Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Forza Motorsport 6: Celebrating Lexus' 10th anniversary since its Japan launch

The year 2015 isn't about celebrating ten years of the Forza franchise, it's also celebrating the tenth anniversary of Lexus' Japan launch. It was late August 2005 when Toyota introduced Lexus to the Japanese market with the IS, GS, and SC. Hard to believe it's already been ten years, huh? So much stuff happening in the world are in their tens this year but let's not talk about those, okay?

Anyway, I'll honor Lexus' 10 years of Japanese sales with a selection of Lexus vehicles lapping round the Top Gear track on Forza Motorsport 6. Remember, only the Lexus cars offered in Japan since 2005. I'm not going to send the old 1997 Lexus SC300 here because apparently, it's only a Toyota Soarer offered in Japan and Lexus hasn't been introduced in Japan yet although the Lexus brand was offered to the world market. Only focus on the Lexus-branded cars offered in Japan.

isf

The Lexus IS F, a potent version of the second-generation IS, the first Lexus IS offered to the Japanese market since Lexus was introduced in Japan in 2005. It signalled the birth of Lexus' F division that would combat the likes of BMW's M division, Mercedes-AMG, and Audi's quattro GmbH, responsible for their RS models. Launched in the end of 2007, the IS F was powered by a 5.0L direct injected 2UR-GSE V8 engine producing 423PS of power and 503Nm of torque. It was mated with an 8-speed paddle shift transmission.

lfa

The Lexus LFA, the pinnacle of Lexus' pursuit of perfection. With 500 units built from its two-year lifespan, the LFA comes with Japan's first ever V10 engine producing 552HP of power and 354lb-ft of torque. Even with production has ended three years ago, the LFA is a legendary JDM supercar in its own right.

gs

The GS 350 F Sport. On its fourth-generation, the Lexus GS wants to be a serious competitor to BMW's 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz's E-Class, and Audi's A6. It's the first Lexus to introduce the Spindle Grille, which became a trademark to present-day and future Lexus models.

is

The IS350 F Sport. On its third-generation, the IS introduced a much radical evolution of Lexus' L-Finesse design philosophy and it gave us a much rakish look of the luxury brand's signature Spindle Grille.

rcf

And finally, the RC F. Using Lexus' involvement in the world of Super GT, the RC F is made to take on the race track thanks to its improved version of the 5.0L V8 derived from the IS F as well as other track-essential improvements that will keep it more potent in track days.

Now, most of the Lexus models are here to celebrate 10 years of Lexus' Japanese launch, and in honor of such ubiquitous occasions because 10 is becoming a lucky number for the year 2015, these Lexuses are ready to take on the Top Gear track, using whatever means necessary to attain the quickest lap.

All right, let's show them what they can do. For Lexus' 10th anniversary of Japanese sales!



The results:
1:26.418 - ISF
1:22.407 - LFA
1:30.713 - GS 350
1:33.250 - IS 350
1:27.047- RCF

Well, I have to say, these cars did a heck of a job honoring Lexus' 10th anniversary of Japanese sales and even though they did very well setting lap times, looks like the Lexus most Japanese will remember for for the past ten years of tenure is the Lexus LFA because it's the Japanese supercar that defined the breed and set the template for Lexus' F models for many years to come.

The RC F may not be a decent heir to the LFA but because of its circuit-based knowledge thanks to its involvement in the Super GT series, it tries to stay true to its AMAZING IN MOTION slogan. Only problem is when I took this one off, it ended up lapped slower than the IS F even though it has more power and that's definitely because this car's heavier than the IS F, I presume.

Onto the normal models like the GS350 and the IS350, feels like they're way much of a different league when compared against its German rivals but they're not half bad to impress its owners with its dynamics. Sure they maybe luxury cars but they felt like they're becoming as sporty as it hoped for...well, sorta.

If I had to pick which is the best Lexus for 10 years, my best pick would be the LFA because even though its production has ceased, its fame has been elevated as a cult classic, a legend in its own right.

It's an honor to celebrate Lexus' 10th anniversary since its Japan launch.

No comments: