2015 Lexus RC F is a Bodacious Baby Dragon
I parked my test model of the all-new 2015 Lexus RC F at the Ice House in Pasadena. And even in the parking lot, it looked fierce: mean black grille, trapezoidal headlights with Nike swish-like LED signals and a wide, U-shaped blowhole in the center of its rounded hood.
“That car looks like its going a million miles an hour and its just sitting there,” said a guy walking with his family through the crowded lot.
“It’s fast, but maybe not that fast,” I replied as I slipped into the cocoon-like leather trimmed cockpit.
The dad smiled as I fired up the 467 horsepower, 5.0 liter V8 engine. From under the hood came a low growl, not too loud but enough to scare away small animals or maybe a Prius owner.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him it wasn’t mine as I opened the sunroof and slowly pulled away.
The RC F has been making its way to the streets since it launched late last summer and your chances of spotting one in the wild are steadily increasing.
It’s not quite as rare as the seldom seen and elusive LFA supercar, but you may have already seen its sibling the RC 350, a slightly more conservative V6 version of the RC F on the freeways.
The latest sports coupe from Lexus is a welcome departure from a company known for churning out luxurious but somewhat sedate sedans and SUVs for lawyers and bankers.
It’s a wake-up call in the arena of performance and design. Certainly, in the area of design, it’s leagues ahead of the average Lexus model or anything in its class: The sexy two-door coupe has matching L-shaped, slashed air scoops behind the front wheel wells and a long horizontal line that runs across the doors to its rear taillights, where it curves around to its lifted trunk lid.
If it was an Ultra White model, it would look like a small, killer whale but it’s Molten Pearl and looks like a tasty giant, melting orange Creamsicle with 19-inch Michelins instead.
On the edge of the trunk, there’s a carbon fiber, retractable rear wing as well as a pair of stacked, staggered exhaust tailpipes that roar like a muzzled baby dragon when you punch the accelerator.
The interior is luxurious for a sports car and is comparable with most cars of its class. The steering wheel feels like a giant, leather wrapped pretzel and the ringed tachometer glows like a bouncing basketball at night.
But it’s in performance where the new RC F really shines. In fact, find yourself behind the wheel of this machine you’ll get plenty of stares on the highway and find plenty of wannabes attempting to challenge you to a race.
The RC F is as exciting to drive around town as it is on a speedway, handling extremely well on twisty turns as well as flat straightaways. It will hit 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 168 mph despite weighing nearly two tons (a hefty, 3,958 lbs. to be exact).
DON’T MISS: The Big Fat Lexus RC F Photo Gallery
The RC F has an eight-speed automatic transmission with four modes to choose from; Eco/Normal, Sport S, Sport S+ and Manual with paddle shifters. Yep, it’s an automatic and not available with a stick.
The futuristic RC F shares the same 107.5-inch wheelbase as the RC 350 coupe but it’s lower, wider and longer. The additional air scoops and oil cooling ducts are the only noticeable difference to the untrained eye if you parked the two models side by side.
Both cars can seat four passengers and the headroom is tight if you are over 6-feet. The rear seats are a bit cramped in each but the RC is a more buttoned downed V6 version compared to the RC F, which cranks out 389 lb.-ft of torque at 4800-5,600 rpm.
The front engine, rear-wheel drive RC F has Brembo brakes, a 17.4 gallon tank, sips premium fuel and gets around 16 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
After racking up miles on California’s Highway 2, where the RC F performed spectacularly in and out of the curvy, mountain roads, I stopped at Newcombs Ranch to grab a bite to eat.
On weekends the parking lot is usually filled with dozens of motorcycles and usually a handful of high performance cars.
A sport biker in his twenties walked over to check the out the RC F and he enthusiastically told me it was the first one he saw in person. Impressed, he also said he was looking to buy one.
These types of responses continued throughout the week as I drove the car in and around greater Los Angeles.
You know Lexus is on to something good when you get these kinds of reactions to your ride from complete strangers. Let’s hope other manufacturers can be as bold and daring in their new car designs.
If you seriously want to stand out from the crowd and want a high performance sport car that’s a blast to drive on the track or around the city, then the 2015 Lexus RC F was made especially for you.
The 2015 Lexus RC F starts at $62,400; price as tested $71,385, included leather seats ($800,) navigation system ($1,760,) premium package ($4,400,) and moon roof ($1,100.)
