Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Joke right..!!?? I say less then 200 RC F owners on this forum....

Also the IS F was limited production car because it wasn't a highly desired model.

From 2008 to 2014 (7 selling years), less than 11,600 models were made & sold • GLOBALLY !!!!

• USA sales of IS F was under approx. 5,200 units in the same 7 years..

The RC F will sell less and the GS F even less...

Joe Z

DougHII

Maybe, maybe not. Someone that works for Lexus said 1,600. Never asked if global or US. I don't think one can gauge RCF sales based on ISF sales. Completely different market and sorry to say, buy ISF is just not that desirable to most that are in the market for cars like RCF or M4s.

Candidly, Lexus as brand was not even remotely appealing to me until the new grills and massive face lifts. The ISFs were in that ma and pa kettle category. Heres to seeing Lexus expand and the new models becoming successful. The RCF is attractive and gets a lot of attention. ISFs not so much. It will just take some time for Lexus to take hold of the new market upon which Lexus is focusing.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Doug, the discussion post began as members / owners of the RC F in this forum.... I think it got lost in translation..

Also, I sure do hope lets meets their initial target figures of 200 RC F sold per month as projected back in January 2014 at the debut..

Based on units on the ground, we shall see how it turns out..

Joe Z

ISF001

http://www.just-auto.com/analysis/le..._id158840.aspx

just-auto homeNews & insightsAnalysis
VEHICLE ANALYSIS: Lexus RC F & future brand plans
By Glenn Brooks | 29 May 2015Font size Email Print

RC F costs from £60,995 (Azure Blue paint is another £625)
View 5 related images
Lexus sales are soaring in the UK, and all across the European continent, even in Germany. What's happened? New products, in short. Arguably the best of the lot is the F version of the RC, a true super-coupe.

At 4.7 metres long, the RC is Lexus’ answer to the BMW 4 Series, Audi A5/S5 and the future Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe. In the UK, the shorter but very pricey F-TYPE is another rival. At 2,070mm across, including mirrors, the Japanese car is close to being too wide for Britain’s typically narrow parking spaces and garages. The Jaguar is wider still, which might be another reason why it’s still a rare sight on British roads despite having been on sale for two years now.

The width is surely one of the reasons why the RC F corners with almost no body roll. In as-tested form, there’s also little in the way of traction issues, despite drive being sent to just one axle. That’s due to the optional torque-vectoring differential, which costs a not insubstantial GBP3,500 on top of the GBP60,995 list price.

Is that diff worth the money? For anyone who intends to take part in a track day or two once a year, yes it is. For the rest of us…? Maybe not so much. It certainly helps massively with the fun factor of throwing this car around and being entertained by its complete unwillingness to lose traction.*

Other very impressive attributes include big Brembo brakes. These are 380 x 34 at the front and 345 x 28 at the back. The parking brake is electronic. Something else in the chassis department that’s now become the norm for most cars is electric rather than power-robbing hydraulic assistance for the steering. The downside can be a lack of feedback but in this Lexus that’s not the case. Aside from the much missed LFA, the RC F must surely be the division’s best sports car yet. And I would include the wickedly wild IS F.

The feral version of the old-shape IS was in fact the trailblazer for the RC F. It had the same stacked exhaust tips and its V8 engine was also a 5.0-litre V8, sending drive the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. We can blame Euro 6 emission laws for the mere 477hp (351kW) of the RC’s 4,969cc V8. This is delivered at 7,100rpm and yes, it does indeed scream its way to the redline. Torque? That’s 530Nm at a very un-V8 like 4,800-5,600rpm. This is certainly no old-school big capacity, lazy V8 - the IS F’s 500hp unit was tuned by Yamaha and you can well believe that this latest one is too.

The ears might thrill to the sound of the engine, and the downshifts will tingle the hairs on the back of your neck if you play with the paddles to decelerate, but there is additional pleasure to be had for your sense of touch. This comes from the haptic controller for the Navi system, with temperature adjustments made via a finger touch to the electrostatic switches. You can just slide them up and down too.

The interior is unlike that of its rivals, and that’s no bad thing. Lexus really is beginning to set some standards, while almost all competitors go off in the same direction as Audi. The German brand does of course come up with some marvellously elegant designs but it’s refreshing to see a totally different take on a sportscar’s cockpit.*

Outside, it’s even more of a strident statement. You almost feel as though you could scythe someone who brushes too close to the car, such is the angularity of the front end, sides and rear. There is some fuss to the detailing here and there - perhaps the aero pack is a tad OTT - but this is one distinctive design. And with only around 200 cars to be imported this year, you’re unlikely to see someone else in your neighbourhood twinning themselves with your sense of taste.

The basic shape of this coupe was previewed by the LF-CC concept at the Paris motor show in September 2012. The design study was powered by the first application of Toyota's 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain in a rear-wheel drive configuration.

While the F only went on sale in the UK a few months back, the RC itself was previewed at the Tokyo motor show in November 2013. The RC 350 Coupe and RC 300h Coupe were the first variants, with the F added following its debut at the Detroit auto show in January 2014. North America is this model series’ largest market, with 17,000 cars from the RC range expected to be sold by Toyota Motor Sales USA this calendar year.

What’s next, you ask? It’s believed to be an RC 460 to sit above the 350 and the hybrid but below the F. That should probably appear in calendar 2016 for North America’s 2017 model year. A convertible is surely also on the way, but Lexus is keeping quiet about this. Probably there will be a concept at the LA show in November.*

Other Lexus vehicles in the future product pipeline include a new generation of the big LX 4x4, which will again be based upon the Land Cruiser. This will be aimed mainly at the US and the Middle East, places where its rival the Cadillac Escalade sells well, along with Russia. Next year should also see the arrival of the TX, an additional crossover model. This seven-seater is to be based upon the new RX and it will also serve as the successor for the GX: this body-on-frame SUV is being phased out.

It’s going to be a fairly hectic 2016 for the brand, if the next generation LS also shows up then, as it is believed to be on schedule to do. Then within the following twelve months will be the launch of the second generation CT. This time around it should also offer a non-hybrid powertrain in some markets, as the petrol-electric and CVT combination of the current model hasn’t been to everyone’s taste.

It’s almost hard to imagine anyone not turning their head when an RC F goes past, especially at higher revs and you can’t say that of the smaller CT hatchback. In fact putting the two side by side shows just what a leap Lexus styling has made in the last two years. Buyers in Europe seem to love what’s going on with this new design direction: brand sales were up by 41% in April (source: ACEA) and 36% for the year to date, to 13,149. Much of that is down to the addition of the NX crossover but the RC is also putting in a far stronger appearance than the IS C, its coupe-cabrio predecessor ever did.*

British buyers are, as ever with Lexus, in the vanguard. In April, the brand sold over 1,000 vehicles here, these 1,044 registrations representing a surge of 51%. Just 108 more would have been enough to outsell Jaguar in its home market. It might have taken over 25 years in the UK and Europe in general but Lexus has definitely, Finally arrived.

ROK

I really like that Toyota took a bold move on the new Lexus designs in & out. Though I'm seriously considering an M4 over the RCF, I must readily admit that the RCF takes the cake when it comes to stirring emotions visually. The m4, while handsome, lacks aesthetic panache and it is the best looking out of the RS/AMG variants. Talk about pedestrian, vapid design!

It's just too bad they didn't create the chassis clean sheet, ground up closer to 3,600-800 lbs. In this weight class, it would've been lights out BMW.

DougHII

Yep, for sure. The RCF looks awesome and it really sucks they did not take better advantage of the opportunity by having a production weight in exactly the numbers you post. Nonetheless, the car is a joy to drive on public streets just as it is. M4 is a tremendous car also. Cannot go wrong with either!

ISF001

Well, many believe it IS lights out BMW.

The RC F is one of the best driving cars I have experienced. I for one do not enjoy fighting the car I drive to hold a line.

The RC F is perfectly weighted to handle the power and impart confidence to the driver. The car was engineered to deliver a balanced and planted road and track experience. There's none other in the class competing at this level. The TVD offers extraordinary handling and I am already spoiled.

I reiterate: if someone is looking for a pure track car, neither car really is a top choice. The RC F wins the 363/2 day road/track battle any day of the week.

BTW: few of us will be destroying rubber on a track with frequency, if at all. The fact that the RC F is extremely capable on the road and track is enough for most of us. This translates beautifully into superb performance 363 days per year--where most of us are driving the super coupe.

The car is a thrill to drive.

ROK

Sorry, but you're clearly drinking the kool-aid, pal. In every measure and in nearly every review including my own, the M4 is the better driving experience. In a straight-line it's not even close.

The RCF is the GT car. And there's nothing wrong with that.

ISF001

Sorry..."pal"...but look who's drinking the German drool. I owned one of the early Ms. Please don't tell me about BMW. There are some straight line and track pieces here. This car battle will never be black and white.

In every measure?...Measure this:

Watch this video. The RC F beats the M4 into the low 120s. What happen to the mighty, light M4?

And this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdTe...ature=youtu.be

And this:

And this:

And this:

• In order of lap time:
THE LEADERBOARD--MOTOWN MILE
1 2014 Ferrari 458 Speciale 51.92 sec 142.1 mph
2 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo 51.93 sec 141.7 mph
3 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 52.18 sec 139.7 mph
4 2015 Dodge Viper SRT TA 52.36 sec 137.2 mph
5 2013 Ferrari F12Berlinetta 52.97 sec 144.4 mph
6 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo 53.02 sec 140.5 mph
7 2014 Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series 53.66 sec 135.8 mph
8 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Edition 53.76 sec 135.6 mph
9 2013 SRT Viper 54.55 sec 138.9 mph
10 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 54.66 sec 131.2 mph
11 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Z51 54.80 sec 135.5 mph
12 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 55.03 sec 133.5 mph
13 2014 Audi R8 V10 55.18 sec 135.9 mph
14 2012 Lexus LFA 55.48 sec 130.6 mph
15 2015 BMW M3 55.53 sec 132.3 mph
16 2015 Jaguar F-Type V8 55.84 sec 134.4 mph
17 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 55.86 sec 133.9 mph
18 2013 BMW M6 Competition Pack 55.89 sec 133.8 mph
19 2015 Lexus RC F 56.08 sec 128.8 mph
20 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 56.19 sec 134.8 mph
21 2013 Jaguar XFR-S 56.33 sec 131.6 mph
22 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat 56.37 sec 131.5 mph
23 2015 Jaguar F-Type R 56.37 sec 133.5 mph
24 2014 Porsche Cayman S 56.73 sec 125.1 mph
25 2015 Ford Mustang GT 56.81 sec 127.2 mph
26 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE 56.83 sec 126.2 mph
27 2013 Audi RS5 56.83 sec 126.0 mph
28 2014 Aston Martin Rapide S 57.01 sec 130.7 mph
29 2014 Chevrolet SS 57.43 sec 127.1 mph
30 2015 BMW M4 57.47 sec 130.5 mph
31 2014 M-B E63 AMG S-Model Wagon 57.76 sec 128.3 mph
32 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe 57.85 sec 132.1 mph

And please don't start all of the nonsense about the temps and road conditions, heat, rain. It's called racing.

There is a BMW Forum. This isn't it...Pal.

jdolin22

ISF001,
I love seeing the great numbers and reviews of the RCF, but why do some, such as Jeremy Clarkson, seem to hate this car soooo much??

DougHII

Too funny, then buy the M4. No reason to come on here and take pot shots at the cars people have and enjoy here.

It ain't cool aide though. A lot of us on here have plenty of experience with high end sports cars. The RCF is blast, great looking and an awesome car for the money. Lol at people that need to come here and set RC F owners straight about what their car is worth and how it matches up with other cars.

ISF001

I don't really have the answer--just an opinion.

For starters, IMO, he intentionally did not test drive the car. His buffoon lap was not meant to be funny but vengeful. I believe Lexus is the un-German alternative in a world of wanna be German-like Manufacturers. He has BMW tattooed all over his world.

Clarkson hates a lot of cars. I can take the arrogance, but I can't accept that he a actually believes the buying world takes most of what he say seriously.

Like any techno-blanketed car, the RC F takes more than a lap or two to master and understand, and no one, including Randy Pobst, will extract every ounce of performance in a brief encounter. Yes, this can be applied to most test driving situations, and one needs to assume it balances out in comparative testing.

Clarkson, IMO, was at his wits end trying to figure out the electronics. I think most of us who bought the car really needed some time to optimize the setup.

RC "F" Clarkson and his disparaging antics. BTW: If you think what he did in the F was bad, you should see what he did to misrepresent Tesla. His producer wrestled with a lawsuit for quite some time.

DougHII

I dunno. That was really bizarre. I watched the video and it was painfully obvious that he intentionally induced understeer and intentionally plowed right off the track. The RF would obviously perform much better than most of the cars they have the various Stigs put through the paces and perhaps he did not want the RC F to post a good number because it would have been counter to his agenda, complaints about weight. I think it all was Clarkson's theatrical or dramatic way of whining about Lexus making the RC F too heavy.

I have seat time and/or have raced since 1981 everything from karts, various spec, to Champ Atlantic, GT2, GT3 and instructed for Skip Barber, PBOC racing, Chin, Porsche DE at Barber, PCNA national certified, BMW CCA, Audi and etc. Not a neophyte to high performance cars or car control.

I also do not purchase cars based on reviews . . . I can give example after example of new cars that got the great reviews that sucked and bombed and new cars that got crappy reviews that gained popularity and were hits.

Get off the internet, drive the cars, look at them and buy what you like.

I keep coming back to this same point. I doubt anyone on here can drive all of these at 9/10ths or 10/10ths anyway and 0 -60 is for high school boy racers . . .

05RollaXRS

Don't want to stirr the pot, but I think it is only fair to look at both sides (as I have always defended RC-F at all times).


Again, just playing fair here. Watch closely at 0:03, the RC-F was already doing 14 km/h when the M4 was sitting at 0 km/h. So the RC-F started a bit earlier. It is not really a scientific comparison to begin with.


Road and track lap times are hugely inconsistent. It is because it is a run down old runway with lots of broken segments. Road and track claims they test it because they prefer to test the cars on rough pavements. It heavily favors cars with adjustable dynamic suspension because of the rough patches.

The fact that the M4 and M3 lap times are so far apart, shows how inconsistent their drivers are. M4 without adjustable suspension did poorly while the M3 with adjustable suspension did well. Biggest thing, a top tier supercar like LFA did not do well here because of its stiffness and rigidity and/or the inconsitent amateur drivers. Its only 130 mph max speed is a big indicator.

I think the MotorTrend Randy Pobst back to back hotlaps were pretty much as close as it could ever get to apples to apples comparison.

Actually, Clarkson is not a huge fan of BMW. He had been very harsh in his M5 review as well.

Although, definitely he took it way overboard and he definitely was unfair in his review of the RC-F. He just simply exaggerated the understeer and weight issue to the point where he made the review center around those two things. Not allowing The Stig to do a lap in RC-F was also another travesty because of his prejudice against the RC-F. I am sure RC-F would have done well.

His review of RC-F was unfair and there are no two ways about it.

However, he is far from anti-Lexus brand. His appreciation for the GT-86 had been shown extensively on Top Gear. As a matter of fact, he continuously says, Lexus LFA was the best car he had ever driven in all of the Top Gear seasons. He actually wants to own an LFA, but there are none available in UK. The one that come up for sale in Europe, are extremely expensive.

Ryanmcd

I always love the random pot shots about how we are all dumb for not getting the M4, so what do they say if the person has 10 other cars that all crush the M4 on the track and wanted something on the way it looks and something to rack up miles and take to walmart?

So far the more I drive this car the more I like it.