True Romance: 2017 Lexus RC F (Review)
The RC F Will Let You Play, But It Needs a Bit of Romance First
“Go ahead.” For married men, those two words can shatter an otherwise stable consciousness. They are two words that bring you two entities that rest on your shoulders: an angel and a devil. If you actually do “go ahead” with whatever it is you’re about to do, she’ll remember it forever. Be prepared to sleep on the couch for a day or two. If you don’t, then you’ve taken the chance to rethink what you’re about to do. A buffer for stupidity, if you will. But what if “go ahead” actually was a grant of permission?
Let’s start by saying this: Not much has changed for 2017 for the Lexus RC F. But it is the first time I’ve been able to spend an extended amount of time with it. I knew it was powerful, but I expected light steering, and the overly isolated feel of the RC 350 F sport that I had last year. In all, I thought it would be fun, but not something which would really set my soul on fire. I was wrong.
When a car like this gets under your skin, it actually becomes more difficult to describe. Bad steering feel or lousy brakes are easy to point out and describe, but sure-footedness and an engine eager to be thrown all the way to red-line is another alchemy altogether.
Let’s start with that engine. You need to take your time with it. Warming up is critical to the components, as evidenced by coolant and oil temps being on constant display, regardless of which drive mode you’re in. “Standard” and “Sport” modes will show you a reduced rev limit while things are gaining temperature. You’ll need to wait until both fluids are right about at the center mark before you’re allowed to have fun. Even so, you might not be able to use the paddle shifters till the gearbox is warmed up. It’s like doing the dishes, hanging a new chandelier, and completing a load of laundry before being allowed to watch a football game with the boys. Complete that honey-do list and you can do full-throttle upshifts.
While you’re being patient for the car to get itself ready, you may as well stick it in eco-mode. You’ll barely break into the low 20 mpg range, but it gives you time to appreciate more things about the car that you wouldn’t otherwise notice. Soft suede surfaces work well with carbon fiber trim, and blue contrast stitching adds to the visual appeal. Black leather on the seats features blue perforations, and those seats are both heated and cooled. Pop on some tunes and you’ll hear why the Mark Levinson sound system has always been one of my favorites.
Unlike an M car from BMW, the RC F isn’t really aiming for all-out lap times, so the suspension actually has compliance. The ride remains taught, but never jarring, and when you’re really on it, it’s sure-footed over the bumpiest of road imperfections. When you go to adjust the suspension settings, you’ll search in vain. You can’t make it any softer or harder, but there’s no reason to really want to change it anyway. To me, it blends the best of comfort and balance.
Now that you’ve acclimated to the car, you’ll be tempted to dip into the throttle more. Twist the drive knob clockwise and you’ll enter sport mode. Sport mode in other cars can get fussy with the transmission, holding it in a strange gear when you want to back off, and can sometimes make the throttle an on/off switch. In the RC F, however, if you’re driving along normally, sport mode is only detectable by the different gauge display. Depressing the throttle wakes things up. I can’t understand why more manufacturers don’t program their cars this way. When I want to go faster, I press the throttle more. Thank you for that, Lexus.
When the needle — technically in sport mode it’s a yellow circle of lights — surpasses 3,800 RPM, the engine roar magnifies, and demands you keep in it all the way to redline. It’s addictive, intoxicating, sharp and absolutely wonderful in a day when more and more V8 engines are becoming muted by turbos. The sound is not American by any means. It’s unmistakably V8, but has a high-strung, almost European sound, which makes the gravitation toward redline more appealing. That singular suspension setting works with the torque vectoring diff to place the power down perfectly every time. You certainly can overwhelm the back-end, but with smooth throttle and skill, it’s almost unflappable. Then you click up another gear …
Eight speeds are in this automatic gearbox, and it’s the only one on offer. I don’t have any complaints about it, either. Apart from having to wait 20 minutes to warm it up and tell it that it looks cute in sweatpants, it’s an incredible transmission. Shifting speeds are as fast as you could ask, and the short drop in RPM’s mean you get to keep that engine on the boil in any given gear. Dynamically, it’s incredible, and it backs up the incredible forward momentum with massive brakes. They squeal, because race car, but are able to whoa the car down from big speeds without fade or fuss.
As a car you have to live with, you’ll eventually have to look at the RC F every now and then. I wasn’t much of a fan of the looks at first, but they are growing on me. You certainly won’t mistake it for anything else on the road, and I find that as a good quality. Oversize proportions on the hood and the wide-hipped wheel arches work to make the car’s looks more intimidating.
Infrared paint is contrasted with this car’s carbon fiber package, which includes a carbon fiber roof and articulated trunk spoiler. Big 20-inch polished and painted rims complete the stance. Even small details make things feel a little extra special. Black trim for the rain guards along the carbon fiber roof have a subtle metal flake in them, as does the fin which houses an antenna of some sort.
In all, it felt more human than machine. I ended up calling it “Sophy,” for no other reason than that being the name I felt best to describe it. Two days in succession I went out to drive the RC F to experience the warm-up process again, and the rewards of being patient. If Sophy were a significant other, she’d tell you “go ahead.” And she absolutely means it.
Stats
Engine: 5.0L V8 VV-ie
Horsepower: 467
Torque: 389 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Driveline: TORSEN LSD
MPG city/hwy/comb: 16/25/19
Observed MPG: 11 (day one), 15.7 (remainder of week)
Base MSRP: $64,165
As tested: $80,839
