I’m heading to university in the fall, and I can’t decide between a Lexus RCF and a GR Supra. The budget is ~50K. The drive home is about 40 minutes and I’ll make it a few times a month. I know it may be biased to post on this forum, but any insight helps. Thanks.

 

I own the RC F and have only had it a month. A friend of mine has the GR Supra. So my opinion is going to be based on this limited experience with both.

I love the RC F!! Its comfortable, pretty darn quick, and has Lexus reliability. I drove it on a trip a couple of weeks ago and got 29.5 mpg. I probably could have gotten more if I would have used Eco mode. The RC F is a luxury sports car; not the fastest, but comfortable and quick. My only gripe is I dont feel the torque that I feel in my old C5 Corvette. The RC F needs to get in the higher rpm range to really start moving. As others have said, its a grand touring type vehicle. I can also say I am impressed with the over-engineering to accommodate track use or spirited driving.

I have only ridden in the Supra once. It felt like the fastest production vehicle I had ever been in! It will move! I havent looked up the performance numbers; only what I felt in the seat of my pants. I also think its a better-looking vehicle. But the turn-offs for me is that its a BWM with Toyota badging. I do my own maintenance and repairs, and I have no desire to work on a BMW. I also dont like that rolling the window down causes buffeting in the cabin. It would seem that would be a simple fix. Another turn off; no dip stick to check the oil! May seem petty, but its a big deal for me. Must be part of that BMW engineering. LOL

 

Both are great cars and reliable.

I prefer the F because of the rarity. A90 Supras are like Mustangs and Mopars over here.

 

buffeting is common and yes there are easy solutions called wind foiler and/or wind diffuser. i've had to add them to cpl other cars. just a data point.

 

@Bicklebok

Turbo torque can be deceptive. Especially off the line. Supra is much lighter and has turbo torque available much lower in the rpms band. Once you are in the high rpms and rolling, RCF top end is monstrous. The powerband for RCF is 4800 rpm to 7300/7400 rpm. With the high-revving nature, it really shines from a roll especially 2nd gear 50 mph.

Here is a 50 mph 2nd gear roll between a downpipe, tuned MK5 Supra vs Bolt-ons and E85 tune RCF

 

You can't go wrong with either car. Good luck and be safe.

The RC feels a little heavier when driving and its interior design is a little older, but (especially with an aftermarket exhaust) you get that exotic 7,000 RPM V8 roar.

The GR Supra is a rocket ship that's lighter, lower, and drives more like a go-cart, and you could get a manual transmission. But when you rev it up, its BMW cousins love reply with lots of loud burble tune fart pops, hahaha. If you get it, as others noted, get the little window-mirror mods to prevent buffeting. Because you'll hate driving with the windows open otherwise.

 

You will find many more supra in your price range. Neither are "date" cars and it is tough to pack buddies and beer for a road trip. Rcf sounds amazing on startup compared to supra.

 

I'm a fan of both. BMW's aren't all that hard to work on. In fact, I find it to be easier than my Toyotas in some cases. My advice is to drive both, then decide.

 

I would highly suggest you test drive both cars first.

With the Supra pay close attention to
1. ingress and egress aka getting in and out is a major PAIN if you are getting to middle age
2. impossible to drive with windows down due to wind buffeting

else Supra is quicker more suited for the younger buyer

also...which would you rather drive to college ...

 

I understand the natural comparison between the Supra and RC F but what do you value more - spec sheet numbers or real world livability?

They're both fast, fun cars but I own an RC F and have driven a Supra for 4+ days as a press vehicle... here are my takeaways:

Supra:
- Crude and challenging to live with every day. Compared to the RC F it is louder, harder riding, more road and tire noise
- Pain to get in and out of
- No back seat
- Faster on the bottom end
- Sounds great (esp in Sport mode)
- Looks incredible
- Better highway MPG

RC F:
- Quieter, more comfortable, smoother, more insulated, and more refined
- Faster on the top end
- More cabin space and a back seat
- V8
- Also looks great, just very different from the Supra
- Will be more reliable over the long term
- Easier to live with every day

Splitting the raw performance difference between them is tenths of a second in different areas, but the RC F is night-and-day easier, more pleasant, and less punishing to own and live with. To be honest with you, I'd have an RC 350 over a Supra just because the Supra is so crude to live with, so RC F vs. Supra is no comparison for me.

They are both great cars but it depends on what you value. Considering your situation and the long commute, RC F would easily be my choice. If you were looking for a track weapon and ultimate performance at the sacrifice of livability, I'd tell you to go Supra.

Good luck.

 

going to university as a single person? shoot, id prob go with a supra. something females may know and/or would gravitate too. not single, id go with the rcf. haha! man, to be that young again, go get'em!!

 

Supra is faster than RCF, esp BMW gives more HP than on the spec sheet, if you care about speed only then RCF will be out performed by that B58 BMW Z4 derived Supra every day. You should test drive both, then only you can make a decision, if you like the linear power, no Turbo can impress.

RCF is much more than just a spec sheet car. The principle of F is to have driver enjoyment, every driver can experience the performance and the beautiful sound of the naturally aspirated V8 2UR-GSE. Interior inside Lexus is much more luxury than even an M3, Supra is made in Austria, so very high quality but it is a Toyota badged model, so it will not have Lexus refinements and touches. My favorite are the F seats, they are exceptionally beautiful, not even Porsche 911 or SLS AMG has such beautifully designed seats they also hug you very well for those high speed G forces, also center stack with touch sliders for HVAC and buttons for everything including drive modes and TVD (if it applies, more on this later), super unique in design and very functional, the interior is dated to modern audience, not sure if you will like that. Also the CD player and 3.5mm Aux jack both are great Analog inputs for my FLAC collection, Mark Levinson is a decent system in the RCF.

The ZF transmission in Supra is also better than Aisin in RCF, which is true, but that's what everyone says, IRL the RC F in S+ mode with paddle shifters is very fast but you need to control it properly. ZF is smooth and fast, but it lacks the gut punch level brute force torque thrust, Aisin unit is old school, once you keep it revving to higher power bands even in auto drive mode S or S+ you get pushed back into your seat every time the shift happens when it hits redline, that visceral feeling is not possible in modern cars esp a Sports coupe.

2UR-GSE, this V8 engine is a masterpiece 17 years old and still churning 472HP and 392Ft/lb torque. The internals are forged and very strong foundation with the bespoke Yamaha tuned sonorous sound that is unmatched. It has a motorsport signature, European cars plus also has the grunt of the American muscle like, for this you need to experience it. Another part of the engine is, it will last longer than BMW engines, regular maintenance. Once you go past 3500RPM range the sonic performance is unleashed all the way to 7200RPM redline, that my friend, one can never get in any Turbo car,. Plus the naturally aspirated linear power is just addictive and the driver is always in control, it helps you become one with the car unlike the Turbo engines out there. The steering feedback is also very good, it is better than LC 500. Tight and very responsive enough, and keeps you help understand the road, not numb at all.

Finally the exterior design, Supra looks more modern, the styling is definitely good, however it is a very compact car, since its a Z4 based and a Coupe it will be cramped and as many mentioned wind buffeting too, also the fake vents, I personally do not like such things on a car, RC F's every single vent is functional, also fender vents, nobody gives them, let alone a functional one. The RC F staggered wheels give it a wide body look from rear also the big rocker panels with body lines are very well done. RC F is a track ready car, it has all the cooling and chassis refinements necessary for a Track day, not even the LC 500 has all those features, auxiliary cooling for Engine oil and Transmission fluid.

Ultimately depends on the test drive impressions and the individual perception of the cars. One more thing is, RCF is misunderstood by many, they never drove one.

 

I'm glad a couple of you mentioned the difficulty getting in and out of the Supra. I'm pretty agile for an older guy, and it wasn't pleasant climbing in and out of my buddy's Supra. It's cramped in the cabin, too.

One other thing I think is worth noting is the amount of cargo space the RC F has. The trunk is pretty decent for a coupe. I recently took my RCF on a business trip and had ample room for all my luggage.

 

I would buy an RCF having owned one for years now. It is fast and fun, but can also be driven for hours on the freeway without being fatiguing. The V8 is a beautiful mechanical piece of art. You can literally get addicted to revving it out. I have owned a lot of cars over my life and words really can't describe how versatile the car is. It can do a long road trip and then be on the track the next day. Build quality is Lexus so IMHO it is good as it gets. I have a 2015 but if I could afford it, I would buy a track edition and keep it forever. I may keep mine forever.

 

My Supra actually rides better than my 2016 GSF. With the ASD coded off in the Supra, stock vs stock, the Supra is quieter too. Given your age, unless you're really tall or need a lot of space, daily shouldn't be an issue.

The Supra gets you a lot of attention though, even in stock form. People will try to tailgate you, line you up for a race, etc. Also the dudes gonna hit you up at gas stations too. Not so much with the ladies, due to the Toyota badge I guess. If you enjoy this, get the Supra.