Throughout the first quarter of the 21st century thus far, the automotive landscape has become almost incomparable to that which came before it. Vehicles have changed to a point where they’re almost unrecognizable from a mechanical standpoint, thanks to advancements such as electric turbochargers, hybrids, and electric vehicles. EVs specifically are playing a major role in the changing of the guard here, as they look to be the green future that the automotive industry is headed towards. However, this also suggests that the internal combustion engine will soon meet its definitive end.
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Yet even withstanding this green future, the sentiment regarding raucous, gas-guzzling engines seems to be changing. The naturally aspirated V8 serves as a perfect example of this, especially in sedan applications where the disadvantages of taking an unboosted powertrain route are far outweighed by the benefits of such a direction, especially with a V8 block as the base. In fact, there is only one unboosted V8 sedan that Americans can buy nowadays, and its country of origin will be shocking to most.
This article cites official sales figures from Lexus and Chrysler/Stellantis, obtained via GoodCarBadCar.net.
The Last NA V8 In America Isn’t Even American
Horsepower
472hp
Torque
395ft-lb @ 4800rpm
Transmission
8-speed Sport Direct-Shift automatic
Top speed
149 mph
0-60 time
4.4 seconds
MPG
20 MPG combined
The vehicle laying claim to the title of the last NA V8 in America is none other than the 2024 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. The engine is an impressive one as well, producing 472 horsepower and 395lb-ft of torque at 4800rpm. It turns that power into a top track speed of 149 mph, and a blistering 0-60 time of just 4.4 seconds in its rear-wheel drive configuration. The vehicle also does respectably well on gas considering its V8 status, getting a combined 20 MPG estimate.
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This engine is paired with an eight-speed Sport Direct-Shift automatic transmission and comes with paddle shifters on the wheel as well. Combined with its suspension, which sees double-wishbones used in front and a multi-link setup with coil springs in the back, the IS 500 F Sport Performance provides an incredibly enjoyable and well-handling ride, which is also thanks to all of the above being paired with a rigid welded-steel unibody frame.
Lexus’ Staying Power
The vehicle gets impressive top-end power out of the engine, even if the low-end leaves a bit to be desired considering the car’s as-near-as-makes-no-difference 3,891-pound curb weight. Sticking with the NA V8 engine as the focus, Lexus also manages to avoid the most common downside of automakers going for downsized turbocharged engines. As you might know, turbo lag is just a part of living that boosted life, though automakers are getting around this issue by using electric turbochargers and other cool methods.
Still, you can beat the immediacy of a naturally aspirated engine, which is one of the main reasons this car is so fun to drive. You step on the throttle, and the power is there.
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There’s also the fact that Lexus is known as a reliable brand thanks to its origins as a Toyota offshoot, boasting the same reliability and relative affordability compared to other luxury vehicles. With proper regular maintenance, any Lexus vehicle can easily be driven for hundreds of thousands of miles before it kicks the bucket. If something goes wrong beyond regular maintenance, these repairs will be much less costly than they otherwise would be for competitors. This is especially advantageous when it comes to outlasting competitors, as Lexus can often undercut their foes when it comes to the costs of parts and labor.
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The final answer as to why the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance has had such staying power relative to its opposition stems from how popular the IS range is in the USA. After down years in 2019 and 2020 with 14,920 and 13,600 units sold respectively, 2021 and onward have seen the company regroup and sell more than 20,000 IS units in 2021, 2022, and 2023. It’s also on track to hit this figure in 2024, with Lexus’ reported sales figures through June putting the total at 10,149.
Big Names That Bit The Dust
As a result of these major advantages, the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance has managed to outlast some of the most recognizable names on the market when it comes to naturally aspirated V8 sedans. While the future of the EV has played a role in the deaths of some competitors, others simply suffered from a lack of interest because their unboosted engines did not provide enough horses in a power-obsessed world.
2020 Lexus GS F
As for why the 2020 Lexus GS F was outlasted by its direct peer, it’s difficult to attribute it to any specific mechanical failures or shortcomings of the car. Instead, there was a general lack of interest from consumers in both the GS F specifically and in the entire GS lineup. Per Lexus’ sales figures for the 2019 year, the GS line was their lowest selling with just under 3,400 units moved during the entire fiscal year, accounting for just over 1% of the brand’s United States sales for the year.
While part of this can be attributed to a shift in consumer preferences from sedans to SUVs at the time within the luxury market, there’s also the fact that the GS line and the GS F specifically couldn’t keep up with competitors. Direct competitors included the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, and other similarly sporty luxury sedans. There’s also the fact that, due to the GS F lacking any boost whatsoever and its competitors having it in spades, the vehicle was simply too underpowered relative to its competitors to reasonably compete.
2023 Chrysler 300S
While the Chrylser 300S suffered from similar problems to the GS F, there was also the issue of dwindling sales on the 300 line as a whole, in turn making it more difficult to justify the production of high-end variants like the S. The 300, both in its base and S variants, also serves as the first example here of casualties that can be attributed to the push for EVs in the industry. Stellantis themselves, being the parent company of Chrysler, have overtly said as much, backing it up by discontinuing their existing fleet of vehicles and looking to rebuild from the ground up in preparation for the automotive industry’s seemingly inevitable green future. Thankfully, this future still includes ICE models.
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Yet this wasn’t the only factor, as, like the GS F, it also suffered from poor sales which contributed to its major decline. While regularly breaking into five-figure sales through the last few production years, it often limped to this number, with each year slowly and slowly cutting it closer to missing this figure until being discontinued in the 2023 production year. While the vehicle most famously known as the Poor Man’s Bentley may have a storied history in the American automotive industry, it, unfortunately, couldn’t cut it in the modern era, even with an impressive 5.7 Hemi V8 under the hood. Oddly, the limited edition 300C, equipped with the 6.4-liter V8, sold out in less than 12 hours.