05RollaXRS

It has a very smart ATTESSA AWD that makes up for the shortcomings in the chassis (front-bias weight distribution, understeer) and weight. It is commonly called a robot since so much is controlled by the computers. If AWD + TT is the criteria for "king of the street" then it is only fair to give title to Porsche 991 Turbo S since it runs circles around GTR.

Regarding weight, yes it does get mentioned typically in reviews. That is one of the reasons why it practically GTR gets shut out of comparison wins.

DOC4LEX

The GTR is 100KG less then the RCF but lets remember its a Twin turbo V6 and it being developed continuously for past 15 to 20 years even before the LFA.

kiryu

I think he is going to skip the GS-F review completely

DrRick

i wouldnt expect one. i cant remember any tests for the latest M5/E63/RS6. testing the super saloons doesnt happen very often...

kareemRCF

Nice review, glad to know i'm a better driver than JC, atleast I don't loose control of my RCF onto the grass!

Idiot.

gyrase321

If you are looking for a high-powered, low weight Lexus, you already got one in the LFA. So did you buy an LFA when it was in production? IF not, why not?

05RollaXRS

I believe he was talking about relatively affordable high powered cars, which is why he brought up Hellcat. It is not a good track car. It is very heavy, but it has a lot of power.

DOC4LEX

Just going through some info about the RCF at the time before global launch as well as testing was conducted to see if i missed anything.






Q & A session last year at the Geneva Autoshow

Ayd T Mkize: How much of the LFA's DNA went into the RC F’s suspension? And how many LFA engineers were involved with the RC F?

Yukihiko Yaguchi: Whilst the LFAs are hand-built supercars, the RC F is based on the GS platform with a shorter wheelbase. Using advanced production technology such as laser screw welding and adhesives, we have made significant improvements to rigidity and safety. And yes, many LFA engineers and technicians were involved in the RC F project team, so plenty of know-how was carried over.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

one of the reviews said the RCF is 50% stiffer than the GS chassis, the same chassis that beat the 5 series in some tests. Could definately tell the big difference in chassis stiffness in the RC over my 3IS, which was a big jump over the 2IS.

vwwtchr

Moderator edit - personal commentary such as this is not appropriate. Please exit this thread.

nuttybar08

The Hellcat is relevant to the discussion. Big, heavy, comfortable, drivable GT with insanity lurking just about an inch into the throttle. FCA has shown the way for bringing something bat**** to market for $60K. Oddly enough, Lexus didn't need to load up 700hp, they needed to engineer a lighter car. But lighter is hard, and heavier is easy especially when you omit any mitigators such as a torquier motor or AWD. That makes the job very easy indeed.

Except for know-how on weight control, but plenty of know-how brought to bear from bean counters. The RC-F screams of "good enough", or rather "fun to drive" if you want to use Lexus' parlance. That has to be the metric because "good enough" doesn't resonate well with potential buyers.

The engine is "good enough" vs. the competition.
The Frankenchassis is "good enough" vs. the competition.
Handling dynamics are "good enough" vs. the competition, so we end up with a car that's
..."fun to drive" vs. the competition.

Those words are going to come back to haunt Lexus.

The elephant in the room, which the pumpers won't address, is whether the RC-F can be judged as a world-class effort from Lexus. It clearly can't, so instead they carp about a Top Gear conspiracy or compare to a previous generation IS or prattle about 363/2. Anything but admit the lazy engineering vs.what Lexus actually needed to do to compete with the Germans.

gyrase321

But then again, Lexus did engineer such a world class car that more than competes with the Germans. It's called the LFA. Which begs the question: if you are looking for such a car from Lexus, that car already exists. Did you buy it when it was in production? If not, why not? (I'm not directing this at you specifically, but to a generic "you", the RCF critic.)

It's one thing to say "Lexus should do this, do that....blah blah blah....to compete with the Germans". But when Lexus actually makes such a car and the naysayers don't even buy it, talk is really getting cheap here.

Lexus is a business. While it makes great cars, it doesn't just make cars to please the mood swings of anonymous internet posters and self-important car reviewers (who are basically looking for a toy). It has to be profitable too. Lexus can make the greatest car ever made in the world that scores well with the critics, and still lose money on every one of them. If Lexus keeps doing that, it will soon cease to exist. So, the bean counters have it right. They look at the big picture and the long term. Screw the critics like Clarkson who doesn't even own an LFA.

Carnevino

I love my RC F. I've been in the industry for a while now and have had the pleasure of owning several high performance cars. I've built an Alpha9 and a pretty crazy Subaru that has twice what a brand new one costs in it. I drive at Road Atlanta, Sebring and I've recently started driving up at Barber in N. Alabama...mostly with Chin. I'm not saying I'm the most skilled driver in the world..far from it, but trying to convince me that JC didn't put the Lexus in the grass on purpose for his own entertainment...well, I simply don't believe it. If you've been a fan of the show, then you should already know the M3/4 has always gotten his pants tight. When he compared it to the RS5..just skip to the last few seconds of this video where he says the "M is the greatest, and it ALWAYS will be".

http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/994843088001

I driven an M4...it hauls some ***, absolutely no doubt about it. It feels faster, it goes faster...but it's not the car for ME. When I was shopping for a new car earlier this year, I was wanting something I can get out on the highway and drive to Atlanta or down to Tampa and Miami for work and have a grin on my face but without the hassle of wondering when the check engine light would come on. That's not the only thing I was considering though. I didn't want another car I would jump so heavily into building again. At the end of the day, I'm slapping some Volks on it and some more goodies (handling)...but just a set of headers/exhaust for the engine and call it a day. The only REAL car I was looking at for ME was the new C63 AMG.....but I know with a simple flash they're getting ~70 HP and I just don't want to go down the path of getting my car on a Dyno again and spending a ton of money modding it. The RS5 is a beautiful car, but to me it seems dated. I never considered buying the new M or RS5...not even a little bit. I love all the techy the car has and I use it. Nobody mentions the RS5 is a on the porky side too (yeah yeah I know it has AWD). If all they can ***** about is the weight, then that kinda makes me laughs little.

In this piece, they seems to say the car fairs a little better than the TV episode did.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/F...C-F-2014-08-08

I do think Lexus did a poor job of properly marketing the car. I think most of us that spend time at the tracks knew it would be damn near impossible to knock off the top tier M, but like I said earlier, I never considered buying one. I still like JC though , he's entertaining to me.

suprasupra

I agree with this ! I test drove a RC-F thinking I may trade my 2012 IS-F for one NOT!!! I was very disappointed in the driving dynamic of this car where the ISF feels nimble, the RC-F feels bloated and heavy in comparison. I did not feel it was an upgrade to the IS-F especially in the things that matter to me.

NickZ

Good stuff, awesome post! I actually did consider the competition, we drove the M3/M4 and the RS5. After much debate, we put our order in for the RC F. Someone in this thread said something along the lines of there are compromises when buying a vehicle. I totally believe that, and my decision weighed heavily on the horror stories I've read and seen first hand with MB, BMW, and Audi vehicles. My neighbor had a brand new GL 450, beautiful SUV, but within 45K miles had the engine replaced, the air suspension fail, and then have it strand him on the highway while taking clients to a Bulls game. He traded it in for a new MDX. My brother works in the automotive industry, and is always telling me some sort or form of a crazy story about a German vehicle he had issues with that week, and what it cost to fix it.

I don't have to be the fastest guy out there to 60 or the quarter mile. As I stated before, I'm fine giving up a few tenths of a second to have a reliable vehicle that will put a smile on my face when I drive it, that looks like nothing else on the road, and have decent resale value down the road.

I'm also with you on JC, he can be a tool at times, but he sure is entertaining!