Lexus RC F 2014 Review

Lexus RC F

There's no doubt the Lexus RC F faces a tough challenge.

It lobs into a category the Germans regard as their exclusive territory. The brand new BMW M4, the run-out Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG 507, the Audi RS 5. These are all excellent coupes with huge performance, great-to-brilliant driving manners and a real sense of occasion.

The RC F roars into battle, carrying a load of horsepower and technology and an appeal only a big and booming naturally-aspirated V8 and rear-wheel drive can deliver. For all the tech and equipment details of the RC F, which goes on-sale in Australia next February, you can go here.

That it is a better vehicle than its IS F predecessor is without question. That simply makes sense six years on with the learnings from that car poured into this one.

The chief engineer of both IS F and RC F, Yukihiko Yaguchi, makes it clear he and his F team are all about building cars that are fun to drive for anyone on road or track. It's a laudable goal, you don't have to be an ace to have an ace of a time.

Well the RC F goes so very close to delivering on that goal it's not funny. Or to put it another way it's not quite as much fun as Yaguchi probably intended it to be.

We drove the RC F on-road in New York state – a brave call by Lexus considering how bad some of those roads are – and then more appropriately at the Monticello Motor Club. It's a superb ebbing and flowing race track buried somewhere in the forested countryside where rich men and women pay thousands to drive their fast cars – and journos occasionally show up to drive someone else's car for free. There's no actual race meetings conducted there.

On the road the RC F simply rode too harshly on its fixed-rate suspension settings. The adaptive AVS dampers from the F Sport might help.

The severe road corruptions jolted into the cabin, reminiscent of the IS F, a car that drew severe criticism for its harsh ride and was modified several times through its lifetime in an attempt to cure the problem.

It's literally a shock to the system that the same error has been made over again. Yaguchi-san says he already has development ideas for the RC F. Hopefully, he has put ride quality on the list.

He should add kerb weight to that list too. At Monticello the car's substantial weight came into play. Despite being tautly suspended and running sizeable Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber – 255/35ZR19s up-front and 275/35ZR19s down back – and a bunch of electronic and mechanical handling aids, the RC F never felt nimble or shrink wrapped in the way the M4 does.

It wasn't wayward, loose or uncontrolled, but nor did it ever got to the point where you settled into the seat, grasped the steering wheel and really felt at one with the car when pushing hard. There was a connection lacking and therefore a real desire to attack the road.

Each time a session ended there wasn't a lot of regret when trickling into pitlane. Each time a session started, the prospect of driving the RC F invoked more a sense of clinical examination than emotional exploration.

The steering is accurate but lacks any real sense of feel, instead cycling through the drive select modes simply delivered more or less weight. The front-end pushes eventually, the rear can be as controlled or as extravagant as you like, but it all happens through a layer of weight and gizmos — although they can be detuned or turned off.

It does not involve you in the same way the M4 does, but then the Lexus is giving up more than 250kg – it's a huge number – to a car that is nimble, involving and exultant to drive. At a place like Monticello you would get out of the M4 whooping. Getting out of the RC F usually involved reporting another warped front disc – at least two cars had them.

In other ways the RC F is exceptional. The exterior style is definitely Lexus and aggressively pleasing, the cabin is superb – apart from the limited rear seat space; the seats are brilliant and the quietness on the road almost unbelievable given the massive footprint, poor quality roads and rumbling engine up-front.

Speaking of which. It's a really good piece of gear that melds expertly with its eight-speed transmission. It produces peak horsepower at 7300rpm and peak torque at 4800rpm, so you know what you are getting. But once you have some revs onboard there's no doubting its potency. The melody is an enjoyable, clean and little distant adjunct to the sort of shove that's always memorable.

There's no doubt how much you can change the car's drivetrain character via the drive mode selector. A lazy throttle and slurringly slow changes in Eco mode equates to just 1700rpm at 70mph. But then the RCF become jagged and edgy in Sport+. Changes are jarring, late and aggressive and almost as good as going to manual mode.

Versions of the RC F with both the Torsen and torque vectoring differentials were sampled and it seemed TVD did help turn-in. But that's something that needs further investigation.

As does the car as a whole – on home soil. Be clear, these are first impressions that have been influenced to some degree by the unfamiliar conditions, car characteristics and even a dose of jet lag. As you can see by the ratings attached to this first drive, the RC F still gets high marks -- it's just up against some incredible opposition.

If you think I am providing myself with an out here, you are dead right. A comparison test in Australia on familiar roads against the M4 and the rest of the pack is what's really required and that will happen next year.

For now, based on the driving as well as the numbers it seems the RC F is a memorable car, but one that could still be better.

Lexus RC F pricing and specifications:
Price:  $140,000 plus (estimated)