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https://www.barrons.com/articles/lexus-downplays-the-luxuryand-turns-the-performance-dial-to-11on-its-new-rc-f-01661788761
Although Toyota has certainly put its name on some stellar performance models, the Lexus division is mostly about luxury. But someone didn’t get the memo, because somehow the 2022 Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition got out of the factory doors. The luxury is there, but so is the ability to reach 60 miles per hour in 3.96 seconds.
This is a rarefied model—only 50 were produced for 2022—and thin on the ground. The list price is US$101,095, and as equipped it was US$107,245. The test coupe had a really memorable matte-finish Heat Blue Satin/Electric Surge paint job (set off by red Brembo brake calipers), an enormous tail spoiler, and a five-liter, 32-valve aluminum-block V8 with 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque. It’s the most powerful V8 Lexus ever. BBS made the 19-inch ultra-light wheels. You can get your Speedway in any color you want, as long as it’s that matte blue.
The Lexus is capable of going to get groceries—there’s an adequate trunk with 10 cubic feet of storage—but it really wants to be fast and furious and driven at the limit. Figure out those limits, and you can drift with abandon. That’s why the coupe has paddle shifters for the eight-speed sport transmission, a lightweight carbon-fiber hood, a similarly carbon-fiber front splitter, that rear spoiler, a limited-slip differential, adaptive suspension and launch control. In a straight line, the car is quite exhilarating, but the 19-miles-per-gallon combined fuel economy will suffer.
Still, this production model can drive to and from the track. Around town and on rough roads, it remained fairly civilized. The Lexus’ V8 is loud, but not so you’d want earplugs. Getting aggressive with the accelerator is what does a Jekyll and Hyde on its personality—some owners really will take their cars to the speedway.
Should grandma borrow the car, she won’t be all that alienated. The RC F Speedway has a long list of standard comfort features, including access to grandma’s smartphone music via Apple CarPlay and a 10-speaker stereo (a 17-speaker, 835-watt Mark Levinson unit is available), dual-zone automatic climate control, and Alcantara-trimmed sport seats. Even the steering wheel is heated.
But should the grandkids come along, there will be complaints—the back seat is cramped. The standard seven-inch display screen is on the small side, but a 10.3-inch alternative is available (and part of the US$2,725 audio/navigation upgrade). The most unusual offering on this car—and a complete mystery to the kids—is its CD player. Lexus is one of the very few automakers to include one.
In 2022, cars like this Lexus are being offered in a transitional market. Automakers around the world are introducing high-performance electric cars, many of which combine practicality with blistering acceleration. Consider the new Lucid Air Sapphire Edition, which is going up against Tesla’s Model S Plaid. Compared to the Lexus, both of them offer much roomier interiors and storage, and are much faster. Either car will reach 60 mph in less than two seconds. The Lucid has 1,200 horsepower.
The Lucid will sell for US$249,000 (double the Speedway)—and it probably won’t be easy to find. But the Tesla Plaid is presumably available and US$135,990—much closer to the Toyota. And the new Kia EV6 GT, well, it’s likely to be relatively affordable (the price is reportedly £61,595 (US$72,000) in the U.K.), with a 3.4-second zero to 60 time.
As a rule, Toyotas are very well built. Unless raced to a fare-thee-well, the RC F should be, too. The panel gaps and paint finish put Tesla to shame.
The bottom line is that Toyota isn’t designing any more cutting-edge V8s. The company was late to EVs, but it’s fully on board now. Expect future performance Lexus cars to run on batteries and electric motors.
Although Toyota has certainly put its name on some stellar performance models, the Lexus division is mostly about luxury.
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