The Lexus LFA writeup at Edmunds Inside Line is a real delight to read:
This is a staggering engine. It likes to be revved hard, but with 90 percent of the torque output available from 3,700 rpm there’s none of the low-rpm languor that blights other high-revving motors. Lexus claims the LFA with its six-speed, single-clutch automated manual transmission gets to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and will reach a top speed of 202 mph. Third gear runs to 104 mph and is a fabulous weapon for road use.
Many manufacturers, Ferrari included, have claimed to have tuned their engines to mimic the howl of an F1 motor. Lexus makes a similar claim here, but for once the result sounds justified. With an ever-urgent howl, it succeeds in sounding at once both aggressive and cultured.
The gearbox feels well suited to the engine’s character, and downshifts are a sonic delight. It’s also interesting to note that the force required to achieve a downshift with the shift paddle is marginally more than that required to upshift — a haptic detail insisted upon by Tanahashi-san.
Along with the review is this video. The video has stopped working—looking for an alternate source.
I liked how the presenter’s whispering in the showroom, like he’s afraid to be caught. Don’t agree with him at all about the LFA’s front-end design—I think the headlights are overwrought, but I like the distinct Japanese look.
[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]
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