ABDC: Lexus RC F

Boldly-styled and with a characterful naturally-aspirated V8 engine, the Lexus RC F is the wildest Lexus since the outrageous V10 LF-A hypercar. The numbers are big: 351kW (at 7100rpm), 530Nm, an eight-speed automatic gearbox… and 1860kg kerb weight. Well-equipped and priced in the context of its key competition, can the beefy Lexus coupe translate on Tassie roads?

No… That’s the short answer — based on both journalist and racer reactions during Australia’s Best Driver’s Car (ABDC), although Kent Youlden (Luke’s dad) and a two-time Australian production car champion in his own right – perhaps summed it up best: “It’s a difficult car to easily drive.”

The core issue begins with the RC F’s 1860kg mass. It permeated the entire driving experience, from dulling the low-down urge of an otherwise excellent naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8, to adding mass (and therefore reluctance) over the front-end, limiting the car’s ability to grip, bite and turn.

In an attempt to control all that mass (or perhaps to showcase its technical prowess), Lexus has added more kgs by enlisting torque vectoring, active chassis dynamics and the like not to mention multiple drive maps and all manner of electronic safety acronyms.

With the often narrow, sometimes slippery and regularly bumpy test roads asking for the car’s full dynamic repertoire, the RC F also felt one size larger than something like the BMW M4 or Jaguar F-TYPE R, further sapping confidence.

The Lexus rode with decent comfort although noise, particularly from the tyres, was a consistent sore point. And if the ride was acceptable overall, the chassis’ reaction to secondary bumps revealed a curious separation between what the wheels were doing and what you felt through the wheel.

Where some cars breathe with the road, the RC F seemed to exhale when it should inhale, a feeling exacerbated by steering that was described as ‘glassy’, with an artificial ‘weight’ developing through the wheel as more focused drive modes were selected.

Nervous, inert and unpredictable were other adjectives used when discussing both steering response and rear-end grip levels. Not what you want to hear when attempting to deploy 351kW and 530Nm, the latter available from a high 4800-5600rpm.

If chassis feedback was disappointing, the same couldn’t be said of the engine. Once in the ‘zone’ above 3800rpm and with one of the more sporting throttle maps (this reduced the obviously-artificial response to the throttle pedal in the default ‘normal’ mode), the Yamaha-developed V8 soars to its 7100rpm power peak.

Trying to turn that grunt into meaningful acceleration was relatively straight-forward in dry conditions, but in the wet the torque vectoring system was easily confused, braking and releasing the rear wheels with such abruptness that even straight lines became challenging. Is it a case of too much tech?

Thankfully, the eight-speed torque converter automatic gearbox had a gear (sometimes more than one) for every occasion.

The autobox was a point of contention. Some felt that the shift was laggy when compared to the dual-clutch M4 (or even the ZF auto in the Jaguar FTYPE), while others found the shifts a pleasure, working smoothly in eco and normal modes but upping the game with prods through sport and sport s+.

Manualised paddle shifting was also an option, though the combined mass/lack of low-end torque issue often meant three flicks of the left paddle to gain enough overtaking urge. It was no real issue though, as the feel of the paddles (accompanied by a characterful exhaust rasp) was a highlight of a lovely interior.

Praise for the seat comfort, design and materials was universal, and many commended the overall driving position, although those over 180cm felt that headroom was limited.

In what is a blow for Lexus, good looks, a strong engine and comfortable, well-equipped interior simply do not cut the mustard in this company.

In this reviewer’s eyes, it’s a ‘six-tenths’ car — a great cruiser with comfort and character. When driving purely for pleasure, however, the RC F quickly fell off the pace of the BMW M4, its most natural rival in this group.

Sure, the RC F is cheaper but the Japanese V8 needs to shed a few hundred kilograms to be truly competitive.

Lexus can start the diet with some shedding of the over-bearing electronic and chassis systems.

2015 Lexus RC F pricing and specifications:
Price: $133,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol
Output: 351kW/530Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 253g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Not yet rated

ABDC ranking: 13th

ABDC Scorecard