# Iconic Lexus Engines & Drivetrains | Otto Explains | AutoTronix **Section:** Otto Explains **Canonical:** https://autotronix.om/otto/lexus-engines-drivetrains **Language:** English **Arabic version:** https://autotronix.om/ar/otto/lexus-engines-drivetrains --- ## Short Answer Lexus is best known for its V8 engines, from the 1UZ-FE of the first LS 400 to the 5.0-litre 2UR-GSE of its F cars, for the LFA's 4.8-litre V10 developed with Yamaha, and for Lexus Hybrid Drive, which it has used since 2005. Its drivetrain firsts include the world's first eight-speed automatic (2006), the first 10-speed automatic in a luxury car (2016), the Multi Stage Hybrid System and DIRECT4 electric all-wheel drive, while a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 has replaced the V8 in the LS and LX. --- ## Which engines is Lexus known for? Lexus's best-known engines are its V8 engines, from the 1UZ-FE of the first LS 400 to the 5.0-litre V8 of the IS F, RC F, GS F, LC 500 and IS 500, known as the 2UR-GSE in the IS F and RC F; the LFA's 4.8-litre V10, developed with Yamaha; and the 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 that replaced the V8 in the LS and LX. Just as important is Lexus Hybrid Drive, used since the RX 400h of 2005 and developed through several generations with V6, V8 and four-cylinder engines. --- ## What made the first Lexus V8 special? The LS 400's 1UZ-FE was a 32-valve, twin-camshaft V8 of 3,968 cc. Lexus in Britain describes it as all-aluminium and rated it at 241bhp there; in America it was announced at 250 hp, and in Japan, where the car was sold as the Toyota Celsior, at 260 PS at 5,400 rpm. Its block needed a new casting method: Toyota lowered the pressure inside the mould so that aluminium filled it better at low temperatures, making the block stronger and quicker to cast. In 1997 the V8 gained VVT-i variable valve timing, first shown in the HPS concept car. --- ## How did Lexus V8 engines develop after the LS 400? The LS 430 of 2000 introduced a 4.3-litre 32-valve V8, 277bhp in that car, which was also used in the GS 430 and the SC 430. The LS 460 of 2006 moved to a new 4.6-litre V8 with Dual VVT-i and electrically driven VVT-iE on the intake, and the LS 600h of 2007 paired an all-new 5.0-litre V8, which Lexus in Britain called its most technically advanced engine at the time, with a hybrid system. --- ## What is the 2UR-GSE V8? The 2UR-GSE was developed for the IS F of 2007: an all-aluminium V8 of 4,969 cc with a 94.0 x 89.5 mm bore and stroke, 11.8:1 compression and 417 bhp (423 DIN hp) with 505 Nm. Lexus gave it D-4S injection, which combines direct and port injection, electrically driven VVT-iE on the intake, titanium intake valves, a second intake passage that opens above 3,600 rpm and an oil scavenge pump to keep the oil supply steady in fast corners, and it revved to 6,800 rpm. Otto's guide to [engine designs](https://autotronix.om/otto/engine-designs-explained) explains the V layout. --- ## How did the V8 change in the RC F, GS F, LC 500 and IS 500? For the RC F of 2014 Lexus raised the compression ratio to 12.3:1 and the rev limit to 7,300 rpm, giving 477 PS, and let the engine run the Atkinson cycle at cruising speeds and the Otto cycle when driven hard. The GS F used a 467-hp version with the same 7,300-rpm red line, the LC 500 a development of the RC F and GS F engine at 471 hp, and the IS 500 F SPORT Performance a 472-hp version at 7,100 rpm. The GS F, LC 500 and IS 500 engines are all naturally aspirated. --- ## What made the LFA's V10 unusual? The LFA's 1LR-GUE is a 4,805 cc V10 with its cylinder banks at 72 degrees and a dry sump that lets it sit low in the car. Developed with Yamaha, it produced 412 kW (560 PS, 552 bhp) at 8,700 rpm and 480 Nm at 6,800 rpm, with a 9,000-rpm red line, and its intake and exhaust were tuned for a sound Lexus called “Octave Harmony”. It drove the rear wheels through a six-speed automated sequential gearbox in a rear transaxle with a limited-slip differential, which helped a 48:52 front-to-rear weight balance, with upshifts in 0.2 seconds. --- ## Why did Lexus move to a twin-turbo V6? With the fifth-generation LS of 2017 Lexus introduced its first 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 (V35A-FTS), which Toyota says achieves rapid combustion through its bore-and-stroke ratio and high thermal efficiency, and quoted 415 hp in the LS 500. The same V6 replaced the naturally aspirated V8 in the LX 600 of 2021, at 409 hp, and powers the LX 700h hybrid; Lexus's latest American releases list it as 3.4 litres. Otto explains [how turbochargers and superchargers work](https://autotronix.om/otto/turbocharger-vs-supercharger). --- ## How does Lexus Hybrid Drive work? Lexus Hybrid Drive is a full hybrid: the car can move on electric power alone, on the engine or on both. The first, in the RX 400h of 2005, paired a 3.3-litre V6 with an electric motor and added a motor on the rear axle for electric four-wheel drive (E-Four). The second generation, in the GS 450h and LS 600h, added a two-stage motor speed-reduction gear and a nickel-metal hydride battery whose 280 volts were boosted to 650 volts, and the RX 450h and GS 450h used an electronically controlled power split device. Later generations used Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engines, from 2.5 litres in the IS 300h of 2013 to the fourth generation of 2019, whose engines reached 41 per cent thermal efficiency. These are high-voltage systems: never touch or work on high-voltage parts yourself; they are for trained technicians only. Otto compares [hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars](https://autotronix.om/otto/hybrid-vs-plug-in-hybrid-vs-electric). --- ## What is the Multi Stage Hybrid System? Introduced on the LC 500h in 2016 and also used in the LS 500h, the Multi Stage Hybrid System combines a 3.5-litre V6, two motor-generators and a planetary gear set of the kind used in Lexus hybrids with a four-speed automatic gearbox. The two gear sets work together to give the effect of 10 ratios in manual mode, and the LC 500h's system produces 354 hp. Ten years earlier Lexus had built the world's first hybrid with a front engine and rear-wheel drive, the GS 450h of 2006, using a 3.5-litre V6. --- ## Which automatic gearboxes did Lexus pioneer? The LS 460 of 2006 introduced the world's first eight-speed automatic. In the IS F, Lexus's eight-speed Sport Direct Shift used the torque converter only in first gear in manual mode and locked up from second gear, upshifted in 0.1 seconds and blipped the throttle on downshifts. The LC 500 of 2016 introduced the first 10-speed automatic in a luxury car, with shift times Lexus compared with dual-clutch gearboxes, and the Direct Shift-10AT is also used in the LS 500 and the LX. --- ## What drive and handling systems has Lexus introduced? The RC F of 2014 brought the world's first torque-transfer torque-vectoring differential in a front-engined, rear-drive sports coupé; on the GS F it offers Standard, Slalom and Track settings. DIRECT4, Lexus's electric all-wheel-drive control, unveiled in December 2020, can vary drive between the axles from 100:0 to 0:100 in the RZ and is also used in the RX 500h, with a rear eAxle motor, and in the TX 500h and TX 550h+. The RZ also brought Lexus's first steer-by-wire system. Off road, the LX 600 moved to the body-on-frame GA-F platform, 20 per cent more rigid, and offers six Multi-Terrain Select modes, including Sand and Rock. --- ## How is the LX 700h hybrid different? The LX 700h, introduced in 2024 as the first hybrid LX, pairs the twin-turbo V6 and 10-speed automatic with an electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery in a waterproof case. Unlike earlier Lexus hybrids it keeps a conventional alternator and starter, so the engine can still be started and run if the hybrid system fails. The Lexus Oman website lists it with Dirt, Mud, Sand and Rock terrain modes. Its hybrid battery is part of a high-voltage system: never touch or work on it yourself. --- ## What other engines and drives has Lexus used? Lexus's first diesel was the 175bhp 2.2-litre IS 220d of 2005, and its first turbocharged petrol engine came in the IS 200t. Newer models use a 2.4-litre turbocharged four in the RX 500h, TX 350 and TX 500h, and the GX's 2.4-litre turbo hybrid was a Lexus first for a body-on-frame vehicle. The NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid of 2026 pairs a 2.5-litre four with an electronically controlled CVT, and in the electric RZ 550e F SPORT, Interactive Manual Drive simulates eight gears with paddles. --- ## What should a Lexus owner in Oman keep in mind? Lexus engines are built to run for a long time, but the high-revving F engines, the twin-turbo engines and the hybrid drives all depend on correct fluids, cooling and software. Electric and hybrid Lexus models carry high-voltage parts: never touch or work on high-voltage components yourself; leave them to trained technicians. Lexus publishes no list of common faults that Otto could read, so a noise, warning light or change in behaviour is a reason for a proper check, not for guessing at parts. Follow the service schedule Lexus sets for your model and year, and tell the workshop if the car spends long periods in Oman's summer heat, in traffic or on sand. At AutoTronix, PERFORMANCE looks after Lexus F and F SPORT models, starting with an inspection, with performance maintenance, mechanical assessment and the Performance Vehicle Health Report. --- ## Common Questions **Did Yamaha build Lexus engines?** Lexus says the LFA's V10 was developed in conjunction with Yamaha, and its sound was tuned to what Lexus called “Octave Harmony”. Otto found no official source describing a Yamaha role in other Lexus engines. **What does D-4S mean?** D-4S stands for Direct-injection 4-stroke gasoline engine Superior version. It combines direct injection into the cylinders with injection into the intake ports, and Lexus used it on the IS F's V8 and, at a higher pressure of 18 MPa, on the RC F. **Which Lexus V8 engines are naturally aspirated?** Among recent models, the 5.0-litre V8 engines of the GS F, LC 500 and IS 500 are naturally aspirated. The LS 500 and LX 600 use a twin-turbo V6 instead, which in the LX replaced a naturally aspirated V8. --- ## Related Otto Explanations - Does a High-Performance Engine Need Different Oil?: https://autotronix.om/otto/high-performance-engine-oil --- ## Related Services - AutoTronix Garage: https://autotronix.om/garage - AutoTronix Lab: https://autotronix.om/lab - AutoTronix PERFORMANCE: https://autotronix.om/performance - Performance Vehicle Maintenance: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-maintenance - Performance Vehicle Mechanical Repairs: https://autotronix.om/performance/performance-mechanical - Performance Vehicle Health Report: https://autotronix.om/performance/vehicle-health-report --- ## Book a Service WhatsApp: +968 9966 7600 https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=96899667600&type=phone_number&app_absent=0 Location: Mabellah Industrial, Street 7, Muscat — Saturday to Thursday, 9 AM to 9 PM