By John Goreham G+ 2014-09-22 09:58
2015 Lexus RC F destroys the 2014 IS F on track

We had the chance to lay down dozens of fast laps in the 2014 Lexus IS F sedan and 2015 Lexus RC F coupe. What is clear is that Lexus built upon the IS F, and that the RC F is now miles ahead.

My apologies for the dramatic headline, but it is not untrue. Torque News recently had two opportunities to track the fastest of Lexus’ production cars, the 2014 IS F and the 2015 RC F. Both were run at the Monticello Motor Club, arguably the best racetrack in the Northeast. I’m a fan of the Lexus line, and owner of an IS 350C and prior owner of a Supra. What I learned over about 32 total laps in these two amazing cars is that the IS F will always be a legend, and that the RC F improves upon the IS F in almost every objective and subjective way.

IS F is a Balanced Car

Let’s start at the end. The IS F’s best feature in my opinion is its balance. It is a car with enough engine, enough brakes, and amazing handling on a road course. A semi-skilled driver, like myself, can enjoy the IS F on track for hours. With each lap, the driver can learn more and push the car just a little farther.

RC F Has More and Better Drive Modes

By comparison to the RCF the IS F has only one track setting, called “Sport.” The RC F has Sport, Sport Plus, and a setting called “Expert” that is not shown on the options in the car, but can be accessed by owners and Lexus pro drivers. These settings are what really set the RC F apart from the IS F.

In Sport Plus, the RC F’s AI (artificial Intelligence) transmission is amazing. I wrote a whole story on just this part of the car. In brief, the AI sport direct shift 8-speed in the RC F has the car in the power band all the time on track. The IS F by contrast, does not. When exiting corners the IS F can be often caught in a dead spot at the bottom of the rev band and requires a shift or two that the RC F does not. Yes, you can paddle shift both cars, but for me the RC F in Sport Plus and in the “Drive” setting was much more satisfying. It makes you much faster.

No, the IS F Does Not Have the Same Engine As RC F

With regard to engines, both share a block and not much else. However they both behave the same way. At low RPMs they have one sound, then as the revs climb and the cars “come on cam” and switch their variable valve timing to the aggressive settings, they bellow, and the thrust comes on strong. The feeling is almost like a forced induction car (supercharged or turbocharged), but more gradual and later in the rev band. The RC F is also just more powerful. Its 467 hp provide noticeably more thrust than the 416 hp the IS F has.

Seats Matter - RC F is Much Better

This may sound silly, but another area the RC F beats the IS F is with regard to the seat. The RC F holds the driver. The side bolsters in the bottom of the seat keep the driver firmly and comfortably in place. The IS F’s seat does not. I found myself sliding into the door and down when braking. So to offset this, I had to brace myself with my left leg and the dead pedal. After 8 laps, my back was stiff and sore. After 20 laps in the RC F plus another 4 in the RC 350, I was still in good shape physically. The RC F seats also worked great on-road. I drove it for 3 hours that same day on city and highway routes. Finally, the RC F seats are all ready for racing harnesses. A big plus for track cars, though I don’t expect many of the 2,000 RC F’s Lexus plans to build per year to end up track-only cars.

Both Are Great Compared to Competitors

In terms of enjoyment on-track, the two cars are both great, and they are very similar to one another as opposed to say the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, which I also drove. That car is a big, overweight, tippy thing that does not like corners. On track it behaves like the mascot at a football game, and the Lexus cars are athletes on the field.
Compared to the M3 I drove (one lap only) it is clear that M3 is much more of a track star than either the IS F or RC F. It is totally obvious and not a debatable point. However, I am faster in the RC F and prefer it. The M3 is more “industrial.” It is too serious.

I hope that Lexus will bring back the IS F using the new third-generation IS platform and the drivetrain form the new RC F. In fact, I am getting the vibe that they will, but not until after the GS F is done (next year). Given that the IS F (now out of production but still might be found for sale new) and the RC F are almost exactly the same price, what Lexus is offering in the new 2015 RC F is much better overall value than the 2014 IS F. If you are one of the handful of people considering one or the other I hope I made it clear which I would prefer and why.

Hot, aggressive sports coupe signals a complete brand remake for Lexus
David Booth
By David Booth
Originally published: September 4, 2014

MONTICELLO MOTOR CLUB, New York — Look at this car. Look closer. As you can plainly see, it’s a Lexus, usually a promise of reliable but somnolent transportation with the emphasis on perfection (as in the relentless pursuit thereof), excitement taking a back seat to things like interior panel gaps and starter motor reliability.

But check out that aggressively sculpted grille. Doesn’t it look like some sort of Tyrese Gibson-baiting wedge-like battering ram from Jason Statham’s remake of Death Race 2000? Or how about those fender flares that look like refugees from some aborted 24 Hours of Le Mans effort? And jeez, the darn thing has more scoops, vents and air intakes than a freakin’ F-14. What is going on here?

What’s going on is that we are quite literally witnessing the heretofore most important signal that Toyota’s luxury arm is undergoing a complete brand remake. I don’t mean this particular Lexus is sporty or even that they will have a few sporty models, but that the company’s entire raison d’etre is a-changing.

The IS, first introduced in 2001, was a hint that something was up with the once-somnolent automaker, the little 3 Series competitor a toe in the water as Lexus, like a three-year-old, tried to determine whether jumping in the pool was really a good idea. And while the LFA may have been proof that Toyota’s engineers could play in the sports car field usually reserved for Europeans and the occasional mad American, the 12 or so they produced was yet more proof the company was not yet ready to let go of its slumberous heritage. But this car — a mainstream sports coupe so aggressive it could be Italian — is final proof that Lexus no longer wants to be known as the Oldsmobile of the Japanese luxury set.

They want to be BMW.

Indeed, the company’s tactics virtually mirror current Bavarian practice. Like the flying propeller company, which has separated its entry-level luxury platforms into 3 (sedans) and 4 (coupes) Series, Lexus now has RC and IS two- and four-door variants of the same platform. BMW has M performance variants of its base models; Lexus moved a few letters down the alphabet and chose F for its vroom models. In fact, Lexus has done BMW one better: While the German manufacturer usually takes a year or so to introduce the M version variant of its base sedan or coupe, Lexus is taking the wraps of the pedestrian version of the and the full-zoot RC F simultaneously (though we lowly Canucks aren’t getting the RC300h hybrid that is currently only being sold in Japan). And though the base RC will be the money-maker (Lexus Canada is looking to sell about 1,000 RC 350s per year), it is the RC F (100 per year) that will face the most scrutiny, as it is taking aim directly at the most iconic sports car of all, BMW’s M4 (née M3) coupe.

So, does it have the chops?

Certainly, perusing the RC F’s spec sheet points to a seriousness not seen in any previous mass-produced Lexus (and, yes, I am counting the IS F). For one thing, though the rest of the sporting world has turned to turbocharging as the way forward to combine performance and fuel economy, Lexus has resolutely stayed with — sporting purists rejoice! — its normally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8. More highly-tuned than even the IS F’s similarly displaced engine, the RC F’s V8 revs higher (to 7,300 rpm), harder (pumping out 467 horsepower, up from the IS F’s 416 hp), and, perhaps most impressively, with better fuel economy (the RC F’s engine can switch automatically to a fuel-sipping, Prius-like Atkinson cycle, negating the need for the supposed economies of turbocharging). It’s an impressive bit of kit.

Harnessing all that power is a drivetrain that is at once simple and extremely complicated. Simple is the single rate suspension. No Adaptive Variable Suspension here, Lexus determined that the RC F’s sporting seriousness not be diluted by having the suspension have to coddle the passengers as well.

Complicated, however, is the only way to describe the myriad electronics controlling the rest of the chassis/powertrain. First there’s the Drive Mode Select, which determines throttle response, shift points and a bunch of other performance criteria. You also get to choose between automated and “manual” modes for the eight-speed automatic transmission. Then there’s the (optional) Torque Vectoring Differential (TVD), which allows the driver to select from Standard, Slalom and Track settings for its power distribution. Raising the complication even further is that, depending on which Drive Mode Select you choose — Eco, Sport S and Sport S+ — it will alter the TVD torque split within those Standard, Slalom and Track parameters. Got that all? Oh, and have I mentioned that you can shut the whole s$%t and shaboodle down in S + mode, relieving the vehicle’s stability and traction control of their duties with only that torque vectoring differential between you and a high-speed pirouette.


On the track — where Lexus Canada’s director, Cyril Dimitris, sees many owners playing — things are a lot simpler. If you’re in the base RC F, just slip into Sport S mode if you want a little slippy-slidey or S + if you’re feeling seriously frisky. The on-board electronics take care of the rest.

And it’s more than a fair ride. It’s impossible to state categorically that the RC F is the M4’s equal without back-to-back testing, but on the wide-open confines of Monticello, the new Lexus is a veritable track weapon. That big V8 accelerates to 100 kilometres an hour in just 4.5 seconds on its way to a 270 km/h electronically-limited top speed, all the while bellowing like an AMG’ed CL550 before Mercedes discovered those infernal, exhaust-stifling turbochargers. The suspension that feels a trifle stiff on public roads keep the meaty (275/35ZR19 rear and 255/35ZR19 front) Michelin Super Sports glued to the road. And, even though the base version doesn’t have that all-singing, all-dancing TVD rear differential, it handles a treat, the steering all but as communicative as a good BMW while the big Brembo brakes do an admirable job of resisting fade.
2015 Lexus RC F.

Indeed, unless you’re going to be spending a lot of time on the racetrack or have an inordinate fondness for carbon-fibre roofs, you don’t need Lexus’ optional Performance package. On the other hand, switching the TVD-equipped version to Track mode does settle the F a little and prevent high-speed understeer. Beware of the Slalom mode, however. Its radical torque bias to the outside rear wheel is really meant for autocross and, on a big track, renders the RC more than a little “lively” (that should be read that it scared the pants off me in one lurid 200+ km/h slide).

The bottom line, though, is that the RC F represents the complete remake of a once-somnolent brand. Now the perfection Lexus is pursuing is performance.

Lexus Canada says RC Fs will go on sale in November with a price tag of around $80,000. Expect to pay at least $10,000 more for the Performance package.

Despite shared platform, Lexus’ RC coupe has its own personality
2015 Lexus RC 350.


Man, oh man, is Lexus getting some serious mileage out of one platform. The RC, as well as the IS and GS sedans, are all based on the same architecture. That said, in a marvel of specific engineering, the RC sees a melding of the GS’s front clip (for its wider track), the IS convertible’s centre section (for its increased stiffness) and IS sedan’s rear framework (for the RC’s attractive short rear overhand). The result is a coupe with a very distinct personality.

Oh, to be sure, the 3.5-litre V6 is familiar, but its 307 horsepower is stellar and its 277 pound-feet of torque more than adequate, while its noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) seems tamed in RC guise. Perhaps the more rigid chassis and a little extra sound deadening has worked some magic but whatever the case, the V6 feels more refined in the RC than it does in either the GS or IS.

The RC, like the IS, is available in both front-wheel and rear-wheel drive guises, the F Sport rear driver getting the added benefit of agility-enhancing rear wheel while AWD-I models get the tractive abilities of an improved all-wheel-drive system. That said, the all-wheel-drive versions of the RC only get a six-speed automatic transmission, while the rear-drive F Sport model boasts the same eight-speed autobox as the RC F.

On the all-important safety side of the equation, there is the reassurance of eight air bags, the normal front, side and side curtain affairs supplemented by driver and passenger knee air bags. There are also enough electronic safety nannies under the Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management system to save all but the most ham-handed of drivers.

More importantly, though it will be overshadowed performance-wise by the RC F, the 350 is a fine handling car in its own right. The suspension is far more compliant than the almost bone-jarring RC F, yet the steering remains light and responsive. No, it doesn’t stick to corners as tenaciously as the big V8, but the RC 350, especially in its rear-wheel-drive F Sport guise, is more than a match for the other sports coupes — yes, even the Germans — playing in this segment.

Starting at just over $50,000, it looks to be one of Lexus Canada’s biggest sellers.

The Lexus RC F Rift virtual reality simulator experience featuring the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) - a view from the driver’s seat.

As part of the launch of the first-ever Lexus RC and RC F, Lexus developed a motion-controlled virtual experience—a first in the automotive industry—and released it as a beta during the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, CA.

Virtual reality is just one part of the culture of innovation at Lexus that touches everything from design and manufacturing, to racing and the customer experience.