Lexus RC F – A Father’s Day Fantasy

Ties, fancy razors, golf balls and power tools. All examples of Father’s Day presents I’m thankful I did not receive this year. Instead, Lexus let me loose with the direct descendant of their LFA supercar — the 2015 Lexus RC-F. Talk about a Father’s Day Fantasy…

I’ve spent the last few days trying to sum up a 467-horsepower, rear-wheel drive, turn-heads-wherever-it-goes type of car. So, I figured I’d put you in the driver’s seat and bring you along for the ride, which is why I’ve made sure to load you up with tons of awesome photos, but most importantly, a video that will make you wonder how it is that I do this for a living. After all, it’s Father’s Day weekend and it’s time to have a little fun. Let’s go!

It was the Thursday morning leading up to Father’s Day weekend, but it might as well have been Christmas Morning. I knew what was bound to happen, soon I’d get a phone call from a really nice guy telling me he’s fifteen minutes away from my house packing something really cool. What’s he bringing? A 2015 Ultrasonic Blue Lexus RC F loaded with all the goodies, and a window sticker of $75,210. The best part? I had it all to myself for a whole week. Score!

The moment you step into the driver’s seat you realize you’re sitting inside something special, but most of all, that this isn’t your grandpa’s Lexus. Welcome to a whole different type of Lexus, one with hand-crafted sports seats that would make a Lamborghini owner jealous, an exhaust note that makes an Audi S4 sound like tiny Chihuahua, and a ride firmness that would leave elder Lexus owners in utter shock (and with a hurt back). But that’s OK. Because Lexus designed the RC F to satisfy a different clientele, and it took me all of five minutes to realize that, and approve of it.

I officially had the keys to an RC F. I had this beautiful and gorgeous work of engineering with super sticky tires, race-inspired seats, a roaring exhaust, and curves that’d Victoria’s Secret model to shame. And what exactly did I do? I parked it. Yup, I drove it right into my parking spot, locked it and went inside. A thunderstorm was quickly approaching, and I didn’t want my first street drive to be spoiled by slick roads, or even worse, a rear-end collision courtesy of a dumb driver.

The rain stopped, and a few hours later we drove it to the grocery store. What can I say — I live a dangerous life, and I tell everyone about it.

Then, the RC F turned me into a Kardashian. I can’t believe I just typed that.

At the grocery store, the movie theater, the gas station, on the highway, and at stop lights. People swinging out their smartphones and snapping photos left and right, that’s when I learned what it feels like to be a Kardashian, or Justin Bieber. (What is wrong with me and these comparisons?)

Even at our local Cars and Coffee gathering, the RC F sat next to an Audi RS7, and very bright Volcano Orange Aston Martin Vantage. Guess which car dominated social media? The Lexus! Or, to keep with the Kardashian theme, I was driving Kim, everyone else was Khloe.

Then my neighbors envied me, and maybe even hated me for my early morning cold start-ups. The throaty exhaust note sounded even wilder with that cold initial bark. Then the neighborhood’s avid exercisers stared at it as they jogged by, wondering: what the heck? How does this guy have this, plus a base Honda Civic?

Step on the throttle and hear the naturally aspirated V-8 come to life in an angry and thundering manner, step on the throttle and feel your body compress against the exquisite seats, and in my case, watch the kids gasp in disbelief at the acceleration. Before you know it, the tachometer needle is banging on 7,000 rpm and it’s time to shift. Even though shifting up is fun, shifting down delights you with an orchestra of gurgling, popping, and rev-blipping sounds — that’s when you realize the RC F definitely has some LFA in its DNA.

All things that go fast must eventually slow down, and although the RC F doesn’t sport fancy pants carbon-ceramic brakes, they sure feel like the next best thing. Step on them in a hurry and you’ll be glad you buckled up, otherwise — see ya! (Hopefully you did buckle up.)

In all seriousness, the RC F can’t quite compete against the agility and brutality of some of Germany’s muscle. But you know what? I can live with that, because it actually excels at being a livable car, and I could actually drive this everyday — with kids. Turn the dial on ECO mode to tame the beast under the hood and enjoy a subtle, smooth, and luxurious ride during your daily commute. Not to mention I easily fit my daughter’s RECARO car seat in the back, where two sets of ISOFIX latches allow you to choose a left or right mounting position. I made sure to buckle her on the passenger side, as Missi requires less leg room, and I could still fit my son behind my seat. All of the sudden, the RC F became a family car!

I hope the photos and video manage to relay how much fun we had with the RC F, but I also apologize if you wanted to learn more information about this car and I’ve failed to provide you with such. Thankfully, you’ll find a million other sites out there with brake rotor diameter specs, 0-60 mph times, and fuel-efficiency figures. I set out to show you the livability of such wild machine, not specs.

The RC F isn’t clinical and dry-humored like the Germans, there is actually soul to it, and that’s what I hope I was able to share with you. The looks of it, the feeling of it, the look in mine and my kids’s faces when the car came to life. That’s what makes this car cool and different from the rest.

2015 Lexus RC-F

• Starts at: $62,400
• Price as tested: $75,210

Options Breakdown:

• Torque Vectoring Differential $1,750
• 19-inch allow wheels $1,500
• Leather trimmed interior $800
• Navigation/Mark Levinson package $2,840
• Special paint $595
• Premium package $4,400

 

Photos via: [Jerry Perez and Matthieu Picard]