Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Lexus RC F

[Fobroader]

Not anyone......us, maybe you might get that but its not like the Wing F Lexus is a brown, old man mobile. The public at large see a badge and I bet quite a few would put Lexus on par with BMW for impressing the neighbors.

Not around the gold coast.

Gold coast??  Que?

Golden Horseshoe

GTA area??

Yes man 

I keep forgetting that....Golden Horseshoe sounds like a Hong Kong thing

[CanuckS2K]

Depending on the vehicle, I'm hit or miss with the current Lexus styling.  But this car in that colour is pretty damn nice, really like it a LOT!  But after seeing the price at the end of the article I was shocked.  I certainly wasn't expecting $91k.  Dunno why, but I was figuring somewhere in the 60s.  As for the prestige factor versus the Germans, I'd personally put Lexus right on par with any of them.  General perception however, is probably somewhat different.  Then again, I couldn't care less about prestige nor does it even remotely factor in on my purchases.....so I'm probably not the right person to comment on it.   

[bombastic]

We were speaking about Prestige, not which one is better. Ask anyone and they will tell you BMW makes performance cars, Lexus makes reliable comfort cars. Period.

Only in your fevered little mind.

BMW has morphed from the "Ultimate Driving Machine" to "Fill Every Niche with Bloated Porkers". Except in Russia, where it shifted into "Blinged Out Mafia Staff Car".

Lexus has every bit as much prestige as the Germans. A huge chunk of Lexus loyalists come from German cars where the finally had enough of detonating HPFPs, cooked turbos and myriad random electronics failures.

"Only in your fevered little mind." - maybe in your pea size brain is NOT like that. Everywhere in Europe BMW is still the ultimate driving machine. Also, can you tell me please, what are the sell stats BWM against Lexus in China, the largest luxury car market?

Last time I looked, we weren't in Europe. Their jingoism doesn't translate to North America. Neither are we in China, where they still have a bit of a grudge over the whole WW2 thing, and the ongoing issue of territorial waters.

A substantial number of people in North America simply won't sacrifice reliability for a particular badge. It's the main reason why VW continues to implode in the US. They have very low retention rates for conquest customers. 

For those who desperately want a German brand, they invariably lease for the duration of the warranty, then ditch for a new one before they get worked over with insane repair bills. It works for them, but I wouldn't tolerate it. I haven't been to a dealer for an unscheduled repair since my long gone 1995 Corolla wagon.

All you have to do is look at the tail draggers in reliability scores. They are almost always European brands. Even when those brands are surveyed in Europe, the Japanese are invariably at the top.

Here's the result of a poll of the 20 best car brands printed in the Telegraph. The number one brand? Lexus. Benz was 5th, Audi was 10th, Porsche was 13th, BMW was 15th, VW was 16th.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/picturegalleries/10018481/The-20-best-car-brands-listed.html?frame=2343119

The best individual car to own? Lexus IS. The BMW 3/4 is down in 19th place.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/best-cars/driver-power/91218/best-cars-to-own-in-2015

And here WE GO.
You were claiming that BMW is recognized as ultimate driving car only i Russia . When I gave you examples that you are wrong you came back that we don't live there. Your credibility is nil, dude.....
I knew you will play reliability card, even it does not belong to this discussion. What the frak brand prestige has to do with reliability???
"Here's the result of a poll of the 20 best car brands printed in the Telegraph" - who cares what telegraph says??? What is the #1 car sold in Europe?

[Sir Osis of Liver]

And here WE GO.
You were claiming that BMW is recognized as ultimate driving car only i Russia . When I gave you examples that you are wrong you came back that we don't live there. Your credibility is nil, dude.....
I knew you will play reliability card, even it does not belong to this discussion. What the frak brand prestige has to do with reliability???
"Here's the result of a poll of the 20 best car brands printed in the Telegraph" - who cares what telegraph says??? What is the #1 car sold in Europe?

I did? Where exactly? Not the type of opinion I'd express really because BMW hasn't been the "ultimate driving machine" anywhere for quite some time. And pooh-poohing reliability in a $70k+ car is pretty much what I'd expect from German fanbois. The lack of reliability is one of the main reasons why top end German cars have amongst the highest depreciation rates in the industry. An out of warranty S class or 7 series is a white elephant.

Setting that aside, you were the one to bring up European driver's opinions on which car was better. I found polls that disagreed.

Auto Express is the outfit that did both polls, the Telegraph was just reporting on one of them.  They found the Lexus brand as a whole and the IS in particular as tops to own. That includes reliability, but also a bunch of other factors.

Sorry about your profound lack of reading comprehension.

[mixmanmash]

Yeah, I wouldn't go for this RC F.  It seems like there are certain things holding it back from being 10/10ths.
And those looks!!!

As for the Audi RS5 feeling more ponderous during turn in, welcome to Audis with longitudinal engines..  With the engine center sitting so far ahead of the front wheel centerline, it is going to under steer like hell.  Quattro does a good job of trying to mask it, but there is no defeating physics.

In this category, I would be going C63 or M3/M4.  If I don't care about the luxury, Mustang GT.

As for those talking about the color, it seems Lexus ripped off BMW's M3's Fire Orange:

[mmret]

... I don't think you can "rip off" colors.

[greengs]

Right before he got fired, Clarkson reviewed this car.  It was not a very favorable review and he found it to be a poor handling/driving car.  He went on to say that Lexus engineers know how to build great cars LFA/ISF, but for some reason they missed the mark with the RC F.

[Ace]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

[mixmanmash]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

Probably more.  Give me about $10k - $15k and I'll give you a 500hp 370Z.

So $40k -$45k...

[rrocket]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

Probably more.  Give me about $10k - $15k and I'll give you a 500hp 370Z.

So $40k -$45k...

RC-F is more GT than pure sports car. I'd rather travel in comfort in a 465HP RC-F than a sports car...

[mixmanmash]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

Probably more.  Give me about $10k - $15k and I'll give you a 500hp 370Z.

So $40k -$45k...

RC-F is more GT than pure sports car. I'd rather travel in comfort in a 465HP RC-F than a sports car...

Different strokes.  True, it is more of a GT car.  I'd still go with a C63 or M3/M4 over it.

[DriverJeff]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

Probably more.  Give me about $10k - $15k and I'll give you a 500hp 370Z.

So $40k -$45k...

RC-F is more GT than pure sports car. I'd rather travel in comfort in a 465HP RC-F than a sports car...

Yeah, but that's because you're well past your Best Before date. 

Rumour has it you've decided no more bikes -- this tickles your fancy now:

[rrocket]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

Probably more.  Give me about $10k - $15k and I'll give you a 500hp 370Z.

So $40k -$45k...

RC-F is more GT than pure sports car. I'd rather travel in comfort in a 465HP RC-F than a sports car...

Yeah, but that's because you're well past your Best Before date. 

Rumour has it you've decided no more bikes -- this tickles your fancy now:

Hmmm...I'm the one driving a dedicated RWD sports car.  And you?  And AWD family sedan.  Just sayin'.....

[DriverJeff]

I could have as much fun with a 2016 Nissan 370 Z for 1/3 the cost !!!

Probably more.  Give me about $10k - $15k and I'll give you a 500hp 370Z.

So $40k -$45k...

RC-F is more GT than pure sports car. I'd rather travel in comfort in a 465HP RC-F than a sports car...

Yeah, but that's because you're well past your Best Before date. 

Rumour has it you've decided no more bikes -- this tickles your fancy now:

Hmmm...I'm the one driving a dedicated RWD sports car.  And you?  And AWD family sedan.  Just sayin'.....

That has more to do with me being poverty-stricken than you being old.   

[rrocket]

That has more to do with me being poverty-stricken than you being old.   

Hmmm...I remember you pre-kids still driving candy-a$$ cars....

[DriverJeff]

That has more to do with me being poverty-stricken than you being old.   

Hmmm...I remember you pre-kids still driving candy-a$$ cars....

At least they were RWD then...   

[rrocket]

The good ole days, eh?

[wing]

Seems to be the cool thing to bash the RC-F for horrible driving dynamics.

But talk to Russ Bond, I respect his opinion he's a very fast driver and he loves the thing.  The faster you go the better it gets.

He said "A lot of journalists are complaining it pushes" to which I responded at the exact same time he was finishing his sentence... "Maybe they need to learn to drive!"

[JacobBlack]

Push? No push, this thing is lively, tail happy and awesome. How could you possibly read this review and think I am bashing the driving dynamics?

[Northernridge]

This would be in my GT car consideration set along with the RS5, M3, C63.

Most derision I've read for the RC F strikes me as being bound within the general Lexus dislike.