Never have I loved an interior as much as this.
Hey guys! Are we in the Christmas spirit yet? It's just a few hours left to go and I hope you're with your friends and loved ones now.
In Part 1 of my article, I wrote about the exterior design of the Lexus LFA. Truth be told, it didn't win me over and I just couldn't see it mature over the years as a future classic, like a Ferrari F40, McLaren F1 or the Lamborghini Countach. So what effect will the interior have on me then?
I have the keys, pressed 'unlock' and this kickstarts a series of electronic buzzes whirring around the car, like a series of pre-checks to designed to prime the car before setting off.
While the exterior of the car was mostly misses rather than hits, the interior is a different matter altogether. Here, it pushed all the right buttons for me.
This picture says it all:
You sit low, surrounded by high door sills and dashboard line but the overall effect is cocooning, even if the seats could do with more lateral support. Other than that, the driving position was just spot on.
It was only after I wiped that smirk off my face (and drool stains off the leather) did I notice the seating is just about as close to the centre of the vehicle as possible. The cross section below shows where the seat is relative to the car's extremities and you'll see what I mean.
Everything about the vehicle radiates from this central position, producing 50:50 weight distribution - ideal ratios to give the driver maximum feel of what each tyre is doing in its own corner, in order to fully optimise control over handling and grip.
And speaking of the seats, you just have to see the control levers that operate the electric seats. It's a sight to behold as it's like nothing in any other supercar:
I just love how the centre console swoops in a gentle arc from armrest to the TFT display and how the entire piece is exquisitely draped in a single piece of leather. It looks so clean, neat, tidy.
The steering ring is made of carbon fibre and wrapped in leather where you grip it. You can just make out the cursor controls on the left which corresponds to the Lexus Enform infotainment. On the right, is the push start button. What I like about it is that they didn't try to cram too many buttons on it, which would end up looking like a buttonfest pizza like the Ferrari 458 steering wheel.
We all know about the Lexus LFA's anamorphic tachometer dials, and I couldn't wait to test this out. To do this, turn on the engine, and toggle this dial from Norm to Sport:
Then you get this!
Everything is exquisitely made out of four possible materials, depending on how the original buyer specified the vehicle at the point of purchase: Carbon fibre, titanium, leather and alcantara. That's it. No hand-polished wood, no cigarette lighter, no cup holder (some wanker from a highly respected motoring magazine complained that the Lexus LFA didn't have a cup holder, like what??)
Flicking the indicator stalks and steering-mounted paddle shifters, you immediately get the sense of lightness about it. Not 'cheap' lightness but 'we're shaving grams off' lightness.
Wait. Where's the gear lever or parking brake? The answer is, there is none. The Lexus LFA's forward gears are selected by using the paddles. If you want to select Reverse, you must first select Neutral by pulling both paddles backwards. A button on the dashboard then allows you to choose Reverse. It's all very tech-y. Very Japanese-y. And I have no qualms about that.
In between the seats is a plaque, in titanium no less. There's a number on it. Can you guess what this number refers to?
It is that particular car's numerical ranking in a production run limited to 500 units. Here it says, 'LFA 202' meaning it's number 202 out of 500, which is actually a coincidence, because the Lexus LFA maxes out at a top speed of 202 mph. This auspicious common denominator makes this particular specimen quite special.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing about the interior I don't like. It just works for me.
Overall, it was an unbelievably special treat to get up close with the Lexus LFA. TJM which is the dealer that sells this particular unit, lists its price as RM2,000,000 and if you want a closer look at it like I did, the right guy to speak to is Mohd Azlan (010 5722 777). The thing with grey importers is that they won't allow you to test drive the car on public roads. Firstly, it's not insured - so that's going to keep it grounded. But beyond that, it's also their policy that interested buyers need to commit to a non-refundable deposit before being allowed to test drive it. But it was still a very special day for me.
I recorded the entire experience on video, so you can watch it right here.
Do you like the Lexus LFA interior? Let me know. I appreciate your thoughts. And be sure to read Part 1, where I explore the exterior design of the Lexus LFA.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Cheers!
All Lexus
Hey guys! Are we in the Christmas spirit yet? It's just a few hours left to go and I hope you're with your friends and loved ones now.
In Part 1 of my article, I wrote about the exterior design of the Lexus LFA. Truth be told, it didn't win me over and I just couldn't see it mature over the years as a future classic, like a Ferrari F40, McLaren F1 or the Lamborghini Countach. So what effect will the interior have on me then?
I have the keys, pressed 'unlock' and this kickstarts a series of electronic buzzes whirring around the car, like a series of pre-checks to designed to prime the car before setting off.
While the exterior of the car was mostly misses rather than hits, the interior is a different matter altogether. Here, it pushed all the right buttons for me.
This picture says it all:
You sit low, surrounded by high door sills and dashboard line but the overall effect is cocooning, even if the seats could do with more lateral support. Other than that, the driving position was just spot on.
It was only after I wiped that smirk off my face (and drool stains off the leather) did I notice the seating is just about as close to the centre of the vehicle as possible. The cross section below shows where the seat is relative to the car's extremities and you'll see what I mean.
Everything about the vehicle radiates from this central position, producing 50:50 weight distribution - ideal ratios to give the driver maximum feel of what each tyre is doing in its own corner, in order to fully optimise control over handling and grip.
And speaking of the seats, you just have to see the control levers that operate the electric seats. It's a sight to behold as it's like nothing in any other supercar:
It's hard to work it out, right? So let me doodle on that image to explain how to operate it. Pull up (1) to adjust the height of the seat. Push (2) to move the seat forward or back. And tug (3) to adjust the incline of the back rest.
The steering ring is made of carbon fibre and wrapped in leather where you grip it. You can just make out the cursor controls on the left which corresponds to the Lexus Enform infotainment. On the right, is the push start button. What I like about it is that they didn't try to cram too many buttons on it, which would end up looking like a buttonfest pizza like the Ferrari 458 steering wheel.
We all know about the Lexus LFA's anamorphic tachometer dials, and I couldn't wait to test this out. To do this, turn on the engine, and toggle this dial from Norm to Sport:
Then you get this!
Everything is exquisitely made out of four possible materials, depending on how the original buyer specified the vehicle at the point of purchase: Carbon fibre, titanium, leather and alcantara. That's it. No hand-polished wood, no cigarette lighter, no cup holder (some wanker from a highly respected motoring magazine complained that the Lexus LFA didn't have a cup holder, like what??)
Flicking the indicator stalks and steering-mounted paddle shifters, you immediately get the sense of lightness about it. Not 'cheap' lightness but 'we're shaving grams off' lightness.
Wait. Where's the gear lever or parking brake? The answer is, there is none. The Lexus LFA's forward gears are selected by using the paddles. If you want to select Reverse, you must first select Neutral by pulling both paddles backwards. A button on the dashboard then allows you to choose Reverse. It's all very tech-y. Very Japanese-y. And I have no qualms about that.
It's also nice to know that despite being on a severe Atkins diet, there's still plenty of creature comforts for days when you want to drive in a more civilised manner. There's a CD/DVD slot, a banging Mark Levinson sound system, and air conditioning - and there's absolutely nothing disrespectable about a supercar with all that.
In between the seats is a plaque, in titanium no less. There's a number on it. Can you guess what this number refers to?
There is nothing, and I mean nothing about the interior I don't like. It just works for me.
Overall, it was an unbelievably special treat to get up close with the Lexus LFA. TJM which is the dealer that sells this particular unit, lists its price as RM2,000,000 and if you want a closer look at it like I did, the right guy to speak to is Mohd Azlan (010 5722 777). The thing with grey importers is that they won't allow you to test drive the car on public roads. Firstly, it's not insured - so that's going to keep it grounded. But beyond that, it's also their policy that interested buyers need to commit to a non-refundable deposit before being allowed to test drive it. But it was still a very special day for me.
I recorded the entire experience on video, so you can watch it right here.
Do you like the Lexus LFA interior? Let me know. I appreciate your thoughts. And be sure to read Part 1, where I explore the exterior design of the Lexus LFA.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Cheers!
All Lexus
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