By John Goreham G+ 2014-09-15 13:50
2015 Lexus RC F's three biggest surprises

No, the amazing engine is not one of the three things that blew us away when we tested the new Lexus RCF.
This past week Torque News and other automotive media outlets were treated to road and track testing of the new 2015 Lexus RC F premium performance coupe. This new V8 powered track animal is a complete departure from prior Lexus automobiles in terms of its capabilities, looks, and target market. During our testing, three things jumped out at us we were not expecting. The 467 horsepower V8 does not make the list. We expected that to be amazing, and it was.

Lexus RC F Seats

I have the best job in the world. At work, I get to test the world’s best cars on and off track. One trend I have found is that many cars that have excellent seating for the road, fail miserably at keeping the driver in place when pulling 1.3 Gs, as we did in the Lexus RC F. The driver either slides off the seat to the side because the leather is slippery, or the driver tips over into the door or console under hard cornering. Conversely, the best track seats usually have Alcantara inserts that make you sweat, are so well bolstered that the sides annoy you in normal driving, and tend to be too stiff overall. Not so the Lexus RC F seats.

The seating in the RC F is unique to just that one car. The seats are perfect on track. They even have slots for the installation of a racing harness. They come up high on the driver, almost above one’s shoulders, yet that is not a problem on a long drive. The side bolstering is good and keeps the driver in the seat without the need for bracing, yet on the road it does not feel as if you are being hugged. The perforated, heated and ventilated leather surfaces are not exactly grippy, but there is no tendency to slide around. In total, I did about 24 long laps in the RC F on track and I spent three hours in one driving to and from the track. These are the best seats in any car I have ever driven under $100K. The only ones I have ever been in that rivaled these are the active seats in Mercedes SL.

Lexus RC F Ride Comfort

For many years I wanted seat time in a Nissan GT-R. The GT-R is fittingly called Godzilla by fans, and it is one of the fastest cars on a road-course in the world. Period. It has the look of a GT that one might enjoy on back roads and touring. Actually, the look is all it has. When at long last I got my seat time I found that the car hammers the driver over any road imperfection. My back and guts hurt after driving it on New Your State mountain roads. The car is also so loud it gets monotonous fast. Not so the Lexus RC F.

The RC F by contrast handles bumps very nicely thank you very much. Better than a Toyota RAV4 Limited, or even a Lexus IS 350 sedan. Although it rolls on low profile, ultra-high performance tires, on big 19” trims, the suspension makes the car great for daily driving. This is a car you could go on a scenic road trip lasting a full day and finish feeling refreshed. On track, the suspension is also perfect. The car does not understeer. It is totally neutral, buttoned down, and can pull more lateral Gs than a Corvette of just a few years back. The Lexus RC F is a true GT.

Lexus RC F Transmission

When I got back from testing the RC F over two days, the first story I wrote was about the transmission. In case you read every word I post on Torque News, I will not re-publish that account. You can read the full description here. In short, the 8-Speed sport-direct-shift transmission with AI (artificial intelligence) is the perfect transmission for the track, and behaves itself well on daily drives or back-roads blasts. Yes, of course, you can paddle shift it, and when you do those shifts occur in under 0.2 second, up or down, with matching revs on the way down. The torque converter also fully locks in manual mode in every gear from 2 through 8.

In auto mode, there are five settings we can tell you about and one we cannot. They are Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport+. The secret ones are called “Expert” and…Can’t say. The transmission matches your RPMs perfectly in all situations. It is a joy to use.

The Lexus RC F has many amazing attributes, but to us these were the three that most exceeded our very high expectations. If you drive the car, please tell us if you agree.

By John Goreham G+ 2014-09-16 10:12
Comparing the 2015 Lexus RC F, RC 350, and IS 350 on-track

Torque News has driven all the Lexus RCF, RC 350 F Sport, and IS models on track. Our observations.

This past week I had the opportunity to track both the 2015 Lexus RC F and the RC 350. My daily driver is a Lexus IS 350C and last fall and summer I had the chance to track the IS 350 on both an autocross and racetrack. What I have found is that the RC line is much more track-worthy than the IS line and that the RC 350 is surprisingly fun on a racetrack, even when compared to the might RC F.

RC 350 Is Light and Tossable

At the event I attended I was able to drive both the RC F and RC 350 back to back to back. I had as many laps as I wanted. This was not just a couple spins around and then done. I did about 24 laps of Monticello Motor Club’s road course. As luck would have, it I drove the RC F first. It exceeded my expectations in many ways. However, what stunned me was that when I drove and RC 350 F Sport, the car, though not as capable on the track, was still a complete blast to drive.

The RC 350 F Sport did not understeer (much) on the course. In some sections, it did push a smidge, but the faster I was able to turn the car, the less understeer I felt. In fact, on the fastest corners, the car felt neutral to me. The RC F by contrast never felt like it understeered, and on many sections the tail would rotate nicely. The RC F to me was a neutral car that could be coaxed into oversteer.

RC F Power vs. RC 350 F Sport

In my prior story, I talked at length about how the RC F’s 467 horsepower were always on-tap due to the amazing sport direct shift transmission with AI (artificial intelligence). No matter where on the course you are, the engine is already ahead of you. Dive into a corner focusing on braking and turning, and then when exiting roll onto the throttle and the car is at 4,000 RPMS ready to rock and roll. Not so the RC 350 F Sport.

I am not a pro driver. In fact, I am not really even a good driver on-track. I have had some formal training and limited track days, but I am no hot-shoe. The RC F made me feel like I was. The RC 350 F Sport reminded me of my real limits. My fist lap with it was awful. The problem was that I expected the transmission to be there for me, and it just was not. So, I adapted. As an owner of an IS with a similar transmission, I knew the left paddle shifter would bring me power. I also knew enough to pop the Trans over to the manual mode so that 5,6,7,8 were locked out. Once I started to paddle my way down through the gears while cornering, my enjoyment and I suppose my track times, went up dramatically.

Even when I did the downshifts perfectly, the RC 350 F Sport’s 306 horsepower was a lot less than the car could have put to use on the track. Exiting corners there is not a rush of power that creates perma-grin. You roll onto the throttle and keep the pedal pinned until the next braking point. I didn’t have the skill or bravery to do that in the monster RC F. Yes, I just said that the RC F had more power than I could use. Of the twelve drivers in attendance that day, only one looked like he was into the power 100% everywhere possible on the track. He also went off the track with all four wheels at one point and had to chill for a bit to regain his composure.

RC 350 F Sport Feels Light

Compared to the RC F, the RC 350 F Sport feels a bit more tossable. When you turn in, it seems like it is quicker to rotate. Initial braking seems to also reveal a lighter car, but the brakes on the RC F are much more powerful, so once they grab you get more braking Gs than in the RF 350 F sport. It made me wonder what the RC F would feel like if it was 300 pounds lighter. Like a BMW M4 is my first guess.

IS All-Wheel Drive Understeers

One downfall of the IS 350 is that almost all of the ones built are all-wheel-drive (AWD). Normally, this is not a big handicap on track, but in the IS it is. Part of the reason is the tires and rims are different when Lexus builds an IS 350 AWD versus a rear-wheel (RWD) model. Sadly, I have to say that in my experience the AWD car understeers and plows on a track. The AWD does nothing to help the car exit corners, at least that I can sense. The IS 350 RWD does not really overpower the rear tires, so corner exits are not really a problem. On the street, the IS 350 AWD is excellent. I tested that car on the road just three weeks back, and its on-road capabilities far exceed legal limits. If you are ever going to track your Lexus start with rear wheel drive which comers more neutrally, and if you don’t absolutely need four doors, go with the RC 350. The prices of the IS and RC are almost exactly the same.

As an owner of a current-generation IS 350 C (convertible coupe) I can tell you that it shares a floor pan and engine with the new RC 350. That is all. It is a wonderful cruiser and capable GT on public roads, but nobody would buy the IS 350C for track days.

So there you have it. Roughly 1000 words about how five distinct Lexus models perform on track. If you remember Lexus from years past as a boring brand, you may want to reconsider your opinions. Much has changed in the past few years.

Heavy metal. One of my favorite types of music, sure, but it’s also a difficult fact to overcome when dealing with cars built mostly from steel. Because steel vehicles, like bricks, are heavy. Aluminum and composites such as carbon fiber are the future. Just ask Ford. But for now most cars are still built from steel. Like the new Lexus RC 350 F Sport and RC F, for example. I’m leading with this materials mini-lesson for a reason. We weighed the RC F and it clocks in at a lardy 4040 pounds. For some comparison, the similarly sized and totally targeted BMW M4 weighs 3604 pounds, a 436-pound difference. Before you mount an angry letter-writing campaign against Lexus, know that the AWD Audi RS 5 is just 13 pounds lighter than the RC F, 4027 pounds. Still, why’s a brand-new car so heavy?

A very weird reason, it turns out. The RC 350 F Sport and RC F are not simply two-door versions of the IS four-door sport sedan. The new coupes are, in the parlance of our times, mashups. The front section is from the wide-body GS, the middle section hails from the previous generation IS C (a convertible), and the rear third is stolen from the current-gen IS. Crazy, no? But why? Why not just make a new platform? Well, friends, I posed that exact question to the RC twins’ engineering team and was told that to achieve the rigidity they wanted the car to have and keep costs down, the Frankencoupe was the best solution, weight be damned. Furthermore, it was explained, the GS section allowed them to fit wider tires than the IS chassis would have, the IS C chunk was already reinforced, and the IS rear end allowed for a shorter overhang. But does it work?Oh, yes, quite well, it turns out.


First things first: When we compared the Audi RS 5 to the dearly departed Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG 507 Coupe, we loved both cars. Our pro racing driver buddy Randy Pobst thought that, as a track weapon, the RS 5 was far superior to the 507 (and he ran around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca about 1 second quicker in the Audi), though both Ron Kiino and I preferred the beefed-up AMG as a street car. The point is, both the hefty Audi and the not-a-lightweight, 3952-pound Benz work as kick-butt, top-shelf performance machines. So it’s possible that the RC F (and to a lesser extent, the RC 350 F Sport) are able to do the same. Let’s start by looking at some numbers. Real quick: We were only able to test the RC F, so you’ll have to stay tuned for a fully instrumented first test of the RC 350 F Sport.Under the bulgy hood of the RC F sits a hot-rodded version of the Lexus 5.0-liter V-8. Hot-rodded is probably an understatement as Lexus is claiming that only the aluminum block is carryover. The heads, cams, titanium valves, forged connecting rods, crank journals, the intake manifold, and even the larger throttle body (previously 76 mm, now 83 mm) are all-new. Power, therefore, is way up, from 420 horsepower in the discontinued IS F to 467 hp in the RC F. Torque also rises, from 371 lb-ft to 389 lb-ft. The 5.0-liter’s also pretty savvy, for not only does it avoid the gas-guzzler tax but it converts from Otto cycle to Atkinson cycle under light loads. Why not just use cylinder deactivation like everyone else? Lexus is worried that after 100,000 or so miles, activated cylinders will have much greater wear and tear than deactivated ones. Makes sense, but it also shows how Lexus/Toyota is able to leverage its hybrid knowhow in a non-hybrid vehicle. Note: These are naturally aspirated ponies. Audi, BMW, and soon the new AMG C63 and Cadillac ATS-V will all be force-inducted. I give huge props to Lexus for gutting it out with a big ole V-8 that does it the old-fashioned way. The resulting sound is killer.Lexus says that the RC F will hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Our testing revealed that the car needs 4.5 seconds. A small discrepancy, some might say. Others might say that the BMW M4 hits 60 mph in 4 seconds flat, while the Audi RS 5 takes 3.9 seconds. Just to toss it in there, the out-of-production AMG 507 two-door needed only 3.8 seconds. The RC F is able to dispatch the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds at 110.3 mph. Comparatively, the M4 does the deed in 12.2 seconds at 117.8 mph, the RS 5 takes 12.3 at 112.2 mph, and the AMG 507 Coupe finishes in 12.2 seconds at 117.4 mph. Not so hot for the new Lexus. Two caveats. One is that the car we tested was an early build prototype and the engine management software has reportedly been updated since we touched it. The other is that Lexus claims that accessible performance will define the F brand going forward and that somehow superquick acceleration scares people who can’t drive as well as others. I say losing 400 pounds would make the car as quick as its competitors. Either way, the new software should shave precious tenths off those elapsed times.In terms of braking, the RC F stops from 60 mph in 108 feet. The M4 with optional $8000 carbon-ceramic brakes needs 98 feet, the Audi RS 5 requires 104 feet, and the old AMG 507 needed just 103 feet. Asked if the brand is considering a carbon-ceramic option, Lexus says, “No.” I say Lexus should, especially with all that weight. In terms of handling, the RC F’s peak lateral grip was 0.95 g and it completed our figure-eight test in 24.7 seconds -- the exact same time it takes the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and one of the three Alfa Romeo 4Cs we've tested, mind you. The M4 can pull 0.98 g and run the figure eight in 24.2 seconds, the RS 5 pulls a max of 0.99 and takes 24.6 seconds, whereas the AMG 507 pulled only 0.91 g and needed 25.2 seconds. Half a second difference between two cars is quite stark on a 1600-foot handling course. Again, weight is the enemy, though the 450-hp Audi mitigates its porkiness with AWD grip out of corners. Numbers-wise, this looks like a pretty solid victory for the BMW M4. But keep reading.



Lexus took the nation’s car writers to the quick and nifty Monticello Motor Club about 90 miles northeast of Manhattan. There we were treated to a roughly 4-mile course and about as many laps as we (and the brakes) could stomach. I drove a few sessions in the RC 350 F Sport because A) those cars feature two degrees of rear-wheel steering and I wanted to see how four wheels turning worked on a track and B) Lexus didn’t bring enough RC Fs for all the track ****s in attendance and I hate standing around. The RC 350 F Sport, while underpowered (when did 306 hp become so little?), was a hoot around Monticello’s 18 turns. The rear-wheel steering helps point the nose and rotate the chassis pretty well. Understeer is minimized, a cool trick in an under-tired, nose-heavy street car. However, I must point out that I got two different RC 350 F Sports to overheat their transmission fluids. Doing so caused a limiter to kick in at around 4000 rpm that kept me from revving the engine, downshifting, or having fun. Half a lap of slow driving cooled things off and the error message went away. But still … Also not good, the brakes on the RC 350 F Sport are simply not intended for the track. The pedal got real soft, real fast. In fairness, the first time I boiled the tranny fluid, I was driving like an animal, trying to not let a buddy behind me in an RC F catch up. The second time I was trying to see if I could duplicate the error. Tee hee.As for the RC F, she’s impressive. One of the few options on the car is a torque vectoring differential, or as Lexus calls it the TVD. Like those in the C7 Corvette and the Jaguar F-Type, the TVD uses two electronic lockers to overpower the outside rear wheel in turns. The standard differential is a Torsen limited-slip unit and it puts the power down pretty well. The car we tested at our facility had the TVD. Figure-eight rat Carlos Lago and I both felt that the RC F handled better around the figure eight in Slalom mode. Track mode was too much at the limit, as we both were wrestling with the wheel too often. Things were reversed once on the track, where I set the TVD to Track and as a result was able to get on the throttle earlier and harder than I could in either Slalom mode or in the Torsen-equipped car. There’s that low barrier to performance that Lexus was talking about. The transmission is greatly improved compared to the IS F. Shifts are not only fast, but the transmission seems to go out of its way to give you the shift you want when you want it -- a rare attribute in an automatic. Even dual-clutches struggle with that task, often beeping and denying shifts. Part of this is due to the relatively wide power band of the naturally aspirated engine.



Also on the positive side of the ledger, front-end bite was tenacious. Understeer only showed up in the most throwaway of corners (18, really), and it was easily corrected with the brake pedal. The TVD and a little bit of trail braking made the RC F rotate beautifully. The throttle response was nice and linear, and the 5.0-liter’s power was pretty much OK, though I’d like it if the engine revved out a little faster, say the way the V-10 in the LFA did. Losing weight would help there. Compared to the M4’s turbocharged inline-six, the RC F is lacking torque. BMW rates its motor at 406 lb-ft of torque but as always, that’s a massive understatement. I’d also like it if Lexus would develop a track pack that maybe tossed in some lightweight aluminum or better yet carbon-fiber body panels, carbon-ceramic brakes, and Michelin Cup tires, or some sort of rubber more suitable for track work. There is an optional carbon-fiber roof, but the car needs more light-weighting. In fact, it’s begging for it. Body panels make sense. After all, Lexus, y’all got that fancy loom.It’s difficult to outright say that Car X is better than Car Y -- in this case the RC F and the M4 -- without driving them back to back on the same day on the same road. However, I am able to turn my mind back to the old days circa 2008 and talk about the IS F versus the E92 BMW M3. In that particular case, I think it’s safe to say that the BMW was the better car in every measurable way. However, I remember preferring the Lexus to the Bimmer. There was just something more macho, more hardcore, and less fussy about the IS F. Frankly, the more than 400-pound weight difference between the RC F and the M4 is enough to tip things in favor of the BMW. But the RC F, at the very least, is a compelling alternative. Exactly how compelling we’ll have to find out at a later date when we compare them directly. Until then, I want you to understand that I enjoyed the new Lexus Frankencoupe much more than the numbers would lead you to believe. You probably will, too.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz3DcQp5mgH

Lexus’s RC F Cranks Up the Naughty to Challenge BMW M4
By Jason H. Harper Sep 17, 2014 5:00 PM MT - Comments Email Print

Source: Lexus via Bloomberg
The 2015 Lexus RC F's engine: 5-liter V-8 with 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque.

Source: Lexus via Bloomberg
You might consider ordering the optional sports package with an electronically controlled torque vectoring... Read More

Source: Lexus via Bloomberg
The interior meets Lexus standards, but in a snazzy, sport-inspired way. The stacked console looks cool and the... Read More

Source: Lexus via Bloomberg
The 2015 Lexus RC F's engine: 5-liter V-8 with 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque.
Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Slide 4
Lexus engineers have a sports car to be proud of. It’s called the RC F, and it’s 467 horsepower of rubber-searing fun.

Lexus is not typically the brand you’d turn to when shopping for a rip-roaring, petrol-snorting street raptor. The Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) luxury brand has been known for smooth-jazz sedans like the LS or easygoing crossovers such as the RX.

But even the LS executive sedan is now available in an F Sport version, clad in an eye-catching design and a punchy powertrain, part of a recharged and rejuvenated lineup.

Nice is nice, one supposes, but Lexus is ready to get a bit naughty. Akio Toyoda, president and chief executive officer of the Toyota City, Japan-based parent company, loves fast, passionate cars and his goal is to make Lexus fun.

Operation achieved when it comes to the RC F coupe, a completely new model. One can’t help but feel that Lexus engineers were sick of everyone panting over sports cars such as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW M4 and Nissan Motor Co. (7201)’s GT-R, while its own 416-horsepower IS F sedan was treated like a wallflower. So when it came to creating a hot new coupe, they used every trick that they’d learned from the (now defunct) LFA supercar.

They began with the naughty and then added the Lexus nice at the end. What a difference that makes.

Bending Corners

I am at a private racetrack in New York’s Catskills, Monticello Motor Club, doing things in the RC F that few Lexuses have done before. The stability and traction controls are switched off, and all that horsepower is furiously spinning the rear wheels as I drift through corners.

I’m purposely wrenching the car around the bends in a manner where I can get the tires to break away. When they do, I add in more gas. Too often a car gives up right at that moment, as electronic sensors pull the plug. Not the Lexus. Not this time.

It delivers more power to the rear rubber and the slide increases. I’m working the wheel, counter-steering but also coaxing out an ever-greater slip angle. There’s noise and tires bleating and maybe some smoke, but I’m not feeling overwhelmed. The car is deft and the balance sharp. The RC F is the kind of instrument that channels chaos and keeps it just this side of disaster.

These maneuvers are not for beginners. But the car is actually set up to do this, particularly if you get the secret sauce just right.

Torque Vectoring

First, you might consider ordering the optional sports package with an electronically controlled torque vectoring differential. This adds about $8,000 to the $62,400 base price (and also nets you a carbon-fiber roof instead of a steel one).

Torque vectoring is a next-level technology found in cars from Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (7270)’s Subaru STI to Fiat SpA’s Ferrari 458 Speciale. Its aim is to make the car turns more readily and effectively than normal, keeping the trajectory from steering wide. Various systems work either by braking an inside wheel to help pull the car into a bend, or alternately by adding extra torque to an outside wheel, effectively aiming it into the corner.

Braking-based methods put extra strain and heat on those systems. Lexus chose to utilize torque instead, and took the extra steps of using tiny electric motors and multi-plate clutches to distribute force between the rear wheels.

The drawback is added weight. But the killer advantage is the way it turns in the real world. Send the RC F through a set of S curves and it will nimbly dance through abrupt directional changes. This is smart engineering that makes you feel like a better driver. (If you don’t opt to spend the extra dollars, you’ll still get a very excellent Torsen limited-slip rear differential, of which there is nothing to complain about.)

Inevitable Comparison

It’s inevitable that the RC F will be compared to the BMW M4 coupe, which has a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six with 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The M4, only recently released, is one bad machine.

Rather than bolting on a turbocharger, Lexus decided to go the more traditional route, using a naturally breathing 5.0-liter V-8 up front. It has 467 horsepower, 389 pound-feet of torque, and reaches 7,100 revolutions per minute. It’s mated to an eight-speed transmission.

The happy upside, particularly when driving on the edge, is the power band is very linear and predictable. Unlike a turbocharged system, there’s no sudden surge in torque as you apply the gas pedal. You get what you ask for. Just don’t expect that addictive, explosive power right off the line like a turbo.

Racetrack Gateway

For all-out insanity, the BMW is hard to beat. The M4 is the heavy-duty monster on back roads or on a club day at a racetrack. But it can feel manic on real roads, too often beating up driver and passenger. The RC F is supple and an easier gateway to performance driving. It will lure many a driver to their first time on a racetrack.

The interior meets Lexus standards, but in a snazzy, sport-inspired way. The stacked console looks cool and the nicely bolstered seats on my test model are clad in racer red.

Which brings us to the exterior. Other than the LFA supercar, no other Lexus has looked so exotic.

The grille is big enough to take out an entire flock of birds. Angles are numerous and complex, with folds and air ducts throughout the bodywork. The deep crease just behind the front wheels adds a striking visual element, and also aids in cooling. (Lexus says all of the vents and air ducts are functional, helping to cool brakes and engine.)

The trunk lid is crisp and there’s actually a hidden wing that deploys at higher speeds. Four stacked tailpipes finish off things with an aggressive flourish.

Lexus was bold and took chances here. I think you’ll like it. I did.

In fact, given the chance, this is a Lexus that may change the way that you perceive the brand. As the management would probably point out, that’s exactly the point.

The 2015 Lexus RC F at a Glance

Engine: 5-liter V-8 with 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque.

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic.

Speed: 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

Gas mileage per gallon: 16 city, 23 highway (estimated).

Price as tested: $70,000 (estimated).

Best feature: Smart engineering lurking under an attractive skin.

Worst feature: Forget about using those back seats for actual humans.

(Jason H. Harper writes about autos for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this review: Jason H. Harper at Jason@JasonHharper.com or follow on Twitter @JasonHarperSpin

The New RC line from Lexus is designed as a fun-to-drive sport coupe. Doug Herbert from Lexus College recently gave us a nice walkaround on this new model. The RC 350 model starts off with a 3.5 liter V-6 engine that makes 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft. of torque. The F SPORT model gets unique stylistic changes that include a unique grille up front and cool 19” wheels. The RC has a very sleek exterior design with a low drag coefficient of 0.29. Out back the taillights are new with a 3D design. The integrated deck spoiler helps to cut the air off making the car more stable.