Very Balanced Rc-F Review + Hint Of New Is-F!

[Stuno1]

Thought this was a good review. Just a shame lexus didn't take more time to make the car lighter and so a better more focused track car. Losing some lbs's would only have made it a better all round car.

Stu

[wendle]

I have been reading all the reviews from the US forum, they

all seem disappointed because of how heavy it is, is it only me who just wants to drive this car
around on a normal road rather than throwing it round a track, I don’t understand
it, how many owners are actually going to track there car.

[Exdee]

Chris you are going to miss that 12" display! The one on this looks tiny in comparison..

I think its a nice car but I think they have spent far too much effort on styling. They haven't really shown any innovation under the bonnet whereas the competitors are constantly improving their engines.

Lexus has some catching up to do.

[Stuno1]

Chris - the issue is they touted it as a track car first and a road car second so adding that much weight makes no sense at all. If they had not emphasised the track capabilities this backlash would not be happening. A good number in the US have actually cancelled their orders! A lot of it comes down to willy waving and them not wanting to have a slower car than the m4.

Jani - I disagree, the styling and power management innovations are superb. They purposefully went with the v8 and I applaude them for it. Personally I far prefer the v8 to the new smaller capacity turbo charged units.

[wendle]

Chris you are going to miss that 12" display! The one on this looks tiny in comparison..

I think its a nice car but I think they have spent far too much effort on styling. They haven't really shown any innovation under the bonnet whereas the competitors are constantly improving their engines.

Lexus has some catching up to do.

Perhaps a little the 12” display is pretty impressive,

friends that have followed me have said that they can see it and even read it.

Lol.

Although it’s a 12” screen it is split into two separate

screens so you cant actually have the hole 12” showing navigation, in fact I

believe on the new 2015 model you can split the screen into three separate

sections.

But the RC has all the relevant information, its just

displayed in front of the driver rather than on the side screen, so when for

example the side screen is showing navigation it’s the same size as the GS.

Chris - the issue is they touted it as a track car first and a road car second so adding that much weight makes no sense at all. If they had not emphasised the track capabilities this backlash would not be happening. A good number in the US have actually cancelled their orders! A lot of it comes down to willy waving and them not wanting to have a slower car than the m4.

Jani - I disagree, the styling and power management innovations are superb. They purposefully went with the v8 and I applaude them for it. Personally I far prefer the v8 to the new smaller capacity turbo charged units.

Yes I suppose your right but is it really possible to

produce a luxury sports car that weighs a lot less.

So if they had built a lighter car that was faster and

handled better that the M4 every one would have been happy except they would

now all be complaining about the cheap looking and pour quality interior, can

you have both?.

We all know the high quality of our cars, the extra mile

Lexus go, for example the double stitching on the RC interior, ok its only a

extra length of thread but it all weighs something, they could have Easley

taken 3” of the height of the seats and not made them so complex, they would

have still served there purpose but would they have been so comfortable as all

the reviews have suggested.

They seem to love that Lexus have kept to the V8 but how

much more does a V8 weigh compared to the M4’s V6

Although I have put a deposit down on one I am still in two

minds, not because of any of the reviews or comments on the forum’s, mine will

probably spend most of its life in eco mode anyway. Lol.

If they would have produced the RC with the same engine that

I have in my 450h I would have gone for that, I think they are going to put the

same engine as the 300h into the RC which would be fine for me but I really

prefer the look of the RC-F, compared to the basic RC.

My GS has more than enough power for me, only £130 road tax

and is showing a average of 34 m.p.g.

Maybe I should just take the plunge, as they say you only

live once, and if I don’t like it in three years time I can always sell it to

you Stuart.

[Stuno1]

Ha, I may well buy it off you :)

It doesn't need to be lighter than the competition but it needs to be competitive if you clearly state that is the car you are looking to out perform. It was a silly thing for lexus to say and then produce what they have. Basically lexus marketing needs to be more on point and produce what they are telling people they will.

None of this detracts from the looks, quality etc lexus just set false expectations.

[rayaans]

Ha, I may well buy it off you :)

It doesn't need to be lighter than the competition but it needs to be competitive if you clearly state that is the car you are looking to out perform. It was a silly thing for lexus to say and then produce what they have. Basically lexus marketing needs to be more on point and produce what they are telling people they will.

None of this detracts from the looks, quality etc lexus just set false expectations.

I know which car i would rather crash in though. The RC-F lol. Extra weight makes it pretty safe IMO.

This guy has driven the M4, C63,RS5 and has concluded that the RC-F is better. He goes on to explain why and I do think he's talking total sense

[Stuno1]

Saw that one. Good review. Really want to see head to head reviews. As already said. None of this detracts from its road car credentials. Lexus should never have targeted the M4 with a car that heavy as it will plague the car for a long time now.

[wendle]

Do you really think it was Lexus’s intention to build a car

to go after the M3/4 iam not so sure

http://blogs.motortrend.com/1403_five_questions_for_lexus_rc_f_bmw_m4_engineers_the_kiinote.html

[Stuno1]

Interesting, I'm sure I read somewhere they were going for the m4. Either way it was to be a track focused car and it doesn't seem to have hit that criteria all to well. Im not 'hating' on the car I really like it. Just pointing out why many are disappointed.

[Exdee]

Jani - I disagree, the styling and power management innovations are superb. They purposefully went with the v8 and I applaude them for it. Personally I far prefer the v8 to the new smaller capacity turbo charged units.

I am down with the V8 too but I just think Lexus stick with the engines for too long.

This is primarily the same engine as the ISF which is 7 years old now. I think if they were to make a new V8 from scratch today they could probably achieve more torque/bhp and maybe MPG too. But I guess on the bright side it's a tested product so reliability wise they know where they stand.

Perhaps a little the 12” display is pretty impressive,

friends that have followed me have said that they can see it and even read it.
Lol.

Although it’s a 12” screen it is split into two separate
screens so you cant actually have the hole 12” showing navigation, in fact I
believe on the new 2015 model you can split the screen into three separate
sections.

Ah I see but I am sure some clever after market application will comes out soon which will enable you to utilize every pixel.

[wendle]

This is primarily the same engine as the ISF which is 7 years old now. I think if they were to make a new V8 from scratch today they could probably achieve more torque/bhp and maybe MPG too. But I guess on the bright side it's a tested product so reliability wise they know where they stand.

I don’t think there is a lot left of the original IS-F. V8.

467 Horsepower V8. Any Questions?
It’s a good day for engineers when they’re tasked with redesigning a 416 horsepower high-performance V8 to produce even more power and higher revs. The 5.0-liter V8 in the Lexus IS F made its mark. Now it’s the RC F’s turn.

Taking the sound and feel of instantaneous torque of the LFA V10 engine as inspiration, the engineers essentially kept the cylinder block and replaced most other parts. Thanks mostly to all-new cylinder heads, higher compression and lighter internal parts, horsepower has soared by 51 hp to 467 hp, and the engine can now rev to 7,100 rpm vs. 6,800 rpm in the IS F. The compression ratio has been raised to 12.3:1 (from 11.8:1), boosting torque across the entire engine speed range. Improved engine and transmission cooling systems handle track-day driving.

Here’s where Lexus got creative. Uniquely for a Lexus performance engine, the new 2UR-GSE V8 runs on the Atkinson cycle when operating at cruising speeds, to help enhance fuel economy. It’s a trick picked up from the brand’s hybrids. In the Atkinson cycle, the inlet valves are held open longer than normal to allow a reverse flow of intake air into the intake manifold, thereby decreasing pumping loss and increasing thermal efficiency.

Lexus redesigned the VVT-iE (Variable Valve Timing-intelligent Electric motor) technology to extend the range of inlet camshaft timing adjustment for the Atkinson cycle. The instant more power is called for, the engine switches to the Otto cycle.

Special features of the RC F engine include titanium valves, forged connecting rods, an optimized exhaust layout to more effectively harness exhaust pulses and an air-cooled oil cooler for optimum durability.

New or redesigned parts include:

• Cylinder heads and cam covers
• Crankshaft: crank pin diameter, connecting rod big-end bearing size and crank counter-weight size are all reduced, to reduce reciprocating weight
• Crank main bearings and caps
• High-strength forged connecting rods
• Pistons and piston rings
• Titanium inlet and exhaust valves
• Intake manifold and throttle body
• Redesigned Variable Valve Timing-intelligent Electric motor (VVT-iE)
• Revised Lexus D-4S dual injection system
• Four-into-one exhaust headers and heat insulators
• Oil pan and baffle plate
• Alternator clutch system
• Engine and transmission oil coolers
• Spark plugs

Digging Into the Metal

• The new cylinder heads improve the 2UR-GSE engine’s breathing with improved porting and a high-flow/high tumble ratio. In addition, intake surge-tank capacity has been optimized, as have the intake manifold runner length and diameter.
• The new oil pan baffle shape reduces agitation and hence friction, while new air-to-oil coolers for the engine oil and transmission fluid increase track suitability.
• The Lexus D-4S dual-injection system has been redesigned, with higher injection pressure of 2,611 psi and improved fuel atomization.
• The throttle diameter was increased by 10 percent, from 3 to 3.3 inches (84 mm).
• A new intake camshaft profile increases valve lift and suits the Atkinson cycle, while improvements to the electronic VVT-iE system have expanded its range of operation for increased fuel economy and performance.
• New four-into-two exhaust headers help reduce interference and hence further improve engine breathing. The larger-diameter exhaust system is designed to reduce backpressure and sound amazing, especially under acceleration. At the same time, the main muffler keeps things from getting too rowdy at lower speeds.
• As a final touch, the new 2UR-GSE engine has a one-way clutch on the alternator pulley.

[Exdee]

Apologies, I take that back. Looks like they did make some significant changes. Since the engine code hadn't changed I assumed they just did some minor tweaks.

[Slurms]

Yeah it's a shame, as someone who did track their IS-F i'm disapointed that the RC-F isn't a bit lighter.

I'll reserve judgement till i've been in one though.

[Valkirk]

Just chuck in my 2 pence worth :)

The engine is one of the major highlights of this car, the fact they stuck with a NA V8 is amazing and to significantly improve it's HP and Fuel Consumption with clever things like switching between Otto and Atkins cycle is great stuff, also keep in mind that the confirmed GSF is likely to use an even higher output version of this engine so don't think this is the car maxed out - I'm guessing a 500+BHP min

The weight issues aren't so much from the quality just (IMO) some questionable design choices - for instance to get the best stiffness they used the IS CC middle section for the chassis, total overkill on a coupe (but might suggest there will be a convertible version?) and that stuffed it weight wise from the start, however there are some other little bits like adding a speaker to the steering column to pipe out fake noise like a BMW, I mean why? It has a wonderful sounding V8!

To me the big hitter I think will be the new ISF - stick this engine in the IS and then see how it stacks up - the IS350 was already beating off BMW, Audi, MB etc in US :)

[Stuno1]

Good points well made. No matter what people say you can't beat physics so making a track focused car that is fat is silly. I appreciate not all will want it on track but that is the cars design intention.

[wendle]

, however there are some other little bits like adding a speaker to the steering column to pipe out fake noise like a BMW, I mean why? It has a wonderful sounding V8!

I may be wrong but from what I have read there is no artificial

engine noise piped into the cabin through a speaker like the M4, but there is a
flap that is opened when in sport + mode that allows more of the natural V8
noise to enter the cabin.

[Stuno1]

, however there are some other little bits like adding a speaker to the steering column to pipe out fake noise like a BMW, I mean why? It has a wonderful sounding V8!

I may be wrong but from what I have read there is no artificial

engine noise piped into the cabin through a speaker like the M4, but there is a

flap that is opened when in sport + mode that allows more of the natural V8

noise to enter the cabin.

If that is the case thats pretty cool.

[Valkirk]

I really hope so, it was in one of the earlier reviews - tried to find it but couldn't track it down, a flap is perfect and just what a car like this should have! They may have been confused with the RC300h which probably will have a speaker. Guess not too long till someone gets one and can confirm either way.

[Valkirk]

Just watched the new Lexus Info Video and they mention the Active Sound Control - did a search and big thread here: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rc-f/752972-lexus-rc-f-to-employ-asc-active-sound-control-for-interior-cabin.html

From stuff I have read it's a speaker in the steering column but hope I'm wrong and it's altering flaps in the exhaust like the ISF at 3,300 rpm ;)

[Stuno1]

Just watched the new Lexus Info Video and they mention the Active Sound Control - did a search and big thread here: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rc-f/752972-lexus-rc-f-to-employ-asc-active-sound-control-for-interior-cabin.html

From stuff I have read it's a speaker in the steering column but hope I'm wrong and it's altering flaps in the exhaust like the ISF at 3,300 rpm ;)

Indeed, that would be a shambles! BMW do it because their engine sounds pants, the F has a V8 for goodness sake!