WOW, that was a really nice one.

 

I think you know more about tires than me... but yeah... :P

 

Thank you everybody for their insights, suggestions and comments. I'm gonna go check out the car this Saturday, so hopefully Saturday night i'll post some pics. Wish me luck guys.

 

Great write up and nice detail. I have had my RC F for 7 months. People ask how do you like the car? I respond “ I never knew driving could be so fun”. The distinctive styling and the fact I don’t see a lot of RCFs was appealing. People say wow what car is that? I read some negative reviews by so called experts. I am so glad I didn’t listen to them. The car is rock solid, corners like a cat and extremely well made. Put a Catback exhaust on it a few weeks ago and it just added to the enjoyment. AEM intake going on next week. If only everything in life could be so much fun.

 

Like i mentioned earlier, members of this specific forum are all gentlemen and very well informed.

 

I feel like the RC model is not given enough credit where it’s due. You did a great review which brings out a more balanced perspective.

 

Agree 100%

 

More tidbits as I continue to drive the car this week.

1. The ML Audio is really, really good. I find the perfect listening volume is somewhere between 40-50. The more of my music I listen to the more impressed I am.
2. These car seats are not very comfortable. A lot of reviews of the car gush about the seats... I am going to go out on a limb and say they are great compared to similar style seats, for example compared to Nissan GTR seats... lol. I don't have a lot to compare these seats to from a sports coupe vantage point but I can tell you right now they are not even close to as comfortable as the IS 350 F sport seats I have sat in. I would love to swap these out with something more padded, either IS or RC seats.
3. 19MPG I am averaging with mixed driving. ECO in bumper to bumper traffic, Normal Mode in regular congestion, Sport + in everything else. I have been driving pretty aggressively this fill up and I am pleasantly surprised with the 19MPG between the aggressive driving and bumper to bumper traffic.
4. The transmission is awesome. This car is so smooth and does a great job with engine breaking in auto. I can see why some people have their brakes last so long. If you don't drive this car ***** to the wall all the time needing to change brake pads and rotors should not be something you need to worry about... they are not going to need replacing very often.
5. How nimble the car feels. We all know it's heavy but it really does not drive heavy at all. The car feels very sharp and the turning radius is very tight too.

 

The seats were meant for holding the driver upright under high G load and not to get thrown around under rapid transitions, which is why they have such high/deep bolsters. They have a lot of adjustability so that is great about them. Depending on the body type, they will feel comfortable/uncomfortable since they are snug around your lumbar area. It is quite subjective. My wife and I (as well as others who sat in it) seem to love it, but that is personal preference.

RCF transmission is at its best/fastest in manual mode especially with sport+. It locks up the torque converter, which prevents slippage/loss during shifts (slushbox feel). It slams the gears hard at redline.

A lot of the nimbleness comes from TVD. It is a phenomenal design feeling very natural with the steering off-center. It makes the car shrink around you especially in slalom mode despite the weight. It works both under acceleration-turning and more interestingly under brake-turning where it applies reverse torque (more on the inner and less on the outer) so to make the car slow down and rotate faster.

As an FYI, I switch to track mode on faster roads with long sweepers as the entry speed is much higher and slalom mode can over-react at high speeds.

 

I had a difficult time getting comfortable in my seat as well when I first got my car. I even considered getting it altered. But after a few months of ownership, I felt completely comfortable in my seat. So either my backside got used to it or the seat molded to me.

 

I find the seat more comfortable every day, and I continue to fine tune the position, but you can't compare it to something with more padding like the IS seats for example. Considering I have been driving my Gs for 14 years maybe I do need some time to break em in.

If the TVD is what makes this car feel so nimble I am glad I got it.

 

Meh. The seats suck for comfort. The GS F has the same units. They're hard, not terribly supportive compared to the seats in the IS F, and offer little comfort. If I wanted a racing shell, I'd put one in. We didn't need that from the factory. I have yet to sit in a seat that married comfort and support better than the IS F seats. I've had occasion to have my right leg go temporarily numb on long drives in the GS F, and I've fiddled with the position a million times to try and find a happy spot. Still not there yet.

 

So I wonder if IS or RC 350 F Sport seats would be a plug and play swap given the same vent options present?

 

It's not a bad bet, but it is Lexus, so anything is possible or impossible depending on which engineering team did what.

 

I went through basically the same list of cars as you did but I had a 2015 Mustang GT Convertible a few years ago and then a 2017 Corvette Z51 so those cars were not on the review list. Ended up with the CPO 2015 RC350 F-Sport from Wilde Lexus as opposed to the RCF. Mine came with a factory installed F-Sport Performance Exhaust System a very rare OEM option back in 2015. The car while no where as quick as the RCF seems quicker than some of the other RC 350s I drove. Like you, condition was very important and the previous owner took it to Wilde every 6 months/5,000 miles for service. I also had a budget for the car purchase since I recently purchased a Sportsman center console boat. So I'm enjoying both. Can you post some pictures of your new RCF?