Asphalt up! Lexus High Performance Experience feedback
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Asphalt up! Lexus High Performance Experience feedback
My pops and I spent a few hours last Saturday flogging the new RC350, RC350 F sport, RC-F, BMW M4, Audi S5 and others on an auto-x course and around the infield course at the AAA Speedway in Fontana.
My "fun" car right now is an E90 M3. I've had it a few years now and love the power, steering and the fact that I can actually put my son (and his car seat) in the back with me. Truth be told, I would have bought an ISF instead of the BMW except for the fact that I am a hard core, die hard, three pedal manual guy. I've owned a bunch of Lexus vehicles and think they are fantastic, ultra reliable cars but in the end, I really wanted the clutch pedal. The fact that my extended warranty has already paid for itself says a lot. Enough about that.
I'm probably not a realistic buyer of the RCF given the lack of a manual transmission and the lack of rear doors but I really, really liked it.
Granted, our seat time was somewhat limited and we weren't driving these things the way they will be driven most of the time but I was very impressed. The 5L V8 sounds and responds amazingly well. It's not as torque as the TT I6 in the M4 but it sounds much, much better. The 8 speed gearbox works very well. I did notice a distinct difference in throttle responsiveness between sport and sport + but it's a great drivetrain. I found the handling to be very good. Yes, it feels heavy (but to me, so does my M3, the current M4 and just about everything else in the segment). The steering is very good and the limits (we weren't allowed to turn all the systems off) felt very high.
The seats are INCREDIBLE and the quality of the materials are very good.
The looks are polarizing to be sure. I actually really like the RCF in white but don't care for the red or orange. But that's personal.
If you're in the market for a dead reliable, very fun, very visceral car (and you don't mind not having a clutch pedal) the RCF is a great choice.
Well done Lexus and thanks for both keeping the other manufacturers honest and giving us, the enthusiasts, a choice.
My "fun" car right now is an E90 M3. I've had it a few years now and love the power, steering and the fact that I can actually put my son (and his car seat) in the back with me. Truth be told, I would have bought an ISF instead of the BMW except for the fact that I am a hard core, die hard, three pedal manual guy. I've owned a bunch of Lexus vehicles and think they are fantastic, ultra reliable cars but in the end, I really wanted the clutch pedal. The fact that my extended warranty has already paid for itself says a lot. Enough about that.
I'm probably not a realistic buyer of the RCF given the lack of a manual transmission and the lack of rear doors but I really, really liked it.
Granted, our seat time was somewhat limited and we weren't driving these things the way they will be driven most of the time but I was very impressed. The 5L V8 sounds and responds amazingly well. It's not as torque as the TT I6 in the M4 but it sounds much, much better. The 8 speed gearbox works very well. I did notice a distinct difference in throttle responsiveness between sport and sport + but it's a great drivetrain. I found the handling to be very good. Yes, it feels heavy (but to me, so does my M3, the current M4 and just about everything else in the segment). The steering is very good and the limits (we weren't allowed to turn all the systems off) felt very high.
The seats are INCREDIBLE and the quality of the materials are very good.
The looks are polarizing to be sure. I actually really like the RCF in white but don't care for the red or orange. But that's personal.
If you're in the market for a dead reliable, very fun, very visceral car (and you don't mind not having a clutch pedal) the RCF is a great choice.
Well done Lexus and thanks for both keeping the other manufacturers honest and giving us, the enthusiasts, a choice.
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