Nights

It'll actually look fine. In Australia, front mounted plates are mandatory, and last time I was at the dealer, they had both thicker (Euro style) and thinner style plates and it looked fine. For some people a bit shocked/offended by the large grill, it actually breaks it up a little.

70k is easy money (would barely get you a IS350 here). Try living in Australia and drive a premium car. The current ISF is $120k AUD here - C63 AMG coupe is close to $160k. 120k AUD translates to $106k USD.

That being said, if the grille grows on me like the IS did when I saw it in person, then I'd be very tempted to put down the $$$

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

Do you if it's the real leather? Or the same material that they use in 14' IS?

MRxSLAYx

Which is a car with no point IMO. A "Luxury Sports Coups" may be good for cursing around every once in a while, but does little in the areas of getting the job done. Its not going to be a competitive track weapon or a great DD. One of the reasons why I enjoy my F so much is that I can take it to the track tonight, and then drive to Disney world on Saturday after picking up 3 friends from the airport. If someone wants a sports car, there better off getting a vette/boss 302 + Prius combo.

Just how I feel now... But im probably going to get turned over once I actually see the car.

baddis es

iTrader: (3)

i'm a fan of sport sedans myself, but with the noted possibility of not having another IS-F down the line...kind of leaves you in a grey area for this segment, if you're in the market that is. you have to either step up to the upcoming GS-F or settle for the IS/GS FSport.

as for the RC-F, it used the IS-F CCS-R as its benchmark...i think you can be rest assured that the RC-F will do REALLY well as the "competitive track weapon" you're wanting, the only real concern will be picking up those 3 friends of yours

i wouldnt stretch that far to say it is pointless...M3's (future M4) and the recent RS5/C63 coupe have a huge following and serve many consumers purposes, not everyone wants the sedan version of its counterparts. just for measures, the coupe variants outsell the sedans (the M3 is really the only company you can pull numbers from)

Just F Me

I love how so many people talk about performance on here… You want performance, lightness, handling, balance? Go buy a Porsche or go buy a M4. Lots of BMW haters out there, but you gotta hand it to them, they're on their 5th generation M3/M4 (come on, it's really a M3)…they know what they're doing. Just lease one, so when it starts to break, you can ditch it…lol

shahir18

iTrader: (2)

Lexus was founded in 1989, BMW was founded in 1916, and Audi was founded in 1909...

Lexus has been around for 25 years, still a new comer... but has shown its presences very well!

I think it is an Honor for Lexus to even be compared and competitive and compared to these OG manufactures

JDMToyotas

I have a feeling the RCF can more then enough run with the C7 why are you guys down playing the car before its even tested ?


Yes it offers Luxury and so does the M4 both these cars are serious sport coupes WITH luxury features NOT the other way around.

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

Still didn't answer my question

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I have to disagree somewhat. Not everyone wants a pleblian Camaro or FR-S or Z etc.. which is why we have vehicles like the RC-F, S5/RS5, M4 etc.. they take the nice luxurious nature of the RC, A5, 4-Series and turn up the heat. So while it's not a grand tourer like a XK they are refined when they need to be and can turn into outright animals at the stab of the throttle or push of a button. This duel nature is what makes these cars so special. You have an IS-F so you know this as you've demonstrated here that you track the car and then go to Disneyland.

Anyway point of the original post was the member(s) are complaining about weight not being closer to say a Corvette. Two different animals even though they are coupes. As long as the RC has a Lexus badge it has to uphold the Luxury aspect as well and not just a sporting nature. Those members might want to wait for the next Supra then.

madfast

i dont think anyone actually expects near corvette curb weight. but is it too much to ask to be in M4 territory?

mikersoft

iTrader: (1)

Sort of.. Remember, Lexus was spawned by (and still owned by) Toyota. They had all the history, finances, and R&D of the parent company to work with. Toyota has been in business since 1937. Still, not at nearly as old as BMW & Audi.

-Mike

Nights

Exactly. Comparing cars like a C7/911 to an RCF/M4/C63/RS5 are a bit pointless because they're a different segment of car even though they are "coupes". The only thing they really share is having 2 doors.

You might as well say that since the Lotus Elise is 2000 lbs and a coupe, the C7 must be a tubby porker and pointless, since the Elise can lap a track faster and can be used as a daily driver (my colleague has been driving his for close to 4 years now to work everyday).

Nights

That's actually technically not true, as the concept of "Lexus" or a premium offshoot of the company wasn't put into motion till the 80s.

Companies like BMW and MBenz have been able to focus their entire budgets on their own model lines. Up until recently (at Akio's request), resources within Lexus were shared with the parent company. Now, it's become a more standalone branch with it's own design committees etc as Akio was keen for Lexus to develop it's own "personality" away from Toyota - hence why he put himself at the helm of Lexus development.

Still it's a remarkable achievement for the company to have achieved so much in such a short amount of time (Infiniti for example has almost zero brand presence outside of the US, and Acura is non-existent as well as all of it's models are sold as Hondas outside the US), although there's still a way to go with many people still stuck in the "it's German so it must be better camp" rather than analyzing each car on it's own merits.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Of course it did, you're just not happy with the answer

But let's discuss further since you're not satisfied. Both may be coupes, but the essence and purpose of these vehicle could not be more different. One aka C7 is a bonefied sports coupe and the other RC is a luxury sport coupe. Sports car makers have it the easiest as they only have have to worry about making the car perform. Refinement and luxury (if any) take a backseat. A Luxury make has to uphold not only perfomance but it's key attributes that make it a luxury vehicle. Basically makes the car a great daily driver as it is refined when it needs to be but can in an instance change its demeanor. Similar to how "Sport" on your IS-F make it night and day. So we have added weight of Luxury features as one major reason.

For the second let's explore the correlation between M4 and RC-F. To start the 3/4-Series for which the M4 is based is a much lighter platform than the IS/GS one. But while the M4 is essentially bumper changes, chassis upgrades and powertrain, the RC is its own vehicle and Lexus is keen to point this out. It is longer and wider than the IS adding more weight. And then of course there is a 5.0L V8 vs the M4's I6.

And if those don't suffice then perhaps contact a Lexus and ask why the RC-F has to be more weight than the M4

More luxury, bigger coupe, V8.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Well like my response to VtotheJ, there are factors like Luxury content, bigger vehicle, V8.

Why did the 3IS 350 gain 66lbs over the 2IS 350 when the 4GS stayed virtually the same weight as the 3GS? Glad you asked, the extra weight is from more bonding to make the chassis as stiff as possible. The result is a 3IS which dethroned the 3-Series and is now the Ultimate Driving Machine (for its segment).

Expect the RC to be a great handler despite its porkish weight. It has DNA from the LFA, GS and now IS.