One Week Test Drive: Lexus RC F V8

Lexus RC-F V8

Performance-wise, it's hard to beat a small car with a V-8 engine jammed under the hood. Unfortunately, as many imported vehicles go to smaller turbo motors, the V-8 is becoming scarce. Only with American brands, like the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang are such vehicles offered at a reasonable price. There is an exception that can be found with the Lexus RC-F. We drove our test car for a full week and put over 700 miles on the clock. This allowed us to get performance times as well as real-world fuel economy. 

5.0L V8 putting out 467 horsepower

The specs of the RC-F are impressive. The 5.0-liter V-8 has four cams, 4-valves per cylinder, with dual variable timing. The output is 467 horsepower and 389 lb-ft of torque. It's hooked up to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and can be shifted manually via paddle shifters on the steering wheel. 

The suspension is an independent double-wishbone made of forged aluminum, coil springs, monotube gas-filled shocks, and stabilizer bar. For brakes, we get Brembo six-piston monoblock calipers 14.9-inch in the front and four-piston 13.5-inch discs in the rear. This includes a four-channel ABS system, with electronic brake force distribution, and electronic brake assist. The 19-inch alloy wheels are wrapped in performance Michelin 235/35R 19 tires in front and 275/35R 19 in the rear.

Listed dry weight is 3958 pounds. This seems like a lot, but when loaded up with the V-8 engine and other goodies, the Ford Mustang GT is only 200 pounds lighter. So the Lexus claim of 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph seems reasonable. 

>>Join the conversation about the one-week test of the RC F right here in the Club Lexus forum.

LED Headlights provide plenty of illumination

Our test car started with a base price of $64K. With options like 20-spoke hand polished wheels, LED headlights, navigation, 835 watt 17-speaker sound system, carbon fiber trim, and illuminated door panels, the total tab came to $80,444. I did find it a bit insulting to be charged such a high fee, only to see the factory add $105 for a floor mat! Shouldn't that be standard? It appears not. It would have been nice to get a spare tire as well, but Lexus says it is removed to save weight. Those intending to take long out of town trips should consider putting a spare in the back. Getting stranded with a flat tire is no fun.

>>Join the conversation about the one-week test of the RC F right here in the Club Lexus forum.

Best highway fuel economy was 27 mpg

There were no complaints about performance here. The 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds was right on whether the computer was set in the NORMAL, SPORT, or SPORT PLUS mode. There is also an ECONOMY mode, but we never used it. Cornering ability on tight mountain roads was excellent. The brakes were used on downhill curves all day with no fade. We were tempted to try the 168 mph top speed, but Lexus wanted the car back in one piece, so this idea was nipped.

Fuel economy on light highway trips reached a peak at 27 mpg. When racing around tight mountain roads, mileage dropped to 19 mpg. In heavy city driving, we did slightly better than the claimed 16 mpg.

>>Join the conversation about the one-week test of the RC F right here in the Club Lexus forum.

Quality of interior components is excellent

The main advantage the RC-F has over the American performance V-8 cars is luxury. The cabin materials and workmanship are far above, and the nice leather seats combined with the super sound system is hard to beat. The seats are comfortable for long trips. 

>>Join the conversation about the one-week test of the RC F right here in the Club Lexus forum.

Tires offer good grip but are noisy on rough pavement

We did have two small complaints noted after our test week was over. First, the infotainment system is controlled by a finger touchpad. This is in contrast to many other Lexus models that use a small stick control. This finger pad is awkward to use, especially when moving. It really needs to go away. Secondly, while the tires offer great traction, they are very noisy on anything but smoothest of pavement. You can solve that issue by cranking the volume of that 835-watt stereo! Otherwise, this is a great performance car worth having.

>>Join the conversation about the one-week test of the RC F right here in the Club Lexus forum.

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