Lexus RC F 2020 Long-Term Test #2

The 2020 Lexus RC F is an exciting addition to the long-term garage at carsales. It’s a welcome change of pace for yours truly from the Ford Focus Active of previous weeks.

Lexus reckons the 2020 Lexus RC F is built for the track. In any event we’ll keep confined to the speed-limited public tarmac. Shame.

In reality, as far as the Lexus line-up goes, I reckon the RC F represents a stop-gap for people who actually want the more expensive Lexus LC 500 – but for whatever reason haven’t made the leap. Am I right.

The beauty of a long-term test is that you get the time to explore a vehicle in its entirety.

We bring a car into the family fold and try to understand how best to drive it, live with it and how to navigate its technology.

It’s fair to say the Lexus RC F has grown on me. Week one brought with it a hefty adjustment phase – I had just come out of an Alfa Romeo Giulia Q and the Lexus RC F felt stiff, dated, impractical and sterile by comparison.

I’m glad I had the benefit of several weeks behind the wheel to explore the heart of Lexus’ four-seater performance coupe because things are not always as they seem.

Now, nothing irks me more than when a pricey prestige car leaves you wanting for features – the kind you’ll often find on much cheaper vehicles (think heated seats). Worse still, they make you fork out for an expensive option bundle to get them.

The 2020 Lexus RC F is priced from $136,636 (plus ORCs) and is not like this. It follows suit from the RX 350L long-termer we had last year.

It’s very well equipped out of the box – even if our example has the Enhancement Pack 1 box ticked. The extra $5K adds new-look 19-inch forged and polished alloy wheels and a tilt and slide moonroof – reasonable value.

Inside the RC F’s cabin, the 10-way electric adjustable, heated and ventilated seats are supremely comfortable and work with an electric-adjust steering column to set your best driving position. Three-position seat memory is great, particularly for a vehicle in which it took me some time to perfect my driving position.

The two-tone leather seats are glorious in their race-inspired form. I do wonder how well the white leather will age, given they were already showing some signs of wear and tear. They are beautiful to look at (for now) nonetheless.

Driver-assist and safety technology includes lane departure warning with lane keep assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, reversing camera, LED daytime running light and an alarm.

OK, there is one small thing I’m left wanting – a power-operated boot.

The one hiccup that our team consistently notes is the Lexus RC F’s infotainment user interface. At best it needs work.

The mere mention of the Lexus touchpad controller can command cursing from even the most patient, nimble-fingered driver. Even in its most recent incarnation (sans grippy controller), it’s incredibly frustrating to use. My young children who can usually master any technology could not grasp its haphazard ways.

It’s time Lexus looked to its German rivals in BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz to see how it’s done. Further down the food chain, Mazda could also offer guidance.

It became a case of figuring out how to side-step the touchpad by using the multi-function wheel and Apple CarPlay.

On the upside, the 17-speaker 835-Watt Mark Levinson audio system is brilliant.

I’m a fan of the 2020 Lexus RC F’s menacing exterior and that styling anger is a perfect match for the 351kW/530Nm 5.0-litre V8.

In a numbers game, the great sounding eight puts the Lexus RC F in a similar ballpark to the Alfa Romeo’s turbo V6 Giulia Q sedan (375kW/600Nm), Audi’s turbo V6 S5 coupe (260kW/500Nm) and BMW’s straight-six M4 Pure coupe (331kW/550Nm).

And yet where the absolute shape of things is concerned, none of these really present as like-for-like rivals. In a more similar vein Jaguar F-TYPE trumps the Lexus for sophistication and a long list of variants but you’ll be tipping well over $200K to get that class of V8 power. Oh, and there are no rear seats in the Jag...

My point is that the V8-powered Lexus RC F is, for many reasons, unique.

Paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the RC F sends all its power to the rear wheels – which even for this track-honed coupe, often proves too much. On a good-grip day it’s claimed to hit 100km/h in 4.5sec and it feels that quick in a straight line.

Dial in your preferred drive mode – either normal (no thanks), Sport S (meh) or Sport + (now we’re talking) – for a gradual uptick in response and handling.

I’m an aural beast and the Sport+ mode made me happy for this reason alone – but I didn’t need the RC F to be any more responsive than it delivered in Normal, to be honest.

Indeed, it is an exercise in restraint driving the RC F around the conservative bayside suburbs restricted by predominantly 40-50km/h speed limits. One little squirt of the go pedal and you’re quickly over double the limit.

I’d love to take this 'track-inspired' car to a circuit, even if our experience at 2015 Australia’s Best Driver’s Car suggests the RC F’s hefty mass (about 1715kg) and intrusive driver-assist technologies will dampen any real-life track ambitions.

That said, since then the RC F received substantial updates to steering and suspension, including lighter chassis components, in 2019. That improved its dynamics but, in reality, the Lexus RC F remains more grand tourer than racetrack scalpel.

Moving away from its exterior sharpness, inside the Lexus RC F there’s a clashing combination of plush and modern materials meets interior design 101. It’s so close to greatness, but not quite there. The interior layout feels like a sectioned-off approach, with one area not necessarily complimenting the other.

A 10.3-inch screen is set deep into the dash and beneath is the old-school Lexus analogue clock flanked by multiple air-vents. Below this is the climate control, the audio buttons and a CD player. Further down the centre stack you’ll find seat heat and ventilation controls. The gearshift, drive modes (and launch control button) and that touchpad form a solid divide between the front passenger and driver’s cockpit.

Two good cup-holders, a reasonable-size cushioned lidded armrest that is home to two USB points, one AUX and one 12-volt outlet add welcome practicality.

The two-tone contoured seats are king of the cabin but I can do without the carbonfibre-look details – it feels like overkill. Conversely, the steering wheel is also not the fancy affair I’d expect from this vehicle’s dynamic exterior design.

Beautiful soft leather and exceptional craftsmanship are let down by too many hard plastics.

Ergonomics played havoc for both me and my much-taller husband. The biggest challenge was the large and very practical armrest and centre console that restricted left-arm range of movement. With my seat positioned low and well forward (to reach the pedals), I felt a little cramped. I could crank the seat position higher to reduce this somewhat, but it’s not my preference.

My kids loved the plush and contoured second-row seating that features two cup-holders and an armrest, but even my pre-teen youngsters struggled with leg and foot room. Headroom was fine for them and the glass sunroof brought great light into the cabin.

I’d hate to be the tired parent getting a child into and out of a child seat back there, but there are two ISOFIX positions for those who dare.

Week one was a great get-to-know-you phase with the Lexus RC F that transpired into a love-hate relationship with the seats and seating position and a constant adoration the V8 tunes.

Week two was the straw that broken the camel’s back where loading and unloading children was concerned. The centre console was always bashing my left elbow and my disdain for the touchpad grew stronger.

Electric seats that slide at a glacial pace are the RC F’s greatest downfall – as was hunting for my seatbelt (which does not allow use of the convenient extender when you’ve got second-row occupants at play).

By week three of my long-term stint in Lexus’ V8 coupe I had settled into a comfortable routine. My seat was perfectly adjusted, the kids (and I) were more patient when getting in and out of the second row and I’d managed to completely ignore that ghastly touchpad interface.

I still love the RC F’s unique, angular exterior and came to enjoy a bit of controlled, rear-end wiggle. But I also managed to figure out how to caress the accelerator for a smooth, slip-free launch (nine times out of 10).

Am I taken by the Lexus RC F? Perhaps, but not just yet... I may add it to my list of potential retirement cars.

Read the Lexus RC F 2020 Long-Term Test #1

How much does the 2020 Lexus RC F Enhancement Pack 1 cost?
Price: $136,636 + $5000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol
Output: 351kW/530Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.2L/100km (ADR Combined) 14.0L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 254g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A