Love the roar of the V8 Lexus RC-F

I am just going to get the obvious out of the way right up front. The Lexus F range of cars should never be confused with the likes of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG and BMW’s M hardcore cars.

The Lexus F offers extra performance and exclusivity for the range in a somewhat more refined and user-friendly way. And if you understand these two points, you will not be disappointed with what is on offer from the Japanese premium manufacturer.

In an era where the German-based performance marques have moved to turbos to supply the go for their fast cars, Lexus has chosen to stay with a great sounding 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 for both the RC F and RC F Track Edition.

A healthy 351kW of maximum power is produced at 7 100rpm and a peak torque of 530Nm is delivered between 4 800rpm and 5 600rpm. These are more than decent numbers on paper and are said to get the RC F to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and 4.3 sec for RC F Track Edition.

It was fun to plant the accelerator and wind the car up to the red line, and you couldn’t help but think that the Lexus felt just like the great E90 V8 BMW M3. But in making this statement, you are also then saying that this new RC F reminds one of a previous generation high-performance coupe. Again, not a bad thing if you understand what Lexus is offering in these two new model derivatives.

What is also on offer is a full-house, fine-handling road machine in the RC F at R1 318 300, that can do a bit of track work should you be so inclined. Although I felt the RC F would be better suited to winding open road mountain passes and not a hairpin type of race track.

The more exclusive and more expensive R2 098 200 RC F Track Edition is the one you want if you are going to play on the track. It’s lighter, more responsive and proper firm in the right mode. The RC F Track Edition also has a bunch of carbon fibre goodies fitted, like the rear wing to go with improved aerodynamics, greater downforce, a more intuitive eight-speed automatic transmission and grippier tyres.

I understand real carbon-fibre and titanium components and removing weight from what is already a performance car is no easy task, nor is it cheap. Unless you are a true Lexus enthusiast, you won’t justify spending what is Porsche 911 money on the RC F Track Edition.

The RC F at R700 000 cheaper is the one that makes the most sense for me. As to be expected, you do get the full, non-optional added cost, suite of luxury and safety. Both cars feature a 10.3-inch widescreen centre display featuring satellite navigation, digital radio and Bluetooth phone, audio streaming including voice recognition along with a 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system.

Safety comes in the form of the Lexus Safety System+ suite of driving aids: pre-crash (brake synchronised) safety system with pedestrian detection, standard-adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning with steering assist and LED-automatic high beam. Blind-spot monitor, reversing camera, front clearance and rear parking sonars and rear cross-traffic alert are also standard.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.