Teamspeed First Drive: Lexus LFA

DJ · #1 01-10-2012, 09:04 AM

First Drive: Lexus LFA
Teamspeed tries out the Lexus supercar for a few days, so is it worth the steep price of admission?
Text - Jesse Taylor - Teamspeed Contributing Editor

A confession; I was due to file this piece yesterday (sorry Teamspeed). But every time I sat down to write it, the LFA’s key was always sitting beside the keyboard distracting me. And I reasoned one more drive would make for a better review.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from the LFA. After all, it's not every day you collect a Lexus with a 412kW V10 in the nose. In fact, it's the odd mix of familiar and bizarre that really tricked my brain. The interior smells like a Lexus, and the fit and finish are superb, as I've come to expect from a brand obsessed with perfection. But the low-slung seating position and view down the long nose is reminiscent of the Ferrari 599 GTO I was driving 48 hours previous. But then, there's that Lexus badge again, this time on the boss of the flat-bottom steering wheel.

But oddest of all was the surroundings from which I collected the Lexus. Parked next to this supercar was an RX SUV and a CT200h hatchback. When I collected the GTO, its neighbors included an F40 in for a service and several 'regular' 599s.

Because of the perceived soullessness of Lexus, many enthusiasts will have already dismissed the LFA. But in both detail and practice, the LFA is every bit as special as a Carrera GT, Pagani Zonda or Ferrari 599 GTO. After all, chief designer Haruhiko Tanahashi’s weekend toy is a 993 Carrera.

This comment will rattle a few cages, but the LFA's V10 reminds me of that in the Porsche Carrera GT. If anything, it’s even more inertia-free than the superbike-like Carrera GT, revving from idle to 9000rpm in just 0.6 seconds. According to engine designer Takamitsu Okamoto the original redline target for the LFA’s 4.8-litre V10 was 10,000rpm. It was reduced to 9000rpm, he explained, to meet Toyota durability standards. Still, the LFA’s 1LR-GUE engine has pretty impressive outputs; 412kW at 8700rpm and 480Nm at 6800rpm.

Developed in collaboration with Yamaha, the 1LR-GUE has a 72-degree angle between its cylinder banks, perfect for both primary and secondary balance – unlike the Lamborghini/Audi V10 which features a 90-degree included angle but with the crankshaft offset by 18-degrees to cure vibrations. For responsiveness to go with the smoothness, there are individual throttles for each cylinder. While the cylinder head design is fairly conventional – twin overhead cams, finger followers, four valves per cylinder – the materials inventory is not common fare. Both inlet and exhaust valves are titanium, and the valve covers are magnesium. Titanium is also used for the connecting rods. The 12.1:1 compression pistons are forged aluminum.

Lexus paid special attention to acoustic tuning of both the intake systems. They weren’t wasting their time. The sound of the V10 is melodic and memorable.

With more than 3000rpm showing on the tacho, the valves to the uppermost pair of the car’s triple tailpipes are already fully open. Now the sound, so pure-pitched it’s downright musical, soars towards a 9000rpm crescendo.

At wide open throttle, through the upper half of its rev range, the LFA accelerates with stunning, ridiculous ease. It’s as though the normal laws of motion and aerodynamics have been temporarily suspended. When fourth gear tops out at 218km/h, a flick to fifth readies the LFA to haul to 277km/h. Sixth will push towards 330km/h (205mph).

While the active rear wing that extends automatically above 80km/h is impossible to miss, less noticeable airflow management measures are to be found all over the car. There’s a rear diffuser, naturally, and a perfectly flat underbody. Less obvious are the small, turbulence-quelling fins where the A-pillar meets the windscreen, the air-channeling synthetic rubber lip at the bottom of the front bumper, and the four ridges on the inside of each of the exterior mirrors which guide air to the black-meshed maws of the radiator inlets.

Although a double-clutch transmission was considered, chief engineer Tanahashi didn’t think feel was right for the LFA. “Too much like a torque converter,” he said. So the Lexus has a six-speed sequential (technically similar to BMW’s SMG transmissions) for the mechanical, connected feel the chief engineer prefers. This is also the reason the paddle shifters are not identically weighted. While it only takes a tap on the right paddle to initiate an upshift, it takes a firmer touch on the left paddle to get a lower gear.

The LFA driver has the choice of four transmission modes. ‘Auto’ lets the car’s computer shift gears, ‘Normal’ provides manual shift control for use on the road. ‘Sport’ is intended primarily for track driving. ‘Wet’ is, well, obvious. Additionally, in some modes, the driver can choose from seven shift speeds, ranging from 0.2sec to 1.0sec.

The electrically assisted rack and pinion steering system is supernaturally direct and perfectly weighted, but it also transmits every nuance as the front tyres’ pressure on the tarmac constantly changes. There’s a rare and brilliant clarity to the LFA’s steering. Like a high-end audio system, it reveals every detail. And, at the same time, it makes almost everything else you’ve experienced seem like a discount-store all-in-one stereo.

The LFA’s suspensions is elegant and aluminum intensive. Up front double A-arms with coil spring and damper units. The rear is a five-link design with coil springs and separate dampers. All the dampers are aluminum-bodied mono-tubes with remote reservoirs.

Even ambitiously early throttle applications don’t fluster the Lexus’s cornering composure. When the V10’s torque does overwhelm the grip of the big Bridgestones, the onset of over-steer is progressive, much more so than the spiky nature of the Carrera GT.

Although the LFA is equipped with an electronic chassis stability system selecting the transmission’s ‘Sport’ mode loosens its parameters. Unlike any other car wearing a Lexus badge, a little sideways-ness doesn’t invoke a distracting, doorbell-like chime as the stability system takes control of the throttle and stabs the brakes like some panicked, telekinetic granny. In fact, the only way I could tell for sure that the LFA’s system was operating was occasional flashing of the orange warning icon in my peripheral vision.

Only under fiercely hard braking is the LFA’s truly awesome dynamic repertoire found wanting. Even though the car’s weight distribution is slightly rear-biased, hitting the brake pedal – like the throttle made from forged aluminum, and floor-hinged – shifts the emphasis to the front. The unweighted rear end, especially when slowing downhill, can get a little wayward.

As you might have guessed, the brakes are plenty powerful. The discs are carbon ceramic whoppers, and they’re squeezed by some serious hardware. Assistance is provided not by the usual source, engine vacuum, but by an electric pump that generates hydraulic pressure. Although this last measure is designed to get rid of variations in the level of assist, LFA’s brake pedal feel doesn’t match the incredible intimacy of its steering or the fabulous precision of its throttle response.

While the low-speed ride is firm, it’s not punishing. The sharp impacts are nicely rounded off and softened. At high speed the ride is brilliantly secure and utterly stable, the steering perfectly calm.

It’s clear Lexus has created something special. This is a car with distinctive character and immense ability. The Lexus LFA is genuinely exotic, expertly engineered. In fact, it’s so good, I’m going for another drive…

Larger Images, enjoy:

Mixtape · #2 01-10-2012, 09:16 AM

I've loved this car since a video came up with an LFA on the dyno a while back, i don't remember when...I'm so jealous! Most definitely not a sou-less car...Soul-less critics.

JonA85 · #3 01-10-2012, 09:18 AM

Holy sh!t, those pictures make me want an LFA now!

ECB · #4 01-10-2012, 09:30 AM

great review!!
Especially all the technical details explained were pretty interesting!

I wonder how the price of this Nippon Racer will develop over the years...