Chris Harris Obliterates the RC-F

[Damasconian]

I still like the RC-F. But this article was written like Lexus has ruined multiple generations of the Harris families life. Nice comparisons to the M and AMG cars as well.

http://jalopnik.com/what-the-f-is-a-...car-1688464178

[CanAutM3]

Well written , and I agree with CH's view .

Thanks for sharing

[irablumberg]

+1. So far the only contribution Lexus is making with the new F cars is to underscore the substantial superiority of the AMG and M competitors.

[ixse]

Only if these obvious facts can also get through thick headed lexus entusiats forums lol they will find a way to justify it im sure. Some retarded comment like "it can utilize all its power" lol makes me sad

[myzmak]

Yeah, he has certainly been very vocal in his dislike of this car.

At first (and then especially after his video review) I thought it was becoming a little bit like just kicking a puppy....but reading this, I think his intention is more to challenge Lexus along the lines of 'hey, morons that brought us the wonderful LFA: more of THAT, less of THIS" (jerks thumb towards blubbery and blubbering RC F in corner).

....or maybe he is seeing how cantankerous he can be because he is gunning for JC's old job on Top Gear....

[Wah]

I think selling prices of a well equipped RC-F will be much cheaper than the M3/M4 or C63 in the long run, so they will have that going for them. Value has always been a major draw to japanese luxury cars, and given that the majority of people who buy these cars are more concerned about how they look behind the wheel than how it performs on the track, I think it will do OK. I don't mind... the more RC-Fs there are on the road, the fewer m4s I will see.

OT: Even though I would never get an RCF, I love seeing all these companies pushing each other to raise the bar every generation. I like to look at C63s, RS4/5, and ISFs at car meets. I would hate it if all of my neighbors had the same car as me because it is "the best".

[fortressmaximus]

Ouch. This is a rough, but hilarious quote: "I can't remember a fast car in recent history that has been revealed with such a paucity of trouser sausage."

[chillindrdude]

i don't think he hates the car. he hates the let down. the LFA was this shining beacon of the at last japanese answer to euro dominated performance luxury segment.

and the RCF just fell short of that. in the video CH posted a few months ago, i agree, the NA engine sounds brilliant, and the power generated was good. but there is absolute no excuse, with the engineering resources at Toyota/Lexus, to produce a car thats over 4000lbs. that weight is really what killed the RC-F. even it's hokey exhaust pipe arrangement (which i like) and the "japanese techno" interior, is not what made the car so disappointing

someone (with money), should literally take apart that car, replace stock components with carbon fiber or titanium/aluminum where possible. reassemble, arrive at a weight that's ~3600lbs and retest.

THAT would be an interesting video.

[hellrotm]

He makes a great point. They have the ability and money to build something like the LFA. Why do they put such lack of effort in their other cars?

[Roadkiller]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

He makes a great point. They have the ability and money to build something like the LFA. Why do they put such lack of effort in their other cars?

I think they (Lexus) are counting on loyal customers to remain faithful due to the perception of high reliability. Its a powerful half way decent looking coupe -- not for me though and certainly not made for the track. If you follow the ClubLexus forums, they are defending this thing to the grave. I'm happy for them....

[8600RPM]

Lfa took like 15 years to build and design. Hardly their niche in my view. Read history on it. Was a long time in the making

[Vinsanity12]

Originally Posted by 8600RPM

Lfa took like 15 years to build and design. Hardly their niche in my view. Read history on it. Was a long time in the making

But it is almost like they learned nothing from those 15 years. Jeremy Clarkson said the same thing in his review. He wasn't expecting an LFA twin but this car had almost none of the soul of that car. That should be what Lexus strives for with its F cars.

[chillindrdude]

Originally Posted by Roadkiller

If you follow the ClubLexus forums, they are defending this thing to the grave. I'm happy for them....

but...but....but...

you're comparing apples to oranges!

the M4 is a sports car.

the RCF is a GT car.

way different. the RCF has way better every driving road manners.



that forum's pro-RCF arguments are a joke.

[Karmic Man]

Every Japanese manufacturers (may be apart form Nissan)..Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Mitsubishi had not spend too much R & D on petrol cars in the last decade.

Most of their cars are still running on old motors designed from 10 years ago with little tweaking here and there.

That's why they are lagging way behind the Europeans, Americans...they were betting on hybrids, electric cars or cars with other wired technology to overtake cars with combustion engine.

They just don't have the capability to release a performance car with 3 years warranty and pass Euro emission test and can compete with the M3/AMG/Audi RS in performance and in price.

I am afraid it might be too late for them to catch up now as their balance sheet is not looking that strong to have a huge budget for R & D in performance cars and motorsports. You need to win in motorsports to sell performance cars.

It's a bit sad for me because I grew up in the JDM era but it's a prime lesson that if you don't keep on upping the game, you will be left behind.

[rymiller73]

Let's be honest....The RCF is a glorified Camry....end of story...

[pikkagtr]

Let's give it a little more credit than that!
Glorified is350

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Karmic Man

Every Japanese manufacturers (may be apart form Nissan)..Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Mitsubishi had not spend too much R & D on petrol cars in the last decade.

Most of their cars are still running on old motors designed from 10 years ago with little tweaking here and there.

That's why they are lagging way behind the Europeans, Americans...they were betting on hybrids, electric cars or cars with other wired technology to overtake cars with combustion engine.

They just don't have the capability to release a performance car with 3 years warranty and pass Euro emission test and can compete with the M3/AMG/Audi RS in performance and in price.

I am afraid it might be too late for them to catch up now as their balance sheet is not looking that strong to have a huge budget for R & D in performance cars and motorsports. You need to win in motorsports to sell performance cars.

It's a bit sad for me because I grew up in the JDM era but it's a prime lesson that if you don't keep on upping the game, you will be left behind.

Seems like they are getting the message though. Civic type r apparently has similar ring time to the m3/m4 (7:50) and there was a magazine review of a prototype sti with 350+ hp and a very aggressive suspension tune. The evo is 400hp stock in UK.

Fingers cross the next gen of Jdm cars will be more interesting.

[Damasconian]

As someone who attended high school in the 90's, I fondly remember the Japanese building great cars that decade. Acura had the NSX, Integra and the Legend (still looks great IMO), Nissan had the 300Z and Maxima when that was still a great car, and Honda was making the S2000. I remember when the Miata first came out, people couldn't buy those fast enough.

My first new car was a Honda Accord Coupe. I bought a new Acura TL 6-MT in 2004 when they first hit the market. I love Japanese cars and am a bit saddened at what's happened to them. I want to love the new NSX but have seen Honda botch the roll out so bad I don't know what to expect.

Please come back Japan. Korea is even doing a better job than you guys at the moment.

[W///]

Originally Posted by rymiller73

Let's be honest....The RCF is a glorified Camry....end of story...

Not saying I like the RC-F, but come on. That's totally ignorant.

[rymiller73]

Originally Posted by W///

Not saying I like the RC-F, but come on. That's totally ignorant.

How is that ignorant? The RC F comes off of the Camry frame line? Smack a V8 in the chassis and claim that it's on par with M or AMG....I don't think so...

[W///]

Originally Posted by rymiller73

How is that ignorant? The RC F comes off of the Camry frame line? Smack a V8 in the chassis and claim that it's on par with M or AMG....I don't think so...

So your F80 is a glorified 320i because it came out of the same line as an F30?

It's fair to say that Lexus missed the mark with the RC-F because they brought a car that is more or less 1 generation old. But to say that it's a Camry V8 is silly.

We'll agree to disagree.

[Damasconian]

Originally Posted by rymiller73

How is that ignorant? The RC F comes off of the Camry frame line? Smack a V8 in the chassis and claim that it's on par with M or AMG....I don't think so...

But the RCF doesn't have the same Chassis as the Camry.

Per CNET:

Lexus tells me that the RC's chassis is based on a combination of the Lexus GS' front end, the IS C convertible's passenger floor and mid-chassis stiffening, and the IS sedan's rear suspension. Cross chassis braces mean that the RC F loses the 60/40 split folding rear seats that you'll find on the standard RC 350, but also gives the suspension a more solid platform to work from.

Obviously the frankenstein chassis is part of the weight issue they have but Lexus deserves more credit than they are getting for this car. If you had to pick hit or miss, it would be a miss. But they are trying, and will only get better from here. Interior feels better than our M cars, and looks are subjective. I happen to like them.