- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
5.0i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
351kW, 530Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 11.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2021 Lexus RC F Track Edition review
Even legends reach retirement age. For Lexus, it’s time to say goodbye to the RC F – and as a result, the entire F legacy.
- Crisp, responsive, free-revving atmo V8
- Interior balance of comfort and purposefulness
- Carbon bits actually cut weight and don't just add cost
- Interior and safety tech haven't kept pace
- Soggy steering feel lets the package down
- When this car leaves, it takes the F division with it
Introduction
Sometimes it's easy to forget that high-powered performance coupes owe their origins to fairly humble mid-size sedans.
That’s the case for the 2021 Lexus RC F, which sits on the same branch of the family tree as a humble 2.0-litre IS300 sedan. It’s the same for the BMW M4 and 320i, and Mercedes-AMG C63 alongside a C200.
In the case of the Lexus RC F, though, things are a little different. Whereas the BMW, Benz and the Audi RS5 have all moved to downsized turbocharged engines, the Lexus is the last hold-out with a naturally aspirated ‘full size’ V8.
Emissions pressures around the world are one of the drivers of the change, but along with meeting tighter targets, turbos also allow big power and much more accessible torque.
In the case of the RC F, though, it isn’t emissions pressures (at least, not yet), but rather in Australia a new set of side impact safety regulations that spell an early demise for the Lexus coupe, even though it will live on elsewhere.
Before it’s gone for good, we take one last spin in the $165,117 (plus on-road costs) Lexus RC F Track Edition – the pinnacle of the RC range, which opens with the $67,990 RC300 Luxury, winds through V6 F Sport models, and tops out with the V8 hero you see here.
The specification of the RC F Track Edition is, to say the least, an acquired taste. Not shy about its motorsport aspirations, the muscled-up coupe adds elements like a gloss carbon roof and bonnet, and an unmissable carbon rear wing.
Less obvious, but still an integral part of the package, are a carbon front lip (just waiting to meet a low parking bay stopper in a grizzly low-speed clash), carbon lower sills, carbon rear diffuser, and a set of matte-black forged BBS alloy wheels.
You might also spot the blue-tipped quad exhaust tips – hinting at the lighter and louder titanium exhaust hanging underneath.
While the Track Edition changes aren’t short on visual lure, most of the changes, plus a set of lighter carbon-ceramic brake rotors, and a rear carbon strut brace, combine to contribute to a 65kg weight saving, or a kerb weight of 1715kg.
Not light in any meaningful Lotus-like way, but lighter than a regular RC F. Proof that Lexus likes engineering solutions, and doesn’t just slap on a carbon bonnet for some Fast and Furious street appeal.
Key details | 2021 Lexus RC F Track Edition |
Price (MSRP) | $165,117 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Hakuji white matte |
Options | Matte paint ($5500) |
Price as tested | $170,617 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | BMW M4 Competition | Mercedes-AMG C63 S | Audi RS5 |
Inside
Time is a formidable foe where the Lexus RC range is concerned. The RC itself launched in 2014, putting it in the twilight of its life.
That age really shows in the interior, where the RC presents well but is mired in Lexus-legacy switchgear. Take the mildly infuriating ‘return to centre’ indicators that don’t click in when activated, and a huge screen with Apple CarPlay but no touchscreen, just a patchy remote interface, as prime examples.
On the other hand, having physical buttons for most major controls, like climate and audio, is very handy. With a bit of muscle memory, you can change most functions without diverting your eyes, and that deserves some praise at least.
While it may not be timeless, the interior is at least comfortable. The seats are a little more yielding than the sometimes super-grippy seats that pin you into rival coupes, and all the electric seat and steering wheel adjustment remains, though seat heating and cooling have been given the flick.
The rear seats are, well, present. You could potentially use them for adults in a pinch, or for kids if you really had to, but with form ruling over function, these aren’t going to cut it for frequent use.
Ultimately, the RC F Track Edition feels a little trapped between the more plush and cosseting regular RC range, and needed to be a track-capable model. It sticks much closer to the former, especially with none of the light-weighting or stripped-down elements you’d find in an M4 CS.
Still, it means that the RC F’s usual luxuries, like dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, powered front seats, and auto lights and wipers, all remain.
So too does the RC F’s digital instrument cluster, which as an early example of its kind features a fixed ring in the middle displaying key speed or gear data depending on the driving mode. A secondary screen for vehicle stats sits to the left, and a barely legible analogue speedo sits on the right.
There are no personalisation options, and some of the seven-segment LCD alarm clock graphics are hilariously kitsch compared to the crisp multi-mode display of a C63, but at least Lexus tried.
2021 Lexus RC F Track Edition | |
Seats | Four |
Boot volume | 366L |
Length | 4710mm |
Width | 1845mm |
Height | 1390mm |
Wheelbase | 2730mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
Key to the user experience is Lexus Remote Touch, a console-mounted trackpad that users trace to navigate their way around the RC’s 10.3-inch infotainment screen. It’s mildly frustrating to use when stopped, and at times infuriating on the go as you bump around.
The system has voice recognition, but rather than improving the experience, it tends to make things worse, needing set, structured inputs rather than the kinds of conversational instructions you could give your phone (or your BMW).
It seems Lexus has learnt over the years by adding touchscreen inputs to key models. Unfortunately, the RC isn’t one of them.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both via wired connections, are included, as is navigation, AM/FM/DAB radio and Bluetooth. Don't go looking for wireless phone charging as there’s none on offer here.
You do get a 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, and it’s strong and clear enough to fill the cabin for boring motorway runs. It’s just not quite audiophile quality if that’s what you’re after.
Safety and Technology
Without test results of its own, the RC is officially unrated by crash-test authority ANCAP. The structurally similar IS sedan carries a five-star rating from 2016.
The RC F boasts a decent list of safety equipment including eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, distance-keeping cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue detection, reverse camera, and lane-departure warning with steering assist.
More advanced safety systems on the market offer AEB intervention at intersections and in reverse, 360-degree cameras, plus lane centring and partial semi-autonomous driving or parking capabilities, which the Lexus can’t match.
2021 Lexus RC F Track Edition | |
ANCAP rating | Not rated |
Value for Money
The RC F range starts fairly sharply at $136,636 before on-road costs, which makes the step-up of just over $28K harder to swallow – especially with no performance gains attached. Still, that puts the dressed-up Track Edition just over an M4 Competition and just under a C63 Coupe.
In terms of ongoing ownership costs, the Lexus Encore ownership program not only presents a range of offers on events and hotel bookings, but even valet parking and out-of-town vehicle loans where available, for the first three years.
A four-year, 100,000km warranty covers the vehicle, and capped-price servicing is available at $595 per visit for the first three services at 12-month/15,000km intervals.
Official fuel consumption is rated at 11.2L/100km, and while that might look a little high at first, on test we recorded a wholly reasonable 12.8L/100km. Not too shabby for a car that has the potential to stretch much further beyond the manufacturer’s claim.
At a glance | 2021 Lexus RC F Track Edition |
Warranty | Four years / 100,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1785 (3yrs) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 11.2L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 12.8L/100km |
Fuel type | 98-octane petrol |
Fuel tank size | 66L |
Driving
The 5.0-litre V8 comes from Toyota Motor Corporation's ‘UR’ family of engines. You might find far less exciting 4.6-litre versions in the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series or a 5.7-litre variant in the Lexus LX570.
The 5.0-litre ‘2UR’ under the bonnet also appears in an ‘efficient’ set-up used as part of the previous Lexus LS600h’s hybrid drivetrain.
The 2UR-GSE is by far the most exciting iteration, though. You could write a book on Toyota’s model codes and engine designations (and the exceptions, where they lie), but the bit to concentrate on is the GSE suffix.
A regular engine might run an FE code, F for ‘narrow’ valve lift, E for electronic fuel injection. A GSE engine means the engine upgrades to both high valve lift and duration (G) and D4-S dual-mode direct and port fuel injection (SE).
The list of GSE enhancements is long, but features like four-bolt crankshaft main bearing caps, dual-track high- and low-RPM intake runners, high-flow heads and titanium valves, and a surprisingly aggressive variable valve timing map, are just some of the highlights.
Those changes were developed in conjunction with Yamaha, and endow the RC F with some of the high-revving, lightning fast responsiveness you’ll find in motorcycle engines.
If the flashy carbon bits don’t do it for you (I’ll put my hand up here and say the odd shutlines on the carbon bonnet aren’t my cup of tea), then that stirring V8 will, or at least it should.
With 351kW and 530Nm, the 2UR-GSE is a little short compared to the 375kW and 650Nm BMW ekes from the 3.0-litre twin-turbo S58 engine in the M4, and further still from the 375kW and 700Nm twin-turbo 4.0-litre M177 V8 powering the Mercedes-AMG C63 S.
Delve deeper still and you’ll see that BMW’s peak twist is on tap from 2750 to 5500rpm, Benz’s is accessible from 2000 to 4500rpm, and in the Lexus you’ll need the digital tacho needle to hit 4800rpm before it trails off by 5600rpm. By no means intractable, far from it in fact, just different.
Peak power is another story, though, and it’s rather fun to chase. You’ll hit it by 6250rpm in both the M4 and C63, while the RC F will rev on to 7100rpm building in noise and fury at the same time.
At the end of the day, though, an engine like this is more likely to serve duty under the bonnet of immaculately detailed RCs outside on-trend cafes in leafy suburbs, rather than on the nation’s racetracks. Therefore, it needs to work at the lower limit, not just up top.
It does that, and for something with so much willingness to rev, it does so with a creamy subtlety. You can dash out for bread and milk, never journey past 2000rpm, and almost kid yourself you’re behind the wheel of a luxo land yacht.
Part of that duality of character comes from the RC F’s eight-speed automatic. It’s a ‘conventional’ torque converter automatic, not a race-derived dual-clutch auto. That makes it barely noticeable in less demanding situations.
Leave the RC F in its Normal drive mode and the whole car might even come across as a little underwhelming. Notch things up progressively through Sport S and Sport S+ modes, though, and the vehicle systems sharpen up to deliver a much more satisfying experience.
In max-attack mode, as the needle soars past 4000rpm, the hefty Lexus forgets that it’s carrying any extra weight and surges forwards with the energy of a much more compact model.
While swathes of torque down low are their own special kind of addiction, tapping the long pedal on the RC and having the engine respond with whip-crack immediacy is a joy of its own.
There’s a disconnect, though, and it comes down to noise. While the Track Edition might boast an exhaust that claims to bring more noise, from within the very insulated cabin, it can be hard to tell.
Unlike the brash, warbling, starting point cars like the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Benz C63 offer, the RC F starts with a much more timid tone. As you trundle around town, it sounds like a V8 – only one that’s further away.
Once you hit that second cam profile, open the valves wide, and trigger the shorter intake path the noise hits its peak, and then you get a thoroughly rewarding bark. Just not if you’re inside the car, where it remains stubbornly subtle.
On the other hand, the Active Sound Control fake-noise generator of the regular RC F is deleted for the Track Edition, so at least what you do hear is all real.
Handling is something of a give-and-take situation too. Any car pushing more than 300kW and 500Nm through the rear treads alone has the potential to get sketchy, fast.
Lexus has a reputation for being conservative, but cars like the LFA supercar and the RC F are handy exceptions to that safe and steady mindset. Notch it into Sport S+ and the stability control will loosen off enough to let you slide – gracefully if you know what you’re doing, or a little more haphazardly if you don’t.
There’s even a launch-control mode to let you leap off the line with optimal revs and traction, but in reality the RC F is simple enough that you can just mash the throttle off the line and still yield giggle-inducing, sprint-storming results.
All of this happens with a ride that isn’t uncompromisingly firm or unforgiving. It’s solidly settled, and feels secure, but proves that the jittery rock-hard Euro competition might have room to play in terms of offering a bit more comfort to drivers.
For all of that, though, the RC’s soggy steering and lazy self-centring (which can hold 10-15 degrees off centre without righting itself) don’t convey the same crisp enthusiasm as the rest of the package.
It’s not insulated or numb, by any means, but there are more balanced and communicative packages out there. Not to mention those that use tech in some impressive ways, like BMW’s drift-assisting stability-control modes, for instance.
By comparison, the RC F, while not totally analogue, depends much more on the driver.
Key details | 2021 Lexus RC F Track Edition |
Engine | 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 petrol |
Power | 351kW @ 7100rpm |
Torque | 530Nm @ 4800-5600rpm |
Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 204.7kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 1715kg |
Turning circle | 10.8m |
Conclusion
As much as the engine in the RC F deserves a stay of execution, without an extensive overhaul, it might be fair to let this Lexus slide into the history books.
While the 2UR-GSE engine lives on in the much newer, much more dramatic-looking LC500 range, it also commands a higher price tag than the RC F and speaks to a different buyer.
As the RC packs its bags and prepares to depart, it takes the Lexus F brand with it, closing a brief chapter that saw Lexus try IS F and GS F sedans in what can only be described as cautious and measured attempts to rival German performance arms.
If you wanted a cheeky last-chance grab at a naturally aspirated and thoroughly enjoyable V8, this could be the ticket. Just be aware that the rest of the package offers a look at Lexus's past, more so than its future.