RE: Lexus RC F: Review

[Mastodon2]

People moan about the rampancy of turbocharging being rammed down our throats, then complain that a 5.0L NA V8 isn't powerful enough. You can't have it all, but I'd have 100 of these RC Fs before a blown BMW.

[chelme]

Wills2 said:

ITP said:

Which is the nicer car to drive upto say, 8 or 9 tenths? It seems clear the M3 is the better drive at 9 tenths and above. Maybe the RC-F is a nicer, more interesting place to be the rest of the time. Which is most of your time in the car. Its not as clear cut as straight line speed and laptimes. Well , maybe it is for some, which is fine for them.

Good points, I cannot believe that 478hp and nearly 400lb/ft isn't enough to shove you along at an indecent pace.

Even weighing 1840kg it has 260hp/tonne, masses of low down torque is overrated IMHO I had 3 M3s and the S65 was a wonderful thing to have under the bonnet a special engine and the car was ballistic and a joy to rev out.

I now have a car with 465lb/ft at 1500 revs and it's dull as ditch water, I've driven the new M3 as well and that engine was an anti-climax too.

Have to agree with ITP and Wills 2 here, and it is sad to see that the Journos have almost completely missed the point.

[Uncle John]

chelme said:

Wills2 said:

ITP said:

Which is the nicer car to drive upto say, 8 or 9 tenths? It seems clear the M3 is the better drive at 9 tenths and above. Maybe the RC-F is a nicer, more interesting place to be the rest of the time. Which is most of your time in the car. Its not as clear cut as straight line speed and laptimes. Well , maybe it is for some, which is fine for them.

Good points, I cannot believe that 478hp and nearly 400lb/ft isn't enough to shove you along at an indecent pace.

Even weighing 1840kg it has 260hp/tonne, masses of low down torque is overrated IMHO I had 3 M3s and the S65 was a wonderful thing to have under the bonnet a special engine and the car was ballistic and a joy to rev out.

I now have a car with 465lb/ft at 1500 revs and it's dull as ditch water, I've driven the new M3 as well and that engine was an anti-climax too.

Have to agree with ITP and Wills 2 here, and it is sad to see that the Journos have almost completely missed the point.

Agreed.

Could this be the day that Pistonheads died....?

[Redgate]

Seriously, who cares if this is not the ultimate weapon on track? In the real world, where you can count yourself extremely lucky to use 60% of the potential of such car, it does not make a difference if it is down on torque and a bit porky. Or if you have to rev the nuts of it to feel special. Hell, it's OK for all Type-R things, why shouldn't it be for a Lexus' latest offspring? Lexus that as a company has the cojones to produce a N/A V8 in this day and age.

In all honesty, if I had the money, the price tag would not bother me. Sure, the latest M3 or M4 or AMG-tagged metal could destroy me ... on very few and rare occasions (i.e. road conditions permitting). The rest of the time I am convinced I would be driving something special, reliable and that would put a huge smile on my face every time I would get behind the wheel.

if you want to do things right, then do not buy the latest M3, go for the Nismo GT-R. And once you are there, sell it immediately, go for 458 Speciale. I mean, where do you stop? There will always be something (slightly) better.

Do people really think they would be more happily married if they had tied the knot with a porn-star?

[Terminator X]

"Forget peak power outputs and claimed performance times, we all know that if you want to know how punchy something will be on your everyday grind, run some arithmetic on the torque-to-weight ratio, then see where the peak torque arrives. I'll do it for you this time. M4: 405lb ft, 1,850rpm, 1,537kg. RC F: 392lb ft, 4,800rpm, 1,840kg"

Who cares when the other one has a 5.0 V8

TX.

[Terminator X]

zeduffman said:

I rather like this car. A screaming V8 in a pretty (imo) coupe is going to be a dying breed. However, I suspect this car's main problem will be the E92 M3 - you can get a really good one for £35k and probably offers the same experience (although happy to be corrected).

Used car cheaper than new car shocker!

TX.

[Jimbo.]

I want one of these so much it hurts. I don't care that it weight eleventh billion tonnes, is a few BHP down or is slower around a track I'll never drive than a BMW. It'll be an ultra-reliable techno-fest, with an awesome stereo, lots of toys, fantastic dealer backup and is still fast enough to get me into a LOT of trouble should the desire arise. It also looks bloody great.

[TREMAiNE]

I rather like this, though sadly I think the price lets it down.

[cerb4.5lee]

Mastodon2 said:

People moan about the rampancy of turbocharging being rammed down our throats, then complain that a 5.0L NA V8 isn't powerful enough. You can't have it all,

That's true but you cant have it both ways as you say and you either choose a blown engine that gives you instant shove or you choose a N/A engine that needs work to get the rewards but hopefully someday an engine will be designed that revs to 8400rpm yet pulls from 2000rpm but I think I am just being optimistic.

[SonicHedgeHog]

Built like a tank, top notch materials, great interior, best customer service in the world, more performance than anyone can use on the road for more than a few seconds, NO TURBO! and you won't look like a sad middle manager trying to impress the neighbours with a badge. I'd buy one.

[LasseV]

I'm very disappointed about how this car drives. Performance is good enough, so is the looks too.

[MadDog1962]

This Lexus is clearly intended to appeal to American tastes. Many people over here think BMWs are becoming a bit boring, and expensive too. Just remember that that fuel over here is half the price you pay in the UK, the cars sell for lower prices and the disposable incomes are generally higher. The roads in many cities have poor surfaces even by UK standards and all that weight in this Lexus is likely to mean a better ride. BMWs and Mercedes also have a reputation for being increasingly unreliable. That really matters when you take road trips that take you hundreds of miles from a dealer if anything goes awry.

One thing that impresses people about Lexus (Toyota) products is how all the gadgets usually still work when the car is 10 years old. You just don't seem to have the same experience with European luxury products on average. For a lot of older customers these things really matter a lot more than lap times at the Nurgburgring.

I won't be buying one myself, but there will be a strong market for this model on this side of the pond.

[Andy665]

I know how the RC F drives and have recently done some work with them on the car

The quality is way above the M4 - for me that matters more than 4-5% of on limit ability that I don't have the ability to exploit

Recent generations of BMW have become lazy and sloppy when it comes to attention to detail, where they used to strive to be clearly more obsessive / anal about the fine detail they seem to believe that its simply no longer needed because of the brands reputation - look what happened to Mercedes when they tried the same thing

Yes, it is heavy and I'm sure that losing a couple of hundred kg would make a difference, it would be interesting to see actual weights of the RC F and M4 with 1/2 tank of fuel and two people on board - I rarely see quoted weights as accurate

Strange to see people bemoaning an engine that needs to be worked hard - for me that is part of the appeal - needing to actually work at extracting the performance rather than the car just providing it

With only very limited numbers scheduled for Europe in 2015 it will always be a rare sight - another part of its appeal, that, the way its built, a great na engine and unsurpassed dealer service would make it a more appealing proposition to me than an M4

Isn't great to have an alternative to the German 3

[09dfearon]

I really like the way this looks! Its about time manufacturers of this kind of cars got a bit ballsy again. The v8 is outdated now with the new breed of turbo performance cars hitting the streets but I actually like the fact that they have used the v8 in this. Performance figures are pretty good but not an m4 beater by any means but that doesn't mean its slow! on normal roads with a normal driver behind the wheel there wont be all that much in it. I think this will be a great car to cruise around in with them mean imposing looks and that v8 burbling away and lets face it there wont be many cars that beat you off the line. Think it will be rare too which is nice. I can guarantee that the interior plastics will be dog though as they are in most jap cars.

I think BMW and Mercedes have this sector in the bag at the moment but there's something sexy about this motor and that's coming from someone who has never been a Lexus fan ..... Well done lexus

[dufunk]

Could be a ploy by lexus to leave room for a performance package i.e. a diet and better track drift setup who knows. After watching the autocar review it does seem alot of car for the money and perfect for the road.

[Oddball RS]

Well I like it because its not a BMW.

[soad]

Fantastic - a big V8, rear-wheel drive, 4 exhausts! And it looks alright too.

[rocketride]

Lexus are some of the finest built machines which is why they weight so much. So he has kind of missed the point.

Sit in a Lexus then get in BMW and you immediately notice the BMW purposely laden in hollow plastic, thinner leather, thinner dash, thinner glass, thinner roof liner to keep weight down. Everything in the Lexus is 'beefyer' in construction which is why they are supervisor in quality.

I have a BMW and its not ageing as well as my mates is300. The thinner materials don't cope with the stress loads over long periods (years). Get in a 10 year old bimmer and you'll see dash out of line, gaps, sags in materials, increased road noise. A 10 year old Lexus will be as it was. Reviews never seem to identify how well a car will age.

I think all cars are now well into speeds you cant use safely on the roads anyway so Lexus don't need to be top of the power battle. Another point is i wouldn't buy this, the bmw, or any modern saloon/coupe for track use. Thats why Lotus exist. So the track analysis for these types of cars is entertaining watching you dick about but has absolutely no real purpose other than giving the pub big-head some encouragement to talk ste.

Edited by rocketride on Friday 12th September 13:18

[VVOODY]

Having owned an IS-F and now in a blown BMW 6cylinder (a 135i), I have to say I'd go back to The NA 5.0V8 in a heart beat. There is no doubt the low down available torque in the BMW is pleasing, but that ignores the hesitance in throttle response. The crisp and instant delivery of power from my IS-F was fantastic and is something which is often overlooked in these comparisons. Don't get me wrong the lag is very little these days but its still there and at certain times leaves the car breathless.

The weight is a little disappointing granted, shame they couldn't keep it down, but it still looks the business.

[jason61c]

So its a stronger engine than the previous v8 m3 that everyone is 'missing'. It'll cost less to run/maintain, its got a nicer feel on the road than the current m3, however because its not an m3 the fanboys hate it. Suits me to the ground. Roll on these being under £25k.