Hayek

Toyota had the Century, which was, until a couple of years ago, powered by a V12 engine and yet Lexus, the luxury division from Toyota never had a V12. WTF?!

EZZ

How many V12s were actually sold here in the states? Lexus has never really been a performance brand so it wasn't really needed. Lexus is all about sensible luxury with supreme reliability and they've never strayed from that ethos.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

V12's are too expensive & too big for most cars. The only thing it improves is smoother running due to the required smaller piston to fit in the provided space. Non-super luxury vehicles are concerned with fuel economy & cost to own. Smaller cylinders reduces low RPM torque.
Volkswagon made a W12 engine for a few years that minimized the space issue for the Phaeton. You can buy a Phaeton now for less than 10% of the new cost due to all the electrical problems they have now.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

You really want that 5.0L Toyota V12? It only has 276bhp and 340lb-ft

EZZ

Haha. Sounds more like turbo 4 banger. Lol

Hayek

Blah-blah-blah... Sour grapes, sour grapes, sour grapes... You two are only saying that because Lexus never had a V12 engine. Those who disdain, want to buy.

The point is that Toyota had the V12 engine and Lexus, the luxury brand, never had a V12 engine. What the effing F?!

Toyota treats Lexus just like GM treats Cadillac. Like the red head stepchild, that is.

Take the RAV4 Prime for example. Why the freaking RAV4 gets a 306 hp hybrid version while the NX 300h has to make do with that gutless powertrain? Why Toyota gets the good stuff first and Lexus gets it later? That's just plain wrong! Lexus has to showcase the absolute best that Toyota can do, so they have to get the good stuff first and then Toyota. English is not my native language, but I think you get what I'm trying to say here. I mean look at Volkswagen and Audi. You don't see the Volkswagen getting a super powerful engine before Audi gets it.

703

Because the Japanese don’t want to export everything to the Americans. They want to keep some exclusivity for their domestic market.

EZZ

Thats the issue though...they are bringing a knife to a gunfight. Of course their domestic market power trains are pretty pathetic too so it is what it is.

TriC

Lexus decided to go with a 5 liter hybrid rated at 438 HP instead.

It was not exactly a rip-roaring sales success.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Well Lexus did get the 1LR-GUE LFA V10..

I think Lexus is in better standing than Cadillac. Poor Cadillac can't even find an application for the one and done 4.2L TTV8

Really? Because the new RAV4 is built off the TNGA GA-K platform. The NX is currently riding on the Toyota MC platform. Give it a year or two before the NX makes the switch for it's second generation. That's just how the timetable played out. Toyota doesn't always get the 'good stuff' first. Lexus got the LC before Toyota got the Supra, Lexus got the LS600hL 5.0 hybrid powertrain before Toyota Century, Lexus got the 3.5TT before Toyota, Lexus got the multi-stage hybrid powertrain before Toyota, Lexus got the more powerful GR V6's before Toyota, Lexus was the first (before Toyota and the world) to debut 8-Speed automatics, Lexus employed Laser-screw welding techniques on the LS before Toyota. Plenty of 'good stuff'

Patience is a virtue

Toys4RJill

Toyota should have always had a V12 in their Lexus brand LS......Mercedes and BMW had V12s in the early 90s in their S class and 7. Lexus LS never truly competed with the Germans as they moved up one tier on Lexus......Mercedes had two different V8s at one point while Lexus was just stuck with one And it is impossible to bring a V8 to a V12 comparo....just doesn't work like that. A shame on Lexus...even a G-wagon had a V12 at some point....

Thought some have said that engine was low on torque for a V10

At least Cadillac had a V12 in their history

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Keep in mind how compact the LFA V10 was. It weighed less than the 3.5L 2GR-FE V6 from Lexus.

Different strokes for different folks
LFA V10 4.8L 552hp @ 8,700 rpm and 354lb-ft @ 6,800 rpm
R8 V10 5.2L 562hp @ 8,000 rpm and 413lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm
Viper V10 8.4L 640hp @ 6,150 rpm and 600-lb-ft @ 4,950 rpm

You missed a golden opportunity. Your sentence should have read:

"At least Cadillac had a V16 in their history"

Stroock639

the sixteen was a pretty awesome car



i'm pretty sure it had cylinder deactivation too and could run on 4, 8, or all 16 cylinders

Stroock639

when i saw this thread title i'm thinking well that's a coincidence i just saw doug review the V12 century

well i can tell you one of the original lexus missions was to create a world class luxury experience 'without the excesses of fuel consumption and weight often found in traditional luxury sedans' so they probably felt a V12 would be too heavy and thirsty

the V8 as it is just fits nicely snug in the LS engine bay idk how much room there'd be for a V12... i wish they'd just sell us a LHD century but that would mess up the whole 'lexus is actually the best we can do' thing they were going for

and they actually did make some LHD centuries for occasions when dignitaries and other important executives were overseas in a country that drove on the right

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Yeah the original Cadillac V-16 was a 7.4L V16 1930-37 and a second from '38-40. Before the V-16's demise.




The Sixteen was a 2003 concept paying homage to the V-16. It had a 13.6L V16 that was quoted at 1,000bhp, and 1,000lb-ft. Alas it was only a concept.