Motortrend tests the LFA
07-20-11, 07:13 AM
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Motortrend tests the LFA
Toyota's first attempt at building a supercar began all the way back in 2000, a year after it announced its intentions to return to Formula 1. Toyota's TF101 racecar began competing in 2002, and big things were expected in the next few years. Rumor has it the LFA's big reveal was being saved for Toyota's inevitable first big victory. Sadly, even with silly amounts of money thrown at the team, a win never materialized, and Toyota withdrew from F1 in 2009.
Even while struggling in F1, development of the supercar (first named LF-A) continued and the initial concept was shown at the 2005 Detroit auto Show. Two years later, camouflaged prototypes started showing up at race tracks around the world. The 4.8-liter Yamaha-designed V-10 was chosen for the tie-in to the 3.0-liter normally aspirated V-10s then being used in F1. A single clutch automated transaxle -- state of the art at the time -- was mounted in the rear for better weight distribution.
When looking at the LFA's performance, you have to remember it exists in an awkward time bubble. On one hand it was largely developed in the early 2000s, but when compared to cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo, and Ford GT, it has several more years of development, plus another half-decade in tire technology. In 2005, the Carrera GT provided similar performance to the LFA at a similar price of around $400,000. But the LFA is behind the current crop of supercars in certain areas, one of them being performance per dollar. Several of them match or beat the LFA's performance at half or less the price.
But there is no denying the LFA occupies a special place in automotive history, especially in the world of Toyota. Everything about the car feels unique. The only piece recognizable as a Toyota-sourced part is the mouse-like controller for the infotainment system -- nothing else seems to relate to anything in the Toyota/Lexus/Scion family. This may be one of the downfalls of the LFA as a halo car. It is really tough for a Lexus IS 250 owner to tell his buddies he is basically driving the detuned version of the LFA when they have nothing in common -- not even HVAC controls or seat buttons.
The driving experience in the LFA is also nothing short of exotic. The first thing you notice is how amazingly loud it is. Modern supercars have loads of sound insulation and acoustically engineered glass to keep things at reasonable levels. Even Ferraris and Lamborghinis seem like Bentleys inside compared to the LFA.
Several our testers, myself included, expressed disappointment that the F1-like wail of the V-10 is turned into a somewhat annoying bellow once inside the car. The ride is rough and the transmission slow and jerky, but the overall experience doesn't mimic or pretend to be anything else. The seating position is low and stretched out. It doesn't feel like a race car and you will never mistake it for being German or Italian. Some have said the fact that it is Lexus' first supercar is obvious, but in some ways it almost feels like it's their first car, period. Clearly designers came at this car with no preconceived ideas. From the seat controls to the animated dashboard, everything has a unique look and feel. The steering is direct, but the communication is down a notch from something like a Ferrari or a Porsche.
The highlight of pounding around in the LFA is definitely the throttle response. While turbo cars can produce absolutely brutal mid-range torque, they will never match the instantaneous and near-telepathic connection to the right foot you get from a naturally aspirated engine. This is amplified by the Toyota V-10's willingness to rev and chase after 9000 rpm on the tach. The high-revving engine makes the whole car frenetic and buzzy. You have to anticipate shifts as the fake needle swings around the computer monitor behind the steering wheel. Grab the paddle fast and the car snatches the next gear. The real joy comes from feeding in power just after the apex. Throttles on turbo cars are so often on/off switches because it's more about lighting the fuse on the boost-bomb than controlling intake flow. With the naturally aspirated V-10 you can feather the throttle -- give it just that little bit more breath and it responds in kind. No matter how much more power you get from a forced induction car, it will never have that feeling.
To compare with the LFA, we chose two contemporary supercars and two supercars from the mid-2000s we already tested.. The Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo are the naturally aspirated rear-wheel drive supercars. The Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 twin turbo were chosen as examples of truly modern all-wheel drive. They're turbocharged supercars that can be driven everyday in normal car comfort. The performance is best represented graphically, so here it is.
The bell curve represents the plot of every vehicle we have tested in the past five years, from supercars to minivans. In all the charts, the further left the entry, the higher the performance. Even the slowest of this group is shockingly fast when compared to the average car on the road.
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz1SeebEQmh
Even while struggling in F1, development of the supercar (first named LF-A) continued and the initial concept was shown at the 2005 Detroit auto Show. Two years later, camouflaged prototypes started showing up at race tracks around the world. The 4.8-liter Yamaha-designed V-10 was chosen for the tie-in to the 3.0-liter normally aspirated V-10s then being used in F1. A single clutch automated transaxle -- state of the art at the time -- was mounted in the rear for better weight distribution.
When looking at the LFA's performance, you have to remember it exists in an awkward time bubble. On one hand it was largely developed in the early 2000s, but when compared to cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo, and Ford GT, it has several more years of development, plus another half-decade in tire technology. In 2005, the Carrera GT provided similar performance to the LFA at a similar price of around $400,000. But the LFA is behind the current crop of supercars in certain areas, one of them being performance per dollar. Several of them match or beat the LFA's performance at half or less the price.
But there is no denying the LFA occupies a special place in automotive history, especially in the world of Toyota. Everything about the car feels unique. The only piece recognizable as a Toyota-sourced part is the mouse-like controller for the infotainment system -- nothing else seems to relate to anything in the Toyota/Lexus/Scion family. This may be one of the downfalls of the LFA as a halo car. It is really tough for a Lexus IS 250 owner to tell his buddies he is basically driving the detuned version of the LFA when they have nothing in common -- not even HVAC controls or seat buttons.
The driving experience in the LFA is also nothing short of exotic. The first thing you notice is how amazingly loud it is. Modern supercars have loads of sound insulation and acoustically engineered glass to keep things at reasonable levels. Even Ferraris and Lamborghinis seem like Bentleys inside compared to the LFA.
Several our testers, myself included, expressed disappointment that the F1-like wail of the V-10 is turned into a somewhat annoying bellow once inside the car. The ride is rough and the transmission slow and jerky, but the overall experience doesn't mimic or pretend to be anything else. The seating position is low and stretched out. It doesn't feel like a race car and you will never mistake it for being German or Italian. Some have said the fact that it is Lexus' first supercar is obvious, but in some ways it almost feels like it's their first car, period. Clearly designers came at this car with no preconceived ideas. From the seat controls to the animated dashboard, everything has a unique look and feel. The steering is direct, but the communication is down a notch from something like a Ferrari or a Porsche.
The highlight of pounding around in the LFA is definitely the throttle response. While turbo cars can produce absolutely brutal mid-range torque, they will never match the instantaneous and near-telepathic connection to the right foot you get from a naturally aspirated engine. This is amplified by the Toyota V-10's willingness to rev and chase after 9000 rpm on the tach. The high-revving engine makes the whole car frenetic and buzzy. You have to anticipate shifts as the fake needle swings around the computer monitor behind the steering wheel. Grab the paddle fast and the car snatches the next gear. The real joy comes from feeding in power just after the apex. Throttles on turbo cars are so often on/off switches because it's more about lighting the fuse on the boost-bomb than controlling intake flow. With the naturally aspirated V-10 you can feather the throttle -- give it just that little bit more breath and it responds in kind. No matter how much more power you get from a forced induction car, it will never have that feeling.
To compare with the LFA, we chose two contemporary supercars and two supercars from the mid-2000s we already tested.. The Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo are the naturally aspirated rear-wheel drive supercars. The Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 twin turbo were chosen as examples of truly modern all-wheel drive. They're turbocharged supercars that can be driven everyday in normal car comfort. The performance is best represented graphically, so here it is.
The bell curve represents the plot of every vehicle we have tested in the past five years, from supercars to minivans. In all the charts, the further left the entry, the higher the performance. Even the slowest of this group is shockingly fast when compared to the average car on the road.
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz1SeebEQmh
07-20-11, 08:20 AM
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My thoughts exactly.
07-20-11, 09:05 AM
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The driving experience in the LFA is also nothing short of exotic. The first thing you notice is how amazingly loud it is. Modern supercars have loads of sound insulation and acoustically engineered glass to keep things at reasonable levels. Even Ferraris and Lamborghinis seem like Bentleys inside compared to the LFA.
It's not even worth it for my dog to pee on motortrend mags
And this is just not for the LFA but other past comparos as well.
07-20-11, 09:10 AM
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At least the pictures are nice 
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07-20-11, 09:56 AM
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It's sad and not amusing that the one article not flattering toward the LFA was posted by two non Lexus owners. This is a repost from the LFA sticky as well.
The LFA is the greatest car from Asia and one of the all time greats. It has gotten rave reviews everywhere else.
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The LFA is the greatest car from Asia and one of the all time greats. It has gotten rave reviews everywhere else.
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