Published
on 14
Sep 2014
|
All rights reserved.
|
|
When I first read
the new name “Lexus RC” and saw its pictures, a few cars came into my
mind. The first was the old Lexus SC400 – yes, the luxury coupe lived
between 1992 and 2000, and was otherwise known as Toyota Soarer in
Japan. It could be the spiritual predecessor of the RC, but the new car
seems to be a lot sportier. That brought me to the old Toyota Supra.
Although it lacked the luxury build and badge of the RC, its aggressive
looks and high performance paved ways for the new car. The third
relevant model comes from outside: BMW 4-Series. Just like everything
else from the class, say, Audi A5, Mercedes C-class Coupe or Cadillac
ATS Coupe, the new Lexus coupe sets its sights firmly on the BMW
benchmark and tries to steal its sales. That is to say the 4-Series is
still the car to be beaten.
Undoubtedly, the RC’s sharpest weapon is its radical exterior design –
in fact, the RC stands for Radical Coupe because of this. It is
razor-sharp, rakish and even a bit outrageous in detailed surfacing,
yet it preserves the sleek proportion of an ideal coupe. Traditional
buyers of Lexus brand must have their jaws dropped to the ground,
failing to understand why Toyota opted for such an aggressive design.
Take the Supra factor into account and it starts making sense.
Nevertheless, I can’t help thinking it missed a good opportunity. The
car clearly takes inspiration from the LF-LC concept debuted in the
2012 Detroit motor show. That car was an absolute beauty, so beautiful
that I said “BMW, Mercedes and Audi should be worried” then. Somehow,
the RC has lost the purity of that car, replacing with complication and
controversy. Its headlamps and tail are unnecessarily busy. Its
waistline isn't as flowing. Its roof rails are too thick. The huge
spindle grille looks especially awful on the standard car with
waterfall
elements (a hint of Lincoln?), slightly better on the F Sport and RC F
models with mesh elements, but nowhere as good-looking as the sleeker,
fully-chromed version on the LF-LC. A 4-Series Coupe looks more
conservative for sure, but it is easier to eyes.
It might be safe to assume the RC was derived from the floorpan of
Lexus IS. It sources a lot of components from the IS indeed, but it is
not exactly an IS coupe. In fact, the double-wishbones front
suspensions are taken from the larger GS in order to accommodate bigger
wheels and wider tires. The middle floorpan comes from the last
generation IS C coupe-cabriolet to take advantage of its extra
reinforcements and shorter, 2730 mm wheelbase. The multi-link rear
suspensions and powertrains come from the current IS. Such a hybrid
construction results in remarkable rigidity but also unnecessary
weight. The RC350 tips the scale at 1700 kg before options, almost 200
kg more than a BMW 435i! This drags down its performance and handling
by considerable degree.
It would have been okay if it got a turbocharged motor like its German
rivals. Unfortunately, Japanese manufacturers have been responding
slowly to that trend. The RC still employs the old-fashioned 3.5-liter
V6 from the last generation IS, although it now pairs with an 8-speed
automatic instead of 6-speeder. To be fair, the V6's dual-mode (direct
or port) injection system is quite state of the art, and its peak power
output is quite competitive at 306 horsepower, but it lacks torque,
especially at lower rpm. To a heavy car this lack of torque is a
serious problem. As it needs to be revved very hard to squeeze out
performance, it feels not only slower than the 0-60 mph quote of 5.8
seconds suggested, but also feels a class or two slower than 435i.
To put salt on its own wounds, Lexus tells us there is an even slower
model, RC300h, to arrive. Yes, the fuel-sipping hybrid combination of
2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder and electric motor, or exactly the
same powertrain you can find on IS300h. With the same 223 hp to haul a
body heavier than its sedan cousin, I would be surprised if it could do
0-60 in anything less than 8 seconds. That performance level is simply
a joke to the aggressive exterior. Now I understand why I repeatedly
saw some Toyota Aqua / Prius C and Honda CR-Z dressed in racing-style
aero kits and wheels on the streets. Perhaps there are really some
Asian buyers prefer sheep in wolf's clothing, or a reverse of Q-cars.
The regular RC350 is actually more about refinement, smoothness and
lack of drama. This is true to its ride, engine and transmission. If
you want to feel sportier, you should tick the F Sport package. It adds
not only the more aggressive exterior but also adaptive dampers,
19-inch wheels, extra-thin and wide rubbers, larger brakes and some
important interior upgrades. Besides, it allows you to (pay extra to)
opt for 4-wheel steering and variable-ratio steering. As such equipped,
the RC350 F Sport feels quite sporty. Its firm steering is probably
more feelsome than BMW's. The car turns, grips, resists roll and
understeer well. However, the sense of heft can never be shrugged off
during braking or quick change of direction mid-corner. The lack of an
addictive engine noise and the compulsory automatic gearbox also make
it less inspiring to drive than it should.
The interior is largely carried over from the IS sedan. That's not bad
news, because the materials are high quality and the assembly is
faultless. I am not a fan of its design, but there is no deny that this
cabin feels more expensive than BMW's. It is also high-tech, thanks to
the reconfigurable TFT instruments (inspired by LFA supercar) that is
standard on F Sport pack. The infotainment controls might be less
intuitive than i-Drive or MMI, but it is powerful. The F Sport also
brings a pair of superb front seats. Not so great is the rear of the
cabin, which is strictly for children. The boot is also small. Despite
of its massive weight, the Lexus RC is the least practical among its
key rivals.
The biggest problem of the RC is that its exterior design lifts your
expectation to sky-high, and then drops you to the ground with its
mediocre performance and mild sense of sportiness. It isn't as
practical as its rivals, nor is it as classy as a true GT. It is
expensive, too. The only credible choice in the range is probably the
high-performance RC F…
|
Verdict: 
|
Published on 14
Sep 2014
|
All rights reserved.
|
|
RC F
|
|
Lexus' F-label
represents its highest performance models like BMW M-cars, Audi RS or
Mercedes AMG. You might think the F stands for Fast or Fxxking-fast,
but in fact it means Fuji Speedway, the famous Japanese race track
owned by Toyota. The F-label was first introduced 7 years ago on IS F.
However, it seems that Toyota had no ambition to expand it into a
multi-model sub-brand like its German counterparts, so the IS F
remained the only F-model throughout the years. Now that car has
retired, and its position is substituted by RC F.
Being a 2-door coupe, the RC F is not going to be as practical as the
IS F, of course. Theoretically, this leaves room for a new IS F, but as
we know Toyota has no plan to build that car, even though technically
it would be quite easy. That might imply a tight business model.
According to Lexus officials, it expects to sell only 2500 units of RC
F annually, a far cry from the 10,000-plus-units rate of BMW M3. With
the presence of a sedan cousin, the forecast could be even more
pessimistic. Perhaps it is wise to skip the IS F this time around.
The RC F is expensive, actually more expensive than the new M4. In
standard form it costs some £60,000 in UK or $63,000 in USA, and
after ticking some must-have options it could easily rise to
£70,000 or $80,000. These options include an active differential
(instead of the standard Torsen), carbon-fiber roof and bonnet –
ridiculously, the first two are standard on BMW. The days of Japanese
bargain become a distant memory.
Cosmetic-wise, the RC F does not differ a lot from RC350 F Sport. Its
main differences are the large triangular ducts sitting below the
headlights (which feed the oil coolers), air vents opened behind the
front wheel arches, quad-exhaust pipes, a retractable rear spoiler and
black roof (if carbon-fiber option is taken). It shares the same mesh
grille and even the same 19-inch BBS forged alloy wheels with the
lesser car
(though you might not notice its slightly wider rubbers). Put it this
way, the RC F is an image builder, while F Sport pack takes advantage
of its image, selling to customers who want to pretend driving RC F but
could not afford it. This means while the RC F would be lucky to break
even, the F Sport pack is destined to be the real money-maker!
Because of mostly the same look, my opinion to the RC applies to the RC
F as well: it looks striking but somewhat busy and overstyled.
The interior is enhanced with sports bucket seats, alloy pedals and
Alcantara. In other words, business as usual.
What makes a big difference is the engine. Like IS F, it is powered by
a Yamaha-developed 5.0-liter V8, which sounds old-fashioned when BMW,
Mercedes and Audi are switching to smaller turbocharged motors. As
before, the Japanese V8 comes with state-of-the-art features like
dual-injection (direct + port), titanium intake valves, forged pistons
and connecting rods. Now it is further developed. The pistons and
con-rods get lighter and generate less friction. The exhaust valves are
converted to titanium, too. These changes lift its redline from 6800 to
7300 rpm. Meanwhile, the new cylinder heads enable compression ratio to
be increased from 11.8:1 to 12.3:1. As a result, its maximum output is
boosted from 416 to 467 horsepower, while peak torque is improved from
371 to 389 lbft (all are SAE figures), and the latter is available
slightly earlier at 4800 rpm.
Also worth mentioning is that the electrical variable cam phasing now
also covers the exhaust camshafts (previously driven by hydraulic),
allowing quicker response at cold start (to cut emission) and wider
range of variation. The latter enables the engine to delay the closure
of intake valves well into the compression stroke, reducing the
effective displacement while keeping the long expansion stroke. In
other words, it can run Atkinson-cycle combustion when necessary, say,
under light load. This explains why the new V8 manages to cut fuel
consumption a little. The new 8-speed automatic with its overdrive top
gear also helps.
Unfortunately, the RC F weighs about 230 kg more than an M4. This, in
addition to significantly less torque generated at low to medium rpm,
handicaps its performance. Lexus' quote of 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds is
probably too optimistic. The car feels slower, and much much slower
than the BMW benchmark. In fact, it feels slower than even the old IS
F.
On a racing track, you can feel every one of its 1800 kg. Its handling
is quite clumsy, more difficult to tie down its rear axle or to make
quick direction change cleanly. Even with the GKN active differential
to apply torque-vectoring, it never maneuvers as agile and precise as
BMW M4 or C63 AMG Coupe. The immense weight overwhelms its Brembo
brakes, too – which look okay in spec. (380 mm discs and 6-piston
calipers front; 345 mm and 4-pot rear, but no option of ceramic) but
ultimately feel underpowered and prone to fade.
On road, where you are less likely to push it beyond 8/10th of its
ability, the RC F fares much better. Its suspension, with stiffer
springs and adaptive damping setting than the RC350 F Sport, controls
pitch and roll well, whereas ride quality is still good enough to deal
with most roads. Its variable-ratio electrical power steering is
accurate and nicely weighted. Ultimately, its handling is tuned to
favour a bit more safe understeer than BMW or AMG, which is probably a
wise decision considering its extra weight. You can still push its tail
outward with a hard prod of throttle and counter lock, but this will
reveal only its hot-rod side rather than adding to driver interaction.
Surprisingly, Lexus' 8-speed automatic is quite good, nearly matching
the famous ZF 8-speeder. Its manual shift is slick and responsive, if
not as quick as the best dual-clutch manuals found elsewhere. The V8
motor, while feeling underpowered, makes better noises than BMW's
turbocharged straight-six, if not as sonorous as AMG or Audi's V8s.
Another highlight is the build quality and technology of the interior,
especially the LFA-style multi-mode TFT instrument.
That said, the RC F needs to cut weight. Its hybrid platform is no
longer feasible to compete at this level. Ditto the Yamaha V8, which
needs more torque low down and even more firepower at the top end. Only
by doing these its performance and handling could match the aggressive
exterior.
|
| Verdict: |
Published
on 8
May 2019
|
All rights reserved.
|
|
RC F Track edition
|
|
|
|
A
Lexus RC for track? Can you imagine?
|
|
As
we mentioned before, the Lexus RC F has 2 problems: too much weight and
too little power. Both are not easy to solve without a thorough
redesign. The 2019 facelift is not that redesign, but at least Toyota
worked hard to move both areas towards the right directions. While the
5-liter normally aspirated V8 remains, it is tuned to produce 5 more
horsepower and 6 pound-foot more peak torque, now at 472hp and 395
lbft, thanks to smoother intake routing and a remapped ECU. Meanwhile,
kerb weight has been trimmed by 25kg thanks to a variety of weight
saving measures, including hollow half-shafts, lighter intake
manifolds, alloy spring brackets and a lighter air-con. In addition to
a higher final drive ratio and a modified launch control, the RC F has
its 0-60mph sprint shortened by 2/10ths to 4.2 seconds.
Well, that is still not quick enough to worry its rivals from Germany,
most of which are capable to accomplish 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. That is
why you might need to upgrade to the RC F Track. This is a special
edition whose production is limited to 400 units worldwide. It can be
distinguished from a set of track-ready aero kits, including the
carbon-fiber rear spoiler. They are not just for looks, but can really
produce positive downforce, although not much over zero. The engine is
unchanged from the regular RC F, but the Track edition underwent a
diet, including Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, lightweight forged BBS
wheels, titanium exhaust and carbon-fiber roof, bonnet and luggage
partition. All in all, the weight saving over the old car is 80kg. That
said, it still tips the scale at 1715kg, ridiculous for a “Track” car.
|
|
The
facelift is subtle, but the weight saving measures are quite extensive.
|
|
Lexus claims the Track car is able to crack 60mph in 3.96 seconds,
finally under the 4-second mark but it is still by no means a sprint
hero.
More hopeful is handling. The outgoing RC F was not weak in this area,
especially the balance, steering and predictability. The Track edition
improves further. Its exclusive Torsen LSD and new Michelin PS 4S tires
are more successful to tame the understeer associated with the lesser
car. Its aero devices make it more stable at longer straights. Its
recalibrated engine and shorter final drive makes the throttle response
more linear. Its carbon brakes offer greater stopping power as well as
pedal feel. If there are anything still lagging behind its competition,
it must be down to the extra weight and the 8-speed automatic
transmission – the former robs it the fine agility expected for a track
car, while the latter responds too slowly to downshift.
The real problem of this car is lack of inspiration. A Maserati
GranTurismo MC Stradale is slower still, but you will remember its
beauty and its engine forever. A late Mercedes C63 AMG Black Coupe was
not originally designed as a track car either, but you will appreciate
its deep-chested V8 and its commitment to track handling. An Alfa Romeo
Giulia QF might have 4 doors, but it is faster, sharper and more agile
than the 2-door Lexus. Think what if the Italian turns it into a
beautiful GTV, and that could be the car to beat in this segment.
|
| Verdict: |
|
