New Admiration of the RC
02-07-15, 11:28 PM
#1
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
New Admiration of the RC
Hello RC owners!
Before my experience today, I was kinda meh about the RC. Liked the styling, but wasn't thrilled about the performance figures on paper (too much weight and not enough power). I attended the Asphalt Up! event Auto Club Speedway and had a new/improved view of the RC. Began the day driving the RCF on the track and instantly became addicted to the V8, with its awesome power and sounds. Even though it doesn't have a dual clutch transmission, the 8-speed was more than capable of keeping up to my demands. The balance was great and the chassis revealed its fun side. Then I was allowed to take the BMW M4 around the track for a lap. Thought I was going to like it more than the RCF due to lighter weight and more torque, but surprisingly no. The DCT didn't seem to shift any faster, sounds from exhaust were not good, and steering wheel doesn't (manually) adjust very much for a perfect driving position. The M4 seemed to get off the line a bit faster, but lost its pull towards the upper end of the rev range. The RCF seemed to pull harder and harder as you approach the redline, the way a car should be, especially when driving on the track. Steering, balance, and cornering was very similar in both. Now I can confidently say that I'd pick the RCF over the M4. The RCF provides a better experience for the senses, and at a more reasonable price with the addition of Lexus reliability. Finally, finished the day driving the RC350 on the auto cross track against its competitors (MB C350, Audi A5 2.0t Quattro with S-line, BMW 435i). Unfortunately, the 435i already broke down/having problems and they couldn't let us drive it (says a lot about BMW reliability). I drove the RC350 F-sport first and was thouroughly impressed. Seemed faster than paper would suggest. Sounds from the V6 was good, balance was there (weight shifted well), transmission behaved well, good brakes, and good grip (no understeer). Then I moved on to the MB C350. That car was an embarrassment to sport cars. First, no manual mode for the transmission which shifted very slowly and always seemed to be in the wrong gears, even in sport mode. Acceleration was weak from the V6 and it was all over the place. Weight shift was horrible, lots of understeer, and over-aggressive stability control. Then I moved to the Audi A5, which immediately felt underpowered. The sounds from the turbo-4 didn't even come close to the V6. Balance and transmission behavior was better than the MB, but still wasn't as good as the RC. Understeer was huge and engine didn't have enough power to recover from the washout. Then I drove a non F-sport RC350 AWD, and that still handled better than both the MB and the Audi. I'm going to stick to my GS350 F-sport due to its practicality, but if I was in the market for a luxury sport coupe, I'd definitely pick the RC over the competition. They also provided other F-sport models to drive: CT200h, IS350, GS350 AWD, LS460. They performed well on the auto cross as well. I was glad to find the limits of my GS. In conclusion, all of you RC owners on the forum made the best choice. It almost seems like if people buy the C350 or A5, they only care about the badge and styling. You guys can stand tall and know that you guys are better than those German car owners.
Hope you guys enjoyed this writeup!
Before my experience today, I was kinda meh about the RC. Liked the styling, but wasn't thrilled about the performance figures on paper (too much weight and not enough power). I attended the Asphalt Up! event Auto Club Speedway and had a new/improved view of the RC. Began the day driving the RCF on the track and instantly became addicted to the V8, with its awesome power and sounds. Even though it doesn't have a dual clutch transmission, the 8-speed was more than capable of keeping up to my demands. The balance was great and the chassis revealed its fun side. Then I was allowed to take the BMW M4 around the track for a lap. Thought I was going to like it more than the RCF due to lighter weight and more torque, but surprisingly no. The DCT didn't seem to shift any faster, sounds from exhaust were not good, and steering wheel doesn't (manually) adjust very much for a perfect driving position. The M4 seemed to get off the line a bit faster, but lost its pull towards the upper end of the rev range. The RCF seemed to pull harder and harder as you approach the redline, the way a car should be, especially when driving on the track. Steering, balance, and cornering was very similar in both. Now I can confidently say that I'd pick the RCF over the M4. The RCF provides a better experience for the senses, and at a more reasonable price with the addition of Lexus reliability. Finally, finished the day driving the RC350 on the auto cross track against its competitors (MB C350, Audi A5 2.0t Quattro with S-line, BMW 435i). Unfortunately, the 435i already broke down/having problems and they couldn't let us drive it (says a lot about BMW reliability). I drove the RC350 F-sport first and was thouroughly impressed. Seemed faster than paper would suggest. Sounds from the V6 was good, balance was there (weight shifted well), transmission behaved well, good brakes, and good grip (no understeer). Then I moved on to the MB C350. That car was an embarrassment to sport cars. First, no manual mode for the transmission which shifted very slowly and always seemed to be in the wrong gears, even in sport mode. Acceleration was weak from the V6 and it was all over the place. Weight shift was horrible, lots of understeer, and over-aggressive stability control. Then I moved to the Audi A5, which immediately felt underpowered. The sounds from the turbo-4 didn't even come close to the V6. Balance and transmission behavior was better than the MB, but still wasn't as good as the RC. Understeer was huge and engine didn't have enough power to recover from the washout. Then I drove a non F-sport RC350 AWD, and that still handled better than both the MB and the Audi. I'm going to stick to my GS350 F-sport due to its practicality, but if I was in the market for a luxury sport coupe, I'd definitely pick the RC over the competition. They also provided other F-sport models to drive: CT200h, IS350, GS350 AWD, LS460. They performed well on the auto cross as well. I was glad to find the limits of my GS. In conclusion, all of you RC owners on the forum made the best choice. It almost seems like if people buy the C350 or A5, they only care about the badge and styling. You guys can stand tall and know that you guys are better than those German car owners.
Hope you guys enjoyed this writeup!
02-08-15, 05:03 AM
#2
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Join Date: Dec 2014
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That's a good story and music to my ears. I have an RCF on order which is due to arrive next month. I ordered the car sight unseen and without a test drive. My order was based solely on the way it looked and the reputation that Lexus has in terms of quality and reliability. Next month can't come soon enough!
02-08-15, 12:57 PM
#3
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I had the exact same experience when I went to the Asphalt Up event here in Houston a couple months ago....I was set on an M4 (went to a BMW event the day before and loved the M4) but then drove the RC F....I was also a bit unsure about the looks of the RC (still am) but loved the interior, especially in red...the event sold me on the RC - it is now at the top of my list when my current BMW lease runs out in a few months...
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