Toyota is currently stealing all the headlines with exciting performance cars like the GR Corolla, but its luxury brand, Lexus, is no stranger to producing the occasional high-speed missile either. A sporty performance car that stands out with loads of power and low curb weight is sorely missing from the current lineup, however. The automaker has been somewhat quiet of late, and the only supercar Lexus ever made was discontinued a long time back, but a GT3-inspired sports car is coming soon, potentially creating a new Lexus speed king. For now, let's look back at the fastest Lexus cars made so far, as well as the quickest to 60 mph.
Fastest Lexus Coupes And Convertibles
As a premium brand, coupes and convertibles are a must for Lexus. These body styles have yielded some of the prettiest and most potent Lexus models to date.
What is the fastest Lexus ever?
The fastest Lexus car ever made was the limited-edition supercar known as the Lexus LFA, with a top speed of 202 mph. With track-tuned suspension and aggressive aerodynamics, the track edition, achieved with the 50-unit Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package, got a recalibrated transmission and a little extra power. In this guise, the 4.8-liter V10 was boosted from 552 horsepower to 562 hp, but the top speed remained the same. Despite this, with non-competition tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE070 performance tires), the eponymous model set a record around the Green Hell, achieving a time of 7:14. The first Lexus to break 200 mph is also the only one to do it so far.
What is the fastest Lexus on sale?
The fastest Lexus models on sale right now are also the second fastest to date. The Lexus LC 500 Coupe and Lexus LC 500 Convertible max out at a top speed of 168 mph. Both are rear-wheel drive vehicles with a sporty nature, but these are not all-out performance vehicles. They are grand tourer machines designed to offer the relaxing ride and cossetting comfort typically found in a Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicle, and the 5.0-liter V8 - although a powerful engine developing 471 hp - is less urgent than modern turbocharged alternatives. Regardless, the Lexus LC 500 is the fastest Lexus coupe you can buy new, and the rear-wheel drive two-door is one of the prettiest things Lexus created ever.
The fastest Lexus F Sport
In third place on our list is the Lexus RC F, updated earlier this year with several advanced safety features. As before, a 5.0-liter V8 internal combustion engine motivates the rear-wheel-drive coupe, and the Track Edition, with its standard features of a torque-vectoring differential and high-performance suspension tweaks, reappeared for the new model year with sport-tuned suspension and weight-saving and aesthetic upgrades like a carbon fiber rear wing and 19-inch BBS wheels.
This car has a top speed of 168 mph, matching the Lexus LC 500. But it does not tie for second place, as the regular RC in rear-wheel drive form is electronically limited to 143 mph, and the AWD version hits the limiter at 130, a far cry from the inimitable Lexus LFA. However, it does have the unusual title of the fastest F Sport model.
Fastest Lexus Sedans
While the LFA might be a legend and the LC is absolutely stunning, the Lexus brand was founded on its iconic sedans. It's a body style the brand still continues to produce, so it's no surprise some of these models are at the top of the brand's performance hierarchy.
What is the fastest Lexus sedan on sale?
The fastest cars Lexus makes are relatively underwhelming in a game of Top Trumps, but how much speed do you really need? What you want is acceleration, and that's why we're going to talk about the quickest cars that the brand has ever made shortly. But before we get there, the fastest Lexus 4-door is the luxury sedan known as the IS.
This has a top speed of 143 mph, but if you want more, the IS is offered as a sporty sedan called the IS 500 F-Sport Performance. The Lexus IS F is no longer available but used to top out at 168 mph. For the IS 500, the fastest Lexus IS model, that figure drops to 149, even if you get the F-Sport package. It's no rival to a dedicated performance sedan like the BMW M3, but it still drives the rear wheels in an engaging manner.
Other fast Lexus sedans
The Lexus LS Series includes two sedans: a standard LS model powered purely by gasoline and a fuel-efficient hybrid. The base model was formerly the Lexus LS 460, but that spot is now filled by the LS 500. Similarly, the Lexus LS 600h has been replaced by the LS 500h. Speed is not the chief concern of this sedan, and that applies to most Lexus cars, but this one is particularly numbing, reaching its top speed at just 136 mph.
Things are even more dire with the Lexus ES, which offers no more than 131 mph in regular form and tops out at 112 mph with the available hybrid system. The fuel economy is great, but the exhilaration is sorely lacking. At least it is priced competitively, but if your criteria are "cheap fast Lexus," you'll have to sacrifice one of those three requirements. If you're looking for the best sport sedans, we suggest focusing your gaze on German products.
What is the fastest Lexus SUV?
In the automotive game of survival of the fittest, not having a crossover or SUV can kill your brand. Thankfully, Lexus has several, including softroaders and hardcore luxury off-roaders.
The fastest Lexus SUV on sale is the Lexus LX, which has a maximum speed of 130 mph. Just behind it is the fifth-generation RX 500h, which also manages 130 mph as a hybrid, while the gas-powered RX is limited to 124 mph. We don't even want to mention the all-electric RZ - that only pulls itself to 99 mph.
Fastest Accelerating Lexus Models From 0-60
Lexus equips its cars with several comfort features, and each model usually offers adequate power for its requirements, but outright performance always comes second to comfort and fuel economy, especially with the hybrid models. That usually means a hefty curb weight and a relatively high 0-60 time. Let's see how low it can get.
V8 Lexus cars are a common sight, but only one car has 10 cylinders, and it's the quickest to 60 mph. The top five fastest accelerating cars from Lexus are:
- Lexus LFA 0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds
- Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition 0-60 mph: 3.9 seconds
- Lexus RC F 0-60 mph: 4.2 seconds
- Lexus LC 0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds
- Lexus IS 500 0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds
Top 10 Fastest Lexus Cars
'Fast' refers to top speed, while 'quick' relates to acceleration. So while we've dealt with the quickest models above, we've got the list of the 10 fastest below. These are the fastest Lexus models ever, including those currently on sale and those out of production. Unsurprisingly, the Lexus LFA is the fastest car from the luxury brand to date.
- Lexus LFA - 202 mph
- Lexus IS F - 170 mph
- Lexus LC 500 - 168 mph
- Lexus RC F - 168 mph
- Lexus GS F - 168 mph
- Lexus LC Hybrid - 155 mph
- Lexus IS 500 F-Sport Performance - 149 mph
- Lexus SC - 149 mph
- Lexus IS - 143 mph
- Lexus RC - 143 mph
Several models were welcomed by enthusiasts but are no longer available from the automaker. The Lexus IS F immediately jumps to mind, as does the Lexus GS F super sedan. If you can find a decent used model, the regular Lexus GS works surprisingly well as a base for a drift car, but many have opted to lean into its luxobarge image with VIP stance modifications. The Lexus GS was a big luxury sedan that was eventually killed off, but rumors suggest it could return as a hydrogen vehicle. Would we still get a GS F with this alternative powertrain? Time will tell, but we can only reminisce for now.
Also worth mentioning is the Lexus LS modified by Toyota Motorsport more than a decade back, which came with a custom-tuned Sachs suspension and a top speed of 199 mph. With two turbos on its 5.0-liter V8, fuel efficiency was not high on the list of demands. As a result, it produced 650 hp and 564 lb-ft of torque.