorporates a Torsen limited-slip differential. Control arms comprise the front suspension, with a multilink arrangement at the back. To keep weight down, the suspension pieces and the remote-reservoir monotube KYB dampers are aluminum.
The Brembo carbon-ceramic brake setup consists of discs 15.4 inches in diameter and six-piston monoblock calipers up front, with 14.2-inch discs and four-piston calipers at the back. Forged aluminum 20-inch BBS wheels sit inside bespoke 265/35 front and 305/30 rear Bridgestone Potenza tires. There are four driving modes: automatic, normal, wet, and sport; the driver can also select manual shift speeds. In sport mode, the stability-control system allows for greater amounts of yaw, but the system can be switched off completely.
When it comes to the styling, there’s a definite Japanese aesthetic, what with all the sharp edges and matte-black vents. But it’s not a head turner like the Enzo or even a Lamborghini Gallardo. We definitely wouldn’t order one in matte black—one of 30 available colors—because it looks like someone forgot to paint it properly.
But there is function underpinning the somewhat sedate form. According to chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi, an advantage of using carbon fiber for the bodywork is that it’s possible to make very sharp edges and cutoffs that improve aerodynamic performance. The LFA has a reasonably low coefficient of drag (0.31), and Tanahashi says that the car produces more downforce than any of its competitors. Even the inside edges of the door mirrors are shaped to guide air into scoops over the rear fenders that feed the rear-mounted radiators. A large rear wing incorporating a Gurney flap pops up at speeds above 50 mph.
The interior is restrained but tasteful. The car we drove had a mixture of supple leather, carbon fiber, Alcantara, and “satin metal” adorning the cockpit. Lexus will offer seat coverings in 12 shades of leather or 10 alternate hues of Alcantara, with three color choices for the Alcantara headliner. “Roomy” describes the cabin, although luggage space is minimal. The supportive bucket seats have eight-way power adjustments, and the driving position is superb. The minor controls are as easy to find and use as in a standard Lexus sedan, and the LFA even has the same mouse-style operation for its multi function center-console screen as in an RX350 sport-ute.
Nerd Alert
Trick tach puts on a show. Its face turns white for sport mode, glows red near redline. A button on the steering wheel activates lap-timer and shift-point options.
The squared-off steering wheel houses a start button and a switch that controls the instrument-panel display. We like that the alloy paddle shifters are fixed to the steering column; the right-hand lever governs upshifts, and the left one is for downshifts.
The most remarkable interior features are seatbelt airbags—which inflate in a crash to spread the impact’s forces over a broader section of the body than a traditional belt—and the instrument display, which is as cool as liquid nitrogen. Alter the vehicle settings, and the large central tachometer, which also incorporates a digital speedometer and a gear indicator, changes appearance. In sport mode, the background color goes from black to white and the increments between the tach’s numbers get bigger. Pressing the display switch on the steering wheel causes the tach to appear to scoot sideways in the instrument panel. This opens a submenu that allows the driver to access features such as a lap timer and even to change the point at which warning lights appear on the tach.
2012 Lexus LFA - A Grammy Worthy Soundtrack
We drove the car on a mixture of autobahn and dual-track roads, as well as at the Nürburging. Everywhere, all day long, it’s an absolute missile. Lexus claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph—utterly believable when considering the LFA’s power-to-weight ratio of 5.9 pounds per horsepower. (A Corvette ZR1’s ratio is 5.3.) It’s not as quick as a Bugatti Veyron, but then, what is? Besides a Top Fuel dragster, of course.
The engine is stunning, providing massive thrust from 4000 rpm and zinging upward to the 9000-rpm redline. Its note is an incredible wail that sounds like an F1 car’s but quieter. The V-10 is so flexible that the driver can deposit the car in sixth gear at relatively low speeds—say 50 mph—floor the throttle, and the car will rocket to 150 mph in a hurry. Use the full nine grand through the gears, though, and the soundtrack is unforgettable, as is the rate that the scenery and other cars close in.
The shifts are smooth and eye-blink quick in manual mode but become a bit clunky in the automatic setting. (This is the case with most single-clutch automated manuals.) When the tach needle approaches redline, the gauge glows red and there are all sorts of overwrought bleeps and bings.
For all that, the most impressive aspect of the car is its stability at speed. We saw just over 170 mph out on the Ring (and somewhat lesser speeds on the autobahn), and even then, the thing feels as planted as a sequoia (the great tree, not the lumbering SUV). Unlike the video-gamey Nissan GT-R, the LFA is much more tactile. The steering has great feel and weight, which is surprising since it’s a fully electric system. The brake pedal, too, is linear and rewarding, while the carbon-ceramic brakes are sensational. On German roads, which are as smooth as a croquet lawn, the LFA rides nicely—it’s firm but well damped. On the Ring, which is actually bumpier than normal German blacktop, we’d say it was stiff but not uncomfortable.
Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes.
Out on the Nordschleife, even in sport mode, the stability-control system intrudes earlier than we expected, making it difficult to rotate the car into corners with power. But turn off the stability control, and the LFA comes alive. The car’s behavior is then determined by a combination of steering lock and throttle input, just the way a good front-engine, rear-drive car should be. Too little throttle, and the car noses wide; dial in the right amount, and the attitude is neutral. Apply too much power too early, and the tail will slide, but it’s very controllable.
There’s notably more grip above 50 mph, when the active rear spoiler comes into play. The car does everything instantly, with hardly any body roll and loads of grip. Trying hard—but not so hard that the LFA might have a close encounter with the Ring’s many miles of guardrail—we lapped it in just over 8 minutes, at an average speed of 95 mph. (Both the ZR1 and the GT-R have lapped it in 7 minutes 26 seconds with hero drivers at the helm.)
The LFA is the most exciting car to come out of Japan since the GT-R, as it should be for the money Lexus is charging. But it’s more involving than the Nissan and a much more special experience. In many ways, its closest natural rival is the Ferrari 599GTB, although the Lexus is more visceral and exciting and better balanced and more nimble. At the same time, the LFA is easy to drive at everyday speeds, quiet at cruise, and refined, just like a Lexus should be. Whether people can equate the brand with a hugely expensive, hugely competent sports car will be interesting to say the least.
2012 Lexus LFA - A V8 Revved Too Slow and a V12 is Too Heavy
DRIVETRAIN
The LFA’s engine is a V-10 simply because that was the layout of Formula 1 cars when Lexus embarked on the project. Plus, according to chief engineer Tanahashi, “We couldn’t get such high revs from a V-8, and a V-12 is too big and heavy.” The 72-degree angle is best for primary and secondary balance on a V-10, Tanahashi adds. Exotic features of this engine include titanium valves and connecting rods, individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, carbon- and silicon-coated rocker arms with integrated oil jets, and magnesium alloy cam covers. The engine spins so quickly that Lexus says it had to use a digital tach because an analog version couldn’t keep up.
To keep the center of gravity low, the engine has a dry-sump oil system, and the oil and water pumps are mounted low and to the rear of the engine. The engine is connected to the transaxle by a massive torque tube—the exhaust system runs underneath this piece to ensure a narrow central tunnel that enabled the engineers to place the occupants lower and closer to the centerline of the car. The obsession with keeping mass within the wheelbase and as low as possible led to a 48/52 percent front-to-rear weight distribution. The six-speed transmission fires off shifts between 0.2 and 1.0 second depending on the program the driver selects.
CHASSIS
A reason this car took so long to emerge is that its chassis construction changed from aluminum to carbon fiber during development. Lexus used carbon fiber to keep weight down, claiming that the body in white is 221 pounds lighter than it would be were it made of aluminum.
The LFA uses a central carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque with aluminum subframes at the front and rear, which are bolted on and reinforced with glue. If the car is damaged, these subframes can simply be unbolted and replaced. (A full carbon-fiber structure would cost much more and require more repair time.) Sixty-five percent of the body structure is made of carbon fiber, with the remaining 35 percent being aluminum. Lexus decided to produce the carbon fiber in-house, using its own weaving technology. The company also decided to abandon traditional carbon-fiber fixings, in which threaded aluminum inserts are wrapped in the fabric; instead, Lexus engineers used a flanged aluminum collar to link carbon fiber to aluminum.
Lexus says that the structure is incredibly stiff but added some additional crossbraces as a result of the lessons learned in two 24-hour races at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The best finish in those two races was fourth place in class and 87th overall.
________________________________
