Lexus LF-A

They got everything right but the price. And can Jeremy Clarkson please stop posting under different SN's? We get it. Only Italians make cars with "souls".

They got everything right but the price. And can Jeremy Clarkson please stop posting under different SN's? We get it. Only Italians make cars with "souls".

 

Just wait till he gets a hold of this car...

Just wait till he gets a hold of this car...

 

 

Could become the best TG episode ever!

you're just clearly being bias. on one hand "we dont know the weight, we cant speculate on it" on the other hand we can speculate about how fast its going to be, how comfortable it is, how good it is to drive etc etc. come on Mako! you're better than that! we know what the car weighs. Lexus says its 3250 pounds. no car manufacturer lies about the weight of their cars. lambo and ferrari claim dry weighs, and they state so. its people's fault for then comparing those weighs to curb weighs with gas and all. lexus claimed 3800 lbs curb weight for the ISF and thats exactly what it was. using our heads, there is absolutely no reason to doubt the LF-A's claimed weight. one thing we dont know for sure that everyone is putting an emphasis on intheir judgment, is the price (something that might actually be different in america. a kilogram is a kilogram in any country).

 

im not saying this car is going to be a certain way, im saying that given the facts, there is a lot of potential that people are just throwing out the window because the car is a Lexus.

 

I havent read the mag reviews yet, but from what you're telling me, there is mixed feeling about this car. there was also a lot of mixed feeling abotu the SLR. mags RAGGED on the brakes. they HATED the use of the automatic gearbox. and at the time, its pricetag was laughable. then when Joe and Allan got their hands on it and people gave the car an oportunity, their opinions changed.

 

looking at a 350-400K pricetag, versus an SLR that was 450K (IIRC), the LF-A will be more rare, it will still have luxury (hey its lexus), it will likely be more track friendly though slower in a straight line (we dont know, but we do know its not going to be slow).

 

anyways, I gotta go to calculus

 

It will be a bit of a stretch for a front engined Lexus to provide a more satisfying driving experience than most of the $100-200k exotics, let alone the $350k+ ones.

 

I'm super curious to see who will buy this thing.

I've been very clear. I speculate about nothing, all my comments come from people WHO HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR. They're the ones who have clearly said it lacks torque, feels weak at low rpms, has a wonky single-clutch tranny that "isn't nearly as sharp as anything Italian currently" (their words, not mine). Also, and I can't make this any more clear for you, the car has NOT BEEN WEIGHED by anyone. Period, end of story. You are simply parroting Toyota's own "3,250lbs." figure when you talk about it. Until it's wet, on a scale, with gas, we have no clue what it weighs.

 

So don't throw out the "biased" card when YOU are the one who is being biased, accusing the membership of being elistist. In fact you're lucky I let that skate, as no one here needs to be lectured by a teen on how they are ignoring this car's wonderful awesomeness due to its badge Nima. Be careful with that stuff please. It's perfectly OK for our business-minded members to say "this car won't sell because it's a Toyota". It has nothing to do with being elitest, it's simply an accurate estimate of the strength of their brand at this price point at this time when looked at from a market standpoint.

 

murclovr is the one who actually has it right, this was a car greenlit as a $150,000 model to battle the 997TT and other cars in that class years ago. Unfortunately due to everything we've all talked about the car migrated into a 500-unit limited production loss-leader...but with the same 4.8L engine that was intended for the $150,000 version.

 

It's sad, if they had just found a way to FI that powerplant, or perhaps use a heavier 650hp V12 in the car (gaining weight in exchange for more power), none of us would question their sanity. It would make sense as a halo car in the same vein as an Enzo or CGT. As it is, it's a $375,000 Nissan GT-R.

 

 

then we shall see how it sells. it if does we will know it its worth its price tag (which we actually dont know for sure yet).

 

Has there been more than one reviewer who stated that it lacks torque? I dont think any one person's view is gonna be "wrong" or "right", just as it isnt the case for other cars. magazines weren't too fond of the SLR either. the reason I keep referring back to the SLR, isnt to compare them, but to show the similarities on how they were viewed when they first came out. for instance the brakes of the SLR. every single magazine hated on them. SLR owners on this site have said otherwise on that subject. I think one reviewer's opinion on the torque of the LF-A is being considered too highly. What is he comparing it to? an SLR? a ZR1? will the car really lack torque if you compare it to something like a 430?

 

im sorry if I came across as rude, however, in my opinion, people are passing judgment too quickly. as was the case with the SLR and hence I say this car might be the next SLR; not in terms of performance, but in terms of misjudgment (is that a word?)

 

as for the weight, I stand by my statement and continue to argue on this point if need be. we dont need anyone to weigh this car independently to see how much it weighs. asides from ferrari and lambo who claim dry weighs (which BTW are still accurate, just not comparable), most companies claim wet/curb weights. whether its a Plastic mess-06 or a CGT being ~3200 lbs, or an SLR/599/GTR being ~3800, the claimed weights of cars are accurate and I honestly dont see what the fuss is about. where the rest of my post was opinion, this is just a fact.

 

I dont believe the SLR ever really one the overwhelming concesus of praise from all the members here...but it did win with a select few.

I dont believe the SLR ever really one the overwhelming concesus of praise from all the members here...but it did win with a select few.

most who drive it have loved it. its was all about people not thinking about it as a supercar to compare the CGT against.

here's a pretty cool video of the making of the a-pillar of the LFA.

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/29/video-w...llar/#continued

 

didnt want to make a new thread since one on the LF-A already exists.

This cars problem is that since its original proposal, cars have gone past it, the car was planned years ago. 4.8 liters is not going to give supercar torque unless FI is used. Furthermore, I think the styling is ok for a 50K car, but for this, honestly I want a mid-engined car. For 400K it should be mid engined.

The car is technically mid-engined, right behind the front axle. If torque is a selling point, supercars are the last cars to look at. Buy a domestic or some F.I. beast if that's your concern.

 

 

I just cant get past the fact that this, like most other cars out of japan, while great and very well built, will lack that soul neccessary to truly compete with the europeans and be a great car. Its what they always said about the NSX, it was a great car, just without a soul.... I dont think the LF-A will differ from this. While you say its a matter of opinion NIma, its an opinion formed on past experience.....

The NSX had plenty soul. It was the lack of power that was a concern, but the NSX held it's own against many other powerful cars.

 

It will be a bit of a stretch for a front engined Lexus to provide a more satisfying driving experience than most of the $100-200k exotics, let alone the $350k+ ones.

 

I'm super curious to see who will buy this thing.

 

It's front mid-engined.

Oh Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiima, from this month's MT:

 

"First impression: The LF-A rides hard. Really hard. No variable shocks; the chassis is chef's choice only. On very smooth stretches of highway the stiffness is largely irrelevant. But it's not had to imagine the LF-A growing tiresome during extended drives. Full-bore, on track, shifts are quick enough, but, again, the superstar bluebloods with their dual-clutch boxes are far better. The LF-A lacks the easy, organic feel of say, the new SLS AMG. In contrast, the Lexus is very much a digital car--it brandishes all the requisite high-tech weaponry yet it feels distant. It's the difference between a car from a company that's been making supercars for decades, and a car from a company that's been making Camrys."

 

And in closing:

 

"The LF-A is an impressive feat of engineering. But surrounded by far less costly Lamborghini LP560-2s, Ferrari 458s, and even Corvette ZR-1s, it will need to swim like Michael Phelps to keep from drowing in a VERY deep pool."

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

 

 

No thanks.

 

Aaron

 

Car is worse than an R8!

good engine tone, strange looking car but not n a bad way.

 

Lexus into super cars ! i can accept !

 

competition is good.

 

but $375,000 price tag !!

 

i hope its a joke !

Car is worse than an R8!

 

Finally something to take the heat off my precious R8.

Seen the car in real. Let's just say the Europeans have nothing to worry about --- especially when the LF-A is US$375k.

"Official" weight is 3260lbs but no idea how close that is to real weight (and probably who really cares).

 

This car was conceptualized some 3-4 years ago. Had it not been the tanked economy, it might have a chance but at current times, I'm surprised that Toyota is launching it now.

Is it just me, or does it look better in the last picture with shit all over it?

Is it just me, or does it look better in the last picture with shit all over it?

Agreed

I especially like the custom duct tape on the front quarter panel infront of the wheel!

Was that thing really raced? It looks like it just completed a 24hr, duct tape and all. Shot in the dark here, it's all FAKE.

Shite edition looks almost good. It would be the ugliest GT2 racer only by reasonable margin. But if that reveals to be fake...it will get nasty.

"The LF-A is an impressive feat of engineering. But surrounded by far less costly Lamborghini LP560-2s, Ferrari 458s, and even POS ZR-1s, it will need to swim like Michael Phelps to keep from drowing in a VERY deep pool."

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

i personally think it looks pretty good, better with racing decals, but not nearly worth it compared to other cars in its price range.

 

I guess they are really hoping on the exclusivity to move it.

 

I wonder why toyota can't do suspension, same problem with is-f

 

i personally think it looks pretty good, better with racing decals, but not nearly worth it compared to other cars in its price range.

 

I guess they are really hoping on the exclusivity to move it.

 

I wonder why toyota can't do suspension, same problem with is-f

 

I didn't even type the worst joke of jokes from the article, in which the President of Toyota popped off about them possibly holding the titles on all the LF-As sold for an undetermined time "as Ferrari did with the F50, to prevent speculation". Meaning you won't be able to resell this abortion for a year or more despite being gouged for $400k.

 

:lol2: :lol2:

 

They actually think the LF-A is going to be in such hot demand that they're worried about flippers on the secondary market as if they're Ferrari...I literally laughed out loud when I read that.

Was that thing really raced? It looks like it just completed a 24hr, duct tape and all. Shot in the dark here, it's all FAKE.

 

FYI: http://gazoo.com/racing/english/nul2009report/index.asp (warning: propaganda write-up )

had a chance to see it in person at sema and I must say that I was impressed with the quality of the car. the car looks way better in person than the pictures. But the price point is way off...

had a chance to see it in person at sema and I must say that I was impressed with the quality of the car. the car looks way better in person than the pictures. But the price point is way off...

 

 

Good to know it looks better in person - because all I see when I look at it now is that massive hood gap... I guess it's a styling cue?

 

~KK