Every driver who has test driven the Lexus LFA has praised the amazing and awe-aspiring performance of the car. The LFA is an exotic two seater, front engine, rear wheel drive coupe. The major component used in the body and chassis are carbon fibre composite; that is why the car has a curb weight of only 3263 pounds. The lightweight 4.8L V10 engine has been placed as far back as possible. This compact 553hp engine generates a head spinning 9000rpm in 6/10th of a second. The accelerator is extremely sensitive and even if the driver just twitches his toes, the engine rpm climbs instantly. You must plant your left foot firmly on the floor to control the acceleration.
The LFA has an unparalleled low centre of gravity of 17 ¾", right under the steering wheel. This makes the LFA stick to the road surface, and there is very little chance of over or under steering the car. If you happen to over steer and the rear wheels spin out, the car corrects it by itself, as if there are two assistants steering the rear wheels; and all this when your speedometer is in three digits. The ceramic brakes work extremely well, and the steering feedback is positive even though it is electric power steering.
The LFA has been designed to create maximum down force, and the Gurney flap comes into play once you cross the 50 mph marks. The six speed automatic sequential gearbox, with steering mounted paddles, is smooth and easy to operate; in fact, the gear shift is extremely fast. Take the car to 50mph, place it in sixth gear, press down on the throttle and you will cross the 100mph in the blink of an eye. That is how fast and smooth the car is.
Push the rpm to the redline limit and the console display changes colour and the car starts emitting warning beeps. The cockpit is designed to resemble that of a jet fighter and the seats are supportive and comfortable.
The LFA has been driven on race tracks and on normal roads; its drive has been excellent under all conditions. There are four driving modes for the driver to select from, which are normal, sports, automatic and wet. No one wants to potter around the town in such a lovely super car. It is a car that is meant to be driven on the German autobahns and open roads.
The sound from the triple exhaust resembles that of a formula1, which adds to the thrill of the car. Lexus engineers have been so weight conscious that even the sound system is a specially made lightweight unit.
The Lexus LFA team has done an outstanding job in designing and building the LFA. It may not be the fastest car in the market of super cars, but it is definitely one of the best built cars in this class. Every person who has reviewed and test driven the LFA has praised its bewildering performance, stability, agility and excellent build quality. It is a bad news that Lexus only plans to build 500 of these super cars.
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