I liked the Lexus IS F. I liked it a lot every time I got to drive it. There were automotive writers out there who dismissed it as a BMW or Mercedes-Benz wannabe, but I found the car to be every bit as thrilling, comfortable and advanced as its rivals like the old M3.
Because I liked the IS F, Lexus discontinued it. It happens all the time to stuff I enjoy. Yes, I overrate my importance that much. But, I also liked the Marathon Bar, Viva Elvis and Monty Python. All those were done away with because they were amongst my favorite. Lexus somehow got the memo on this and off’d the IS F.
Of course, Lexus wouldn’t just eliminate a car from its lineup in the luxury sports car segment without a sound plan to replace it with something better. So, here comes the eagerly awaited 2015 Lexus RC F. This two door performance ride first showed its hungry grill to U.S. audiences at the 2014 New York International Auto Show, and it’s been making the media rounds in recent weeks before it goes on sale soon.
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Starting around $63,000, the RC F takes up a spot near the very top of the Lexus line — a sports car one notch below the much more expensive ($400,000+-) LFA halo car. The RC F is track performer and potential every day ride within at least potential reach of more average consumers. The LFA is not for mere mortals, financially speaking. But, boys and girls, if you behave and work hard, you might be able to afford an RC F one day.
The styling fits snugly within the current Lexus philosophy of an aggressive front end sweeping into aquatic lines. But, unlike Lexus Sedans, those lines stop abruptly along the rear wheel wells, making for a sportier impact. The car’s most striking feature is that grill — a mesh maw that consumes the front facia and looks ready to suck in the Earth’s entire atmosphere. It’s a cliche to say that a performance car “roars,” but the grill on the RC F seems ready to do exactly that.
The interior is countered seats, leather everywhere and a Mark Levinson stereo system. The audio, navigation system, climate and other function are all controlled on a 7.1 inch in dash monitor and a touch pad alongside the driver’s right hand low on the center console. Still, the flashiest feature of the RC F would have to be the digital LFA gages and status displays Lexus engineers lifted from super car to sports car.
I had a chance to put the RC F through its paces at the NOLA Motorsports Park – the excellent, young track outside New Orleans. The first thing that hits the driver is the engine noise and exhaust notes. The RC F doesn’t have the high pitched, enraged hornet, F1 car whine of the LFA, but it doers possess the most aggressive bark in the standard Lexus line to date. Lexus is proud of that noise and will no doubt find its way into advertising for the car when it hits TV.
Moving on, bless Lexus for avoiding the environmentally sensitive, turbocharged, weight-saving six cylinder engine and opting for a big, brutish eight cylinder powerhouse. No screwing around. Sure, it’s tuned with endless technology and paired (in the high trim level) to a newly designed torque-vectoring diff, but there’s something wholesome and reassuring about a real 5.0 liter V8 that puts out 467 horsepower.
That word — reassuring — also best describes the RC F driving experience. Even at speed, the car is so well-balanced, so precise and so rigid that any reasonably competent, red blooded driver should be able to take it on easily. It’s a high performance car that the owner would be able to use as and everyday drive with comfort and confidence.
