dseag2

Sign me up! Nebula Gray/Clove F Sport.

dseag2

Never mind the cost. I can barely use the power I have in my GS F Sport on everyday drives and why do I need a gas-sucking V8?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

You got that right. Good material, texture (judging by the pic), use of colors/contrast

Sfrt

I'm mostly super-pumped about the RC F-Sport and for the time being, this is the car I'm saving up for to eventually replace my 2IS!

Love:
- driving dynamics, esp adaptive suspension
- that beautiful red interior with subtle carbon accents
- sweet 19" dual layered-spoke wheels (though they'd be a PITA to detail!)
- that a possible prototype has been spotted in USB - that's what I'd wish for!

Other comments:

I hear you, BUT ... the industry is moving away from 6s and 8s to hit fuel economy targets ... Much as I hope I'm wrong, I wouldn't be surprised to see Lexus start to replace the 6s with turbo 4s and so I wouldn't be surprised if they're not devoting much effort into evolving our engines. I for one am satisfied we still have a 6 to enjoy vs a turbo 4 a la BMW.

I'm with you on those grill holes. I had to look three times to see if I was imagining it. I keep thinking "no, it can't be". Fingers crossed that they fix that mess - without it, that grill is a work of art so it would be a shame to mess it up.

octagon

No mention of a LSD is a big letdown. It would definitely be a feature that helps justify the cost increase over the IS.

I'm not sure where they're going with this F sport model. The only performance upgrades seem to be the gimmicky rear wheel steering and the pictures show 2-piece front rotors. I get that people buy the IS F-Sport based on looks hence the need for electronically adjustable suspension so no one complains about the ride, but for the RC the only exterior differences are the grill, wheels and fender badges. I wish they would ditch all the extra weight and cost of all the electronic gadgets like VGRS, AVS, LDH etc. and just put on a well sorted sport suspension with nice monotube bilsteins.

Mr. Burns

Wow first car in a long time that I really actually want. Only thing I despise about it is those fake vents on the rear bumper. WTF is this horrid trend of putting vents there?

Sfrt

^ it's funny, I remember when I saw the new grilles at the autoshow a couple years ago, I thought Lexus is really off its rocker! I thought it was a huge mistake and would really impact sales. But it's funny how things can grow on you after a while ... Who knows, it might be the same story with these fins!

natnut

The "gimmicky" rear wheel steering in the GS F-Sport makes it corner and handle like a much smaller car. Honestly, the GS350 F-Sport I test drove handled/steered better than the smaller BMW 335i M-Sport I test drove right after. AND the 335i is a smaller lighter more focussed sports sedan.(supposedly). Imagine that RWS in the lighter RC F-Sport with its reinforced chassis--that right there may be a recipe for class-leading handling.

Lexus right now has the well-sorted suspension nailed with BMW playing catchup.

Don't knock these "gimmicks" till you try it.

We are luxury car buyers. We want our cake and eat it as well. That means smooth supple ride when we want it and firm sporty ride with minimal body roll at other times. All these "gimmicks" serve to satisfy that duality in our automotive tastes.

OTOH What you want seems to be a harder more track focussed car with minimal daily driver utility. In that case, you may be looking at the wrong segment of cars. A GTR/Porsche Turbo segment may fit you better.

Mr. Burns

I take issue with putting vents in the rear bumper when they're clearly non-functional. It's not just Lexus, it's an industry trend, and very tacky. The worst offender:



I mean seriously WTF.

octagon

That's exactly why I think it's "gimmicky", they're trying to make a 3700-3800 lb car feel like it weighs a couple hundred pounds less than it does. The systems obviously work up to say 8/10ths but at some point you're going to feel all that weight moving around. I've test driven a GS F-Sport and I could definitely sense the greater heft it has over my older 3 series.

I would have just liked to have seen the RC have gone the way Cadillac has with the ATS and new CTS and improved handling by cutting weight. Aluminum hood and trunk maybe?

I'm not looking for a hard core track car, just a proper sports package. It just seems like most manufacturers are going the way BMW does where if you want the performance model you have to get 400+ hp and pay $65k+ for the M3. I'm not into buying a 335i for $50k and then buying $10k in M-Performance parts to get it where I want it. I also own a WRX and feel that for an extra $20k I should be able to get similar driving performance and enjoyment with more sound deadening and a nice interior. I guess I'll have to wait and test drive.

yardie876

But what's wrong with someone paying a little more money to make their 3700lb car feel lighter and more performance oriented? Us big boys like to have fun too.

dseag2

Well, I noticed it has cooled as well as heated seats, which the IS F Sport doesn't have, so that's a step in the right direction.

Sfrt

The luxury package of my 2008 IS250 has heated and cooled seats. Starting with our 2009 model year, due to financial crisis, many automakers attempted to reduce prices on their vehicles and accomplished this in part by reducing equipment. Part of the reason I didn't want to go with a 2009+ model - those cooled seats are awesome in the summer!

spwolf

IS F-Sport has every option in europe, and this is european car.. so it has cooled seats because it has full leather seats, there is no Nuluxe in Europe, and leather package is stupidly expensive at $4.5k.

And of course, IS F-Sport Premium is the most expensive IS on the market in Europe, unlike in the US where you basically exchange options from Luxury to get IS F-Sport at the same price.

Coupe2015

" .... unlike in the US where you basically exchange options from Luxury to get IS F-Sport at the same price."

I sure hope Lexus packages the RC better than they did the IS in North America.