With 550 horsepower (five hundred, and fifty!) from its Magnuson supercharged 5.7-liter V8 engine, the new Lexus J201 concept has some grunt. Were Lexus to make it a production overlanding rig, it’d officially be the most powerful Lexus ever sold.
550 horsepower is the most power any production Lexus has ever made! Right?
Oh, that’s right, the Lexus LFA supercar made 553 horsepower, a whole three more than the new J201 concept. The J201, however, also makes 550 pound-feet of torque, while the LFA made only 354 lb-ft.
Obviously, these two Lexus models represent quite different missions. Back in 2009 at the LFA’s debut, Lexus was pursuing all-out performance for its halo supercar. Now, eleven years later in 2020, Lexus considers the LX 570 SUV its flagship model.
The J201 is aimed at a buyer persona called the “Experiential Adventurer.” Translating the marketing speak, Lexus wants to appeal to overland enthusiasts with a luxury camp-anywhere rig. While the LX 570 isn’t necessarily the ideal overland platform, the J201 builds off of it in a way that’s surprisingly cohesive.
If more car manufacturers follow this example, the overland enthusiast community will certainly benefit. Lexus may be aimed in a very different direction than they were in 2009 with the LFA, but the J201 represents a far more accessible halo car than the low-production LFA ever was.
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