2020 Lexus RC-F

Base MSRP: $64,900

Engine stats: 5.0 Liter V8, 472 HP and 395 ft/lbs of TQ

0-60: 4.1 seconds

Text and Video: Yousef Alvi // Photography: Alexander Grant

To quote the beloved and missed Rodney Dangerfield…the Lexus RC-F ‘’doesn’t get any respect’’.  When it first launched around 1920 (feels like an eternity ago)…the public and media perceived it as a M3 fighter.  Ready to take down the Germans with a swift kick to the proverbial groin!  Unfortunately…that was not the case.  

The RC-F was never designed, intended or engineered to clobber the M3.  It was designed, intended and engineered to be a Japanese Luxury Muscle Car.  If you approach the RC-F as such and then it’s a brilliant machine.  You will easily accept the heft of it’s chassis and the the exquisite V8 along with the automatic transmission.  

Now I’m certain you are thinking it handles just like Muscle Car then right?  Nope…the RC-F handles absolutely amazing.  With the proper driver (not me) it maybe able to keep the tail lights of a M3 in sight but at the risk of a new set of tires and brakes because this sucker weighs almost 4000 pounds.  Regardless the RC-F will tackle any corner and bend you throw at it. The tighter turns will have the front end push but you can easily modulate the rear end with the throttle. The wonderful active LSD really is the cherry that sets everything right.  A squeeze of your right toe and you have a well heeled machine that you can rotate on command and steer with the throttle.  Approach the RC-F with a modicum of respect and it will do wonders.  

On the drivetrain front it’s story of specs that do not do it justice.  Powering it for 2020 is the same 5.0 Liter V8 but making 472 horsepower and 395 ft/lbs of torque, mated to a 8 speed automatic powering the the rear wheels.  All of that gets you 60 in 4.1 seconds.  Respectable numbers but the numbers do not tell the story (yet again).  

We live in a world of forced induced insanity.  Which is not a bad thing because I love turbo motors.  I am of the generation that grew up slapping turbos on everything.  But there is something to be said of a N/A V8 and this V8 is one of the most under appreciated engines ever built.  It’s smooth, refined and feels like it’s powered by maple syrup. Hit Sport +, get that sucker to come on cam around 4k RPM and it will turn into a lava spitting beast all riding on a soundtrack that will make AC/DC weep for joy. Unfortunately the achilles heel is the 8 speed auto. It’s slow to respond to downshifts in any drivemode, using the paddles doesn’t really help matters. BUT the gearing is right on point and helps you enjoy the RC-F around town and on the highway without getting arrested. 

All of that innate, tactile and aural sensations is what makes the RC-F such a special car.  All of those factors cannot be properly conveyed by reading or even watching a review.  If you’re in the market for a two door sports car…you have to drive the RC-F.  For one it is refreshingly different from everything else on the road and second offers a dual personality that makes a beautiful vehicle to keep for a lifetime.  

So what do I think of the 2020 Lexus RC-F?  It’s a muscle car.  It’s a luxury coupe.  It’s a canyon carver.  It’s a V8 powered cruiser.  It’s a V8 powered screamer.  It’s NOT a M3 fighter but at the end of the day that’s what makes it special.