Sunday Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Old-school but cool
The Lexus RC F is engaging and fun to drive, but it certainly isn’t easy to acquire. There’s no official price because it never officially launched in India!
There’s a logic behind the cryptic names Lexus gives its cars. RC in the RC F stands for ‘Radical Coupe’, but it’s the ‘F’ that’s more significant, because it denotes both ‘flagship’ and ‘Fuji Speedway,’ which is where Lexus performance drives cars and finely hones and fettles them into some truly outstanding driving machines.
Delayed ageing
Let’s start with the RC bit first and see just how radical this sports coupé is. From the front, it certainly lives up to its moniker, with an angry looking pair of headlights and the massive ‘spindle’ grille, a Lexus signature designed to drop jaws and make your heart beat faster. And mind you, the car I’m driving is a 2017 pre-facelift model which still looks very fresh and contemporary.
The bodywork is awash with sharp cuts and creases which gives it a modern look even today. Just imagine how futuristic it must have been when it was launched way back in 2014. The RC F got a facelift in 2019 but that’s not coming to India. In fact, the RC F was never officially launched in India!
It’s when you slip into the cabin that the RC F’s age smacks you in the face. It’s the age before cabins were swamped with sharp, high-res touchscreens. What you get is a very basic infotainment system with a monochromatic display. But what really gives the RC F’s vintage away is the CD player. When was the last time you used one?! To be fair, the facelift that’s available in international markets comes with onboard tech that’s more up to date, but at its heart, the RC F is an old-school sports coupé and therein lies its appeal.
Screaming and kicking
It’s got the basics right. The RC F has the classic sports car layout with the engine up front driving the rear wheels. And the engine, too, is a delightfully old-school, naturally aspirated 5-litre V8 delivering a strong 470hp. That’s not a mad power output by today’s super car standards, where 500+ hp is the norm, but it’s not how much, but just how the engine delivers all its grunt.
This engine just loves to be revved and has a spine tingling soundtrack that crescendos into a frenzied scream when you hit the 7,300 rev limit. This encourages you to pull the engine to the max in each gear and enjoy its wide power band. It’s a very quick car too, with a 0-100kph time of 4.5 seconds, which puts it right up there with the AMG Mercs and M badged BMWs. The only fly in the ointment is the gearbox which is a touch slow and doesn’t keep up with this ultra responsive, high-revving engine.
The handling isn’t very sharp either and you can feel the car’s 1.7 tonne weight shift from side to side on a twisty road. No, this isn’t some sharp, corner carving tool, but a car that likes to flow from corner to corner with a nice and smooth rhythm. The big shocker is how compliant and comfortable the ride is for a stiffly sprung sports car. It takes the bumps really well and has enough clearance to see off most speed breakers without scraping its underbelly.
The bad news
A big reason for the RC F’s comfortable demeanour is its fabulously comfortable seats. They are well-contoured, have limo-like levels of padding and hold you snugly in place during spirited driving. The two small seats at the back are anything but comfortable and best for small kids at best. For all practical purposes, this is strictly a two-seater sports car.
Now to the key question. How much does it cost? There’s no official price because Lexus never officially launched RC F in India! This sole media car I drove was brought to evince interest and create some buzz for the Lexus brand. So, you can’t just go to your local Lexus dealer and put down a deposit for one. But if you really, really want what is an engaging, fun-to-drive, old-school super Lexus, some special import route may be able to get you one.
The views expressed by the columnist are personal
Catch Hormazd Sorabjee’s column every fortnight in HT Brunch. It will next appear on July 23, 2022.
From HT Brunch, July 9, 2022
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