Top Gear Lexus LFA Test


In typical Top Gear fashion, they give the Lexus LFA a resounding review and then forcibly use some ridiculous yardstick by which to measure its worth. Minds are not budged when the LFA yields the fastest wet lap on the leader board. In fact, for those who are keeping score, subtract Top Gear‘s regulation four seconds from the lap time for dampness and the LFA actually beats every Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche in the show’s history.


The review serves its goal of entertaining the masses, even if the sole negatives seem to stem from the “but it’s a Lexus” school of thought. Perhaps the producers would reconsider its prestige if they stopped claiming that the company which made the LFA has never built a supercar before, hmmmm?

permalink.
This post is filed under: toyota and
tagged: , , , , , , , .

35 Responses to Top Gear Lexus LFA Test

  1. Jim-Bob says:

    I did find their convenient ignorance of the 2000GT irritating too. However, the point about the price is a valid one considering the similarity in performance to cars costing half as much. I am in no way deriding the car as a technical achievement. It is a technology demonstrator for Toyota, much like the Bugatti Veyron is for Volkswagen. For the price though, it should have more power and be faster and quicker than it is. 3.7 seconds to 60 is blisteringly quick when compared to a normal car, but only average when compared to other exotics from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, etc. It is also slower to 60 than the Ariel Atom, and maybe even the Caterham 500. For this sort of money, that simply should not be.

  2. Adam says:

    I second the anger at Top Gears lack of classic JDM knowledge, however I felt I had to say something in response to your comment Jim-Bob. 3.7 seconds to sixty in the LFA basically matches all the best Italian offerings; the F430 Scuderia does a 3.6, the LP560-4 does a 3.7, and a Zonda F does a 3.6. Now as far as matching the Atom or R500 on any standing start goes, that means you have what those cars have which is nothing. Stick an engine on a bare frame and glue a seat to it and you’ll have an Atom or a Caterham, but for what the LFA is it is one of the best. You get to be as fast as any other name brand supercar and you get to sit in a comfier, much more well appointed cabin with more creature comforts. Just my 2 cents.

  3. E-AT_me says:

    well, technically “lexus” never has. Toyota has, and considering there wasn’t one mention of toyota in that entire clip, i have a feeling they are considered “seperate” companies and that’s how the public views them. i can’t honestly say that someone shopping for a Lexus would also be shopping for a Toyota. it just makes more sense for a car that expensive to have a “lexus” badge. i mean, who would pay that much for a Toyota when you could buy a lexus? hehe. kind of like why in the US we had the “Acura” NSX instead of the Honda. well, not really, but you get the point.

  4. Nigel says:

    Another car for the “haves”. I would like to see what Smokey from “Top Secret” does with it however.

  5. Kev says:

    Interesting how they deride the LFA for being too expensive at 350,000, then later in the same episode, Clarkson says that they can’t wait for the 1 million pound Aston One-77 to come out πŸ™‚

  6. Mr.L.J. Nordvik says:

    This kind of complete ignorance and chauvinism regarding Japanese cars and their alleged lack of personality and heritage used to anger me.Now I just find it comically pathetic. Their loss.Their embarrassment.Their never ending display of “emperor’s new clothes” syndrome going all gooey over some profoundly over-rated european car whose flaws,faults, clumsy engineering and dodgy build quality is what gives it “character”. Bah,humbug!

  7. bert says:

    Whoa! Jeremy Clarkson calm down dude! The LFA is not about price, and they dont care about prestige. It’s about showing the world the japanese can beat the worlds best! Besides, I seem to remember another overpriced japanese super car breaking records in the rain!

  8. Sr-FairladyZ says:

    I watched this last night on the big screen. I will say they did a wonderful job with the editing and style of the test. I was blown away, but then quickly angered with the whole “It’s only a lexus crap.” Mr.L.J. Nordvik said it perfectly here. It’s an ignorant standpoint that many still cannot get around. WHEN will Japanese cars finally own some respect in the average peoples minds? The proven R35 still wasn’t enough? It smashed a lot of records and its priced at a reasonable $70K, but “its no Z06” is what an average American will say. “It’s no bloody BMW” is what Europeans will say. GTR’s have just about as much heritage as a Corvette or M3 does, it’s just not likely that many outside of Japan witnessed any of it. Therefore because they didn’t witness it, it doesn’t exist? It’s blatant ignorance in my eyes. There is all the respect for Japanese cars on a cult or underground level still it seems. what will it take for this to change? The LFA perhaps? Maybe the Honda HSV-10 or maybe its not the cars at all that need to change, it’s the people.

  9. Lexus / Toyota has just built an amazing car, it’s as simple as that. No, it’s not cheap but then if you have the money to buy private jets and yachts, the Β£350k price isn’t much of a worry either. It’s not built for the masses, it’s built to showcase what the company can do and will be bought by very rich people.

    It is history in the making, a real Japanese supercar. I’m glad it exists, but of course I’m still hoping that a new mass-market Supra is produced soon.

  10. Sr-FairladyZ says:

    TheToyotaBlog,

    Tru THAT! It’s been said, Toyota is not even making a profit with this car at $350K. It’s purely a showcase in automotive technology and performance. If you only see a price tag, then your not a true car enthusiast.

  11. Alan says:

    People, people – we’re all missing the point here bickering about provenance and snobism and so forth. Just LISTEN to it, sure sounds like half a million to me!

  12. Mr.L.J. Nordvik says:

    “If you only see a price tag, then your not a true car enthusiast.”
    “Just LISTEN to it, sure sounds like half a million to me!”

    Extremely well put! πŸ™‚

  13. GEN2TWINCAM says:

    They’ve got to have a 12 year old script writer. What a rubbish program.
    I’m surprised TOYOTA even let them drive the car.

  14. Kev says:

    With regards to price, I guess the final position is this. Value for money is in the eye of the beholder. As long as there are enough people to sign on the dotted line and be happy with their purchase, then that’s all that matters.

    Will Lexus find 500 people happy to sign over a cheque? Yes, I think so. And those people will be very happy with their purchase.

    Everyone else be damned (…or jealous, as the case may be!)

  15. xs10shl says:

    Well, I for one think they should have priced it lower. Here’s my reasoning – if they’re losing money on it anyways, why not price it at $175K and take the issue of price out of the discussion, and allow writers to focus on just the car itself.

    I think they’ll sell all of them at $350K, but to my publicity sense it would make more sense to lose another $10-20 million and sell them cheaper. Especially if it creates a buzz in the aftermarket.

  16. Kev says:

    No, I think it’s priced correctly. It’s more than a Lambo Murcielago (then again with an all-carbon body, it should cost more). In terms of tech & materials, it’s more like a Pagani Zonda, which is the same price.

    (let’s face it, xs210shl….no matter how cheap they make it, we can’t afford it anyway) πŸ™‚

  17. bert says:

    I find it interesting that they managed to omit reference to the LFA’s 10 INDIVIDUAL THROTTLE BODIES!!!! from the show. What a sound those baby’s make!! As for the price, the LFA actually lands square in the middle of the supercar spectrum. We’ve got to remember that a lot of the limited numbers supercars today price significantly higher(1.6 million dollar Enzo for example!) Toyota has made an extremly capable car that I think will beat the snot out of anything they throw at it.

  18. bwadsworth87 says:

    the full review is awesome. and better quality. this car just pi$$es excellence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxII5cwvsc

  19. Moises says:

    i loved that segment. yeah they arer not the most educated when it comes to japanese cars, case in point, richard hammond called the GTR “Just a Daatsun”. but honestly, how many people know of the 2000gt’s existence? how many people know the datsun 1200, or the yota crown existed? or they just look at an ae86, 200sx, 810/910 and say “why would they bother puting money into THAT!” and they are Top Gear. i would have been surprised it they didnt bash it for something

  20. Kev says:

    Someone should remind the TG team that Jaaaaaguars are “just a Tata” πŸ™‚

    • Ben says:

      Kev, it’s pronounced “jag-YOU-are,” as in, “Jeremy, we won’t take your criticism of the LFA too seriously considering the jag you are.” πŸ˜›

  21. Oyaji Gaijin says:

    Wasn’t the Miura declared to be the original Super Car? The point being that the Toyota 2000GT was built before there was an established definition of what a Super Car was, and the 2000GT was a Grand Touring car, raced in Grand Touring car class races.

    Toyota has been dragging the LFA along for something like ten years now. Prior to this, they discontinued the Supra, yet always seemed to have new Supra chassis available for their own racing efforts in JGTC and Super GT. Now, Super GT has changed their format to FR chassis only, Toyota needs a new chassis for the new rules, the LFA seems to have been built almost specifically to match the Super GT rules, they have done years of track testing in race trim instead of on the street, they will have a limited production run of 500 cars, and I know I’ve heard that they already pre sold all of the available vehicles, so there isn’t even a list to get onto or a deposit to put down. All of that points to the fact that this is not a car intended for mass market sales or even use on public roads, it’s a limited production run of race cars and they expect the majority to be used in professional racing by teams in Super GT, Le Mans, International GT Open, whatever.
    If they are selling these things at or slightly below cost, it’s to get them into the hands of racing teams because they will return many times what their profit margin should be in advertising by having the Toyota/Lexus name appear on the track.
    It makes no sense to say “If they are already loosing money, why not sell them for half or a third of what they are now selling them for?” Ferrari could sell lots of cars for a dollar a piece, but they would be bankrupt in a week. They have to pay workers, subcontractors, and materials suppliers with something more than a smile. And they are all pre sold anyway, they aren’t looking for a market segment. If you aren’t a professional driver working for a Toyota sponsored team, or a prince in Dubai, the price is totally irrelevant anyway because you’re never going to even sit inside one.

    The price cited by Top Gear was 300,000 UK Pounds, not dollars. That would be 500,000 US Dollars.

  22. N/Aontherun says:

    I think the LFA is a beauty. Just look at it or forget looking. Just hearing her scream makes me all tingly in the pants.

    I know I’ll never own one, but to me its the Bugati of Toyota. Built because they CAN and they are not making money on any of them.

  23. Kev says:

    Jag-whar. WHAR. Whar-Whar-Whar-Whar-Whar πŸ™‚

    Who’s side are you on anyway? It’s YOUR government that did this to the E-type πŸ˜€
    http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m255/MX5_Dorifto/jaguar-frontlarge.jpg

  24. dwlee says:

    I would not be surprised if one of the conditions for having the LFA on TopGear was that they weren’t allowed to call it a Toyota

  25. Dan says:

    @xs10shl: at $175k, they’d be taking an additional $200k loss on each vehicle. Multiply that by 500 cars and you get 100 million dollars, nothing to scoff at, even if you are Toyota.

    @kev’s Tata comment: zing! =D

  26. Mr.L.J. Nordvik says:

    “Someone should remind the TG team that Jaaaaaguars are β€œjust a Tata”” I’m cross-eyed with laughter!

  27. Hugh says:

    I worked on the Lexus during conception and prototype. I have never seen such a desire for achieving perfection in both engineering and styling. It goes with the finest watches and wines.
    It is difficult to create “pure class” in a new product but this has it.

  28. xs10shl says:

    OK, I give up! Bad idea on the discounting. I take it all back. ;^) I guess I was figuring they’d already spent 10 years and perhaps way more than that developing it, so, like F1, it could be put up to a branding exercise.

  29. Mr.L.J. Nordvik says:

    I wish somebody would do a TV show on japanese cars only.I volounteer to host. πŸ˜‰

  30. Oyaji Gaijin says:

    If there is anything I learned from Winnie-the-Pooh, it is that the proper pronunciation of that word is [jag-yoo-lar].

  31. Kev says:

    Jaaaaaaag.

    Whaaaaaar.

    πŸ™‚

  32. Mr.L.J. Nordvik says:

    I believe the correct pronounciation of Jaguar XF is “My,that looks an awful lot like a Lexus GS.”

  33. Kev says:

    You say tomato, I say tomah-to,

    You say potato, I say pa-TATA…

Leave a Reply to Kev Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *