December 10, 2009

That's different: Lexus LFA's engine sound.

Curious, what do our reader's think of Toyota's supercar?


(Toyota)


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20 comments:

  1. A little high for my taste, but mostly it sounds like a mix between some tuned Lexus engines I've heard and a the Ferrari howl.

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  2. Sounds incredible but I don't think it's drastically different from a Carrera GT or an E60 M5 with aftermarket pipes. Definitely higher pitched than those two V10s but they all sound similar.

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  3. The Carrera GT is more of a mid frequency howl though. To me it sounds like Porsche tuned the pipes so it sounds reminiscent of the 911s.

    I do agree, sounds very nice, but I worry that you would tire of it.

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  4. Beautiful. I read in EVO that it will blip from idle to 9000rpms in 0.6 seconds, hence the graphic display, as a regular needle wouldn't be able to keep up!

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  5. On the down-shifts, it sounds like someone is beating a howling dog. I don't know what it is about Japanese super cars, but they just don't do it for me. They have NO soul what-so-ever! It's like someone went out and got all the best of each individual component, but when you put them together, the sum is *less* than to total of it's parts. They have a certain "fake" feeling to them. It reminds me of Pam Anderson, which is fine for some guys but I'm more of a Scarlett Johansson guy myself.

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  6. My dad's 4 banger Camry sounds very similar, but the downshifts are not as quick or prominate.

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  7. OK, it satifies 1 of the senses

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  8. To each their own, I guess. The japanese automotive market may not "do it" for some people, it may be lacking that certian something. However, you shouldn't go so far as to say they have no "soul". The word you're referring to, and how you would explain it if asked what it meant with Itallian and other European marques, is very much the same in the land of the rising sun.

    All you have to do is see one of their facilities in Japan, meet some of the engineers, meet the designers, even the people working on the line at any given factory. They all exude the same kind of insurmountable passion your Ferrari, Porsche, or Alfa employee does. Hell, they have the healthiest racing culture of any one single country on the planet.

    I think it's comparable to that wonderful term "German Efficientcy". Sometimes it may come off as boring, but you can't say they don't love the hell out of what they do!

    Oh yeah, and that motor sounds pretty cherry, too!

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  9. I thought the sound was nice, but lacking in some way.

    Im wondering if the car also emits a lower frequency sound that isn't picked up by microphones as much as the high pitched noise. F1 cars sound absolutely incredible in person, but microphones are not able to accurately reproduce the full spectrum of sound that they make. The low frequency boom just is not reproduced for whatever reason. Im wondering if the same thing is true with this engine.

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  10. Instead of the vague term 'soul', I think 'brand image' is more likely to explain something. You see, for all these years Toyota has built a reputation for Lexus as luxury, comfortable, reliable, etc....anything but sporty(Even IS-F has an automatic). Ever since MR2, Supra, and Celica GTS died, Toyota has yet built a sporty car. And suddenly there comes the LF-A, a real supercar. Kind of shocking. Unlike Honda or Nissan or Mazda or Mitsu or Subaru. These brands have all enjoyed a sporty reputation in the recent years, but not Toyota or Lexus.

    Back to the car itself. I think LF-A has more or less suffered from its overly long development. NA V10, single clutch automated, these were popular like 5-10 years ago. Now everybody is playing with (turbocharged) direct injection, dual clutch. And the change to carbonfiber body in the middle of development, that just added too much cost.

    to wrap it up, it's a brilliant car. could be better if it was launched earlier, say, when F1 was still using V10

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  11. Sounds incredible - I bet in person it's more than enough to send shivers down one's spine.

    As for the car - strictly a development exercise. Just wait till they start trickling these sweet designs down into their lineups.

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  12. Don't gt me wrong, I have the utmost respect for and happen to be a fan Japanese culture; and I absolutly do not question their automototive passion. In fact, I'd dare say they're arguably the worlds most passionate country when it comes to automotive culture. However, I still stand by my feelings and I honestly cant think of a better term than soul. Art is subjective and so is the appreciation of the auto enthusiest. So I suppose it could be left at that. Perhaps someone else can explain it better than I can.

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  13. Awesome sound, and great piece of engineering, but as some said is a tad late to the party; and the price tag looks ridiculous compared to the Nissan GT-R (The other techno-loaded Jap supercar). However, price no object, I would choose the lighter RWD V10 N/A (9500rpms!!!).

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  14. While sound is nice, all that really matters is how you feel while driving it. Since, I cannot afford one I will never drive one and the question of soul is moot. I can only judge the car one 3 things -
    1) Looks - looks like a$$ IMHO
    2) Sounds - sounds great.
    3) What reviews say - don't know yet.

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  15. I'll just have to say that anything that has an exhaust note that can be compared to a modern F1 car gets no complaints from me. I think its great.. you've got the Gallardo, F430 Scud, and now this Lex. Who can complain? big revs rule.

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  16. I pesonally LOVE the sound, and I think Toyota deserves a round of applause for this one. I do wish Toyota had the courage to NOT call this car a Lexus... Why Lexus, Toyota is a great brand and they should not be shy about it. So what if people say "A 375000 dollar Toyota???" who cares they are not going to buy it just because it's called a Lexus!

    That is the main issue with this car though, isn't it... why would anyone buy it? Unless tests will show the performance to be magical this car will be more VW Phateon than a VW Veyron.

    Great comments everyone!

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  17. I don't really like the exterior styling (at all) but but that's an engine I could sing along with. Makes me think of an F1 engine and reminds me that even if I think it's fugly, there's some serious kick-ass under that skin.

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  18. i reckon this is a better sound:

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0OTEZDAb9c

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