2012 Lexus LFA Road Trip: Styling Analysis

Mike
I saw the yellow, white, pearl gray and black LFAs in person. On the brighter color, the grate actually looks very nice due to the colors contrast.
From the driving perpective, which supercar would you and your group compare it to?

I love the styling of this car. Plus it's front engined and rear wheel drive, just they way god intended.

400k corolla might be more accurate than anything... considering the FT-86 is styled very similarly (on purpose) and is basically a corolla by another name. it looks decent enough to me, proportions are good which is a big pet peeve for me. yeah the chicken wire looks quite cheap, like those honda's buzzing around... but the rest of the car looks legit. i look forward to getting an FT-86 and having idiots jocking me cuz they think i have an LFA... it was funny, some people were actually convinced my SLK350 was a McLaren SLR when i first got that.

Saw one in person at the Chicago Auto Show a couple of months ago...it is striking in person. While I personally don't think it is necessarily the most attractive supercar, it definitely has a presence. I would imagine its a real head turner in the real world.

Looks like an early 90s 300ZX from the side.

I don't like the styling, especially the three exhaust tips. But it's certainly unique, and I think that's what matters.

Sorry, I hate this car. As many, many, many people have said, at a price point of $100k, this car is fine. At a price point of $150k, you can point to the amazing V10 and justify its existence. At $175, maybe explaining a custom carbon fiber loom to make structural elements can give enough oohs and ahhhs from the crowd to make it feel like money well spent. At $200k, well... it does have a V10 that sounds like none other and a video game dash board, oh we already mentioned the V10? At $250, you can buy one of the most beautiful cars on the planet in the 458 Italia or probably the best performance car in the Mac 12C.

Think of all that you can get for $375k that you don't need to make an excuse for and try and explain away. Even if you like the terrible styling, it doesn't raise the performance bar beyond the handful of cars that it competes against. And those cars are all much better looking. Except for the GT-R.

I definitely see Mark IV Supra in the front end.

It's definitely a nicely styled car. I don't think I would call it ugly. But it's not the best looking thing ever. I guess this applies to most things.

Gorgeous car! Now if Toyota would put the ISF engine in a two door sport coupe with RWD and 6 speed manual, then we would have the new Supra :-)

Every time I look at the rear of this car I think about how much better it would look if the taillights didn't have the mid-90's era orange section. Blacked out LED's, a-la old Infiniti FX45, would definitely make the difference.

http://www.automotive.com/auto-shows/59/294/2004/cias/2005-infiniti-fx45--rear.html

A ton of people pay attention to this car because Toyota has spent a ton of money on PR publicizing in granular detail every inch of it. They even posted video of the carbon fiber loom that was about as interesting as watching paint dry. Fans will wax poetic about carbon fiber this, ceramic that. People who hate the car will pan it for being a Lexus, and that it looks like it was styled by a pre-teen. The reality is that any $350k car is going to generate a lot of interest, and that if it cost $70k the buzz wouldn't be nearly what it is.

There is a lot of Toyota marketing machinery going on with this car. For me, this car is just not appealing at all.

I think the LFA is stunning. The front end is very Supra-esque and is very Japanese which, like the GT-R, is a very love it or hate it design language. The side view is my favorite angle because the LFA looks very futuristic and the rear end is very powerful but as 2001GS430 said it looks much better in brighter colors which make the darker vents stand out.

I have been eagerly awaiting new posts about the LFA these past three days and InsideLine has does a great job covering the car in such a short period of time. It's a shame that more gear heads can't get past the "Lexus" name. If this car wore a prancing horse or a charging bull it would never get these types of comments. I guess for some the brand name is more important than the actual car itself.

And no, I am not a Toyota or Lexus employee. I'm just a car guy who appreciates a fine automobile when I see it ;)

There are two basic problems with the car: the design details aren't cohesive, and the shape is incredibly ordinary. Some people see a Supra. I see a 300ZX. None of us see a supercar. The scoops, character lines, mesh, and random protrusions don't do a thing to alter the impression.

Front is great, side is great, back does not work with those massive grates.

"I have been eagerly awaiting new posts about the LFA these past three days and InsideLine has does a great job covering the car in such a short period of time. It's a shame that more gear heads can't get past the "Lexus" name. If this car wore a prancing horse or a charging bull it would never get these types of comments. I guess for some the brand name is more important than the actual car itself.

And no, I am not a Toyota or Lexus employee. I'm just a car guy who appreciates a fine automobile when I see it ;)"

Amen, brotha.

Its amazing that IL thinks that the fact that people are gawking at a 400k Lexus means the car is good looking. Of course people are looking, they will never see another one in their lives. I would stare and take pics as well because its rare. That doesn't mean its attractive in any way. The side profile is decent, but that can be said for any low slung sports car really. The front and rear styling are horrible and it looks like an unfinished concept car. I have to wonder why people have forgotten about the Ford GT already. We've seen this movie before but the GT was better looking and CHEAPER and yet just as rare. It also performed as well as this car (while being 50% of the cost) way back in 2006 or so. I do not understand why Lexus is being praised for taking 10 years to develop a car whose performance would've been more impressive 5 years ago at an MSRP of $150k or so.

1487, could you be any more of a debbie downer?

and the ford gt being just as rare? Are you kidding? There were around 5000 of them built across 3 model years.

$375k isn't out of the realm of any supercar, and the people who can afford them probably don't care. So I'm not sure why you do. I mean the venom gt is $900k and they are all sold out too, and that just uses a stretched exige, a TT chevy motor, and a ford tranny. They are worth as much as they can sell them for.

I think its attractive, though there are things I would change. Then again, I could probably say that about most luxury cars. The only styling feature I really don't care for is the exhaust arrangement.

I don't know what someone should expect from a $400k vehicle style-wise. Is it supposed to be outlandish, like a Zonda? Is it supposed to be stately like a Bentley? I've never been of the opinion that cars in this price range necessarily 'look' more expensive then one another.

Personally, I don't see how this is any worse or better looking then the current stock of Lambos, or the new Cheshire cat Ferraris. And its not like the LF-A is using cheap materials, or skipping out on things like nice rims.

In summary, I think hate on the price all you like but do it in terms of the cars performance, not its looks.

An overwrought design that is actually passable in black.

Three words: I LOVE IT

"and the ford gt being just as rare? Are you kidding? There were around 5000 of them built across 3 model years. "

Link?

Can't wait to see it. The GT was super low volume. $375k is a lot of money for a car that performs like a $140k car from 5 years ago. Sorry.

"Link?

Can't wait to see it. The GT was super low volume. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_GT

4038 over 3 years.

I see people are still hung up on the price...

Guess what, those people spending $400k on the LFA is like you and me spending $600 on an iPad.

IT'S A TOY!

1487, the man who looks up nothing, but assumes he knows everything.

@ lostboyz,

Let's not bother 1487 since he still got homeworks (Toyota 2000GT research) to do...

My research shows that the main design concept behind the LFA is a Japanese thing. Try googling Japanese Rock Garden"; the jist of it is not any one component is important, but they do work as a whole. Therefore, unless you see it in person, no 2D pictures can tell the story.

"1487, the man who looks up nothing, but assumes he knows everything. "

And of course he's completely wrong.

And once again, proven wrong!

And once again, he vanishes when that happens LOL

That guy needs to grow up, thats for sure.

@louis

Stop using the 2000gt argument on why this thing is a good investment. You can't compare an iconic car from the 70s to a supercar today. That and only way to see a good return on investment would be to not drive it, then what is the point?

The fact of the matter is there are only handful of cars from history that will ever return on the investment (even fewer if you compare to how you could've invested that money). So just scratch that off the reasons to buy this car.

The people who buy something because it is rare, its because no one else is driving it, not because its going to be worth something someday.

@ lostboyz,

I know that the LFA probably won't repeat the 2000GT appreciation but I brought that up just to show someone's ignorance.

I was by no means saying the LFA will become the 2000GT of today in 30 years.

Clear?

thats cool, I just remember seeing it in the other article about how it is an example of how a rare japanese car built to play with the italians will be some iconic thing worth millions. It COULD be, but those kinds of things cannot be forseen. The 2000gt was and is an amazing car, and most people I tell about it have no idea it existed.

Amazing how once 1487 is proven wrong he just vanishes. He reminds me of Lord Voldemort...always hissing, always angry, always trying to ruin the fun.

Who could look at that side profile and say that it is "just decent"?? C'mon!!!!!!

I think what Toyota got best about this car is its stance. Ride height, wheel size, sidewall size, fender gap, are all perfect for this kind of car!

I think the rear 3/4 view is the best. Makes it look like there's no overhang at all!

"Who could look at that side profile and say that it is "just decent"?? C'mon!!!!!!"

I could understand if someone didn't like it... after all, styling is subjective, but 1487 does not offer a credible opinion by any stretch. Might as well just skip over his comments.

The only negative with the LFA is its name, otherwise it is a stunning supercar that I'm sure would cause people to put their cell phones down to take a peek at. Btw, what does LFA stand for?

LFA = Lexus Fuji Apex

LFA is a better name than 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE.

Amazing looking car ever build.

http://www.fast-autos.net/vehicles/Lexus/2008/LF-A_Roadster_Concept/

I like concept versions better :( esp. the roadster one.

Looks 10X better than any Porsche, save the Cayman
BD

LOL where or where has our little shill gone????? Proven WRONG YET AGAIN and he scampers off to lie on another thread. And people wonder (and him) why I bring things like this up over and over again. He will wait a month or so and deny it ever happened. Just watch! Every time I see an ad for Judge Judy where she goes "liar,liar, pants on fire!" I think of him.

"1487, the man who looks up nothing, but assumes he knows everything."

+1

If you guys think about it today be sure and remind elShill of his being wrong.