The Experience of Driving the Lexus GC F: A Unique and Rewarding Ride

As I sat behind the wheel of the Lexus GC F, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. This is a car that is going to disappear soon, and for those who are lucky enough to have one in their hands, it's an experience they will never forget.

One of the standout features of the GC F is its engine sound. The 5-liter V8 produces a deep, rumbling noise that is music to the ears of any car enthusiast. This is due to the unique induction noise that can be heard when the engine is revving. While this may not be to everyone's taste, it's certainly a distinctive feature that sets the GC F apart from other cars in its class.

The GC F also has a distinct sound when the fake engine noise is turned off, but for those who are looking for a more authentic driving experience, there is one main difference between the RC F and this car. The RC F has a slightly different transmission performance and throttle response compared to the GC F. While both cars share an 8-speed automatic transmission, the way it responds to driver input differs slightly.

In terms of drive modes, the GC F offers multiple options from Eco to Sport Plus. As you ramp up the transmission, the car's performance and throttle response change accordingly. This is where the RC F begins to show its unique personality, with a herky-jerky feel when manually shifting gears at lower RPMs. While this can be off-putting for some, it's also part of what makes the GC F so special.

One of the biggest knocks on the RC F transmissions in V8 models is their lack of smoothness when manually shifting gears at lower RPMs. This is something that is less noticeable in the GC F, which is why many enthusiasts opt to keep the transmission in automatic mode if they're planning to drive slower. However, if you do want to engage manual mode, you'll need to be pushing the car hard on the throttle.

The GC F's massive size belies its incredible performance and handling capabilities. As a result, it's an enormous vehicle that will undoubtedly leave many owners in awe of its sheer power and speed. With an estimated production run limited by global regulations, there's little doubt that the GC F is going to become harder to find for enthusiasts in the coming years.

For those who are looking to experience this incredible car, I highly recommend taking it out on a test drive as soon as possible. The experience of driving a high-performance V8 is one that you won't soon forget, and the GC F's sheer size and power only add to its appeal.

The Purity of Lexus Performance: Why These Cars are Special

One of the things that sets the Lexus GC F apart from other cars in its class is its purity of performance. Unlike many modern cars, which have been compromised by global regulations and forced induction, the GC F's 5-liter V8 is a true marvel of engineering.

For enthusiasts who crave the sound and feel of a naturally aspirated engine, the GC F is a breath of fresh air in an industry that seems to be increasingly dominated by turbocharged and supercharged powerplants. While this means that many cars will never have the same character or charm as their V8 counterparts, it's also led to some incredibly innovative engineering solutions.

Take, for example, the way the GC F manages its induction noise. Unlike other cars in its class, which often rely on artificial sounds to enhance the driving experience, the GC F produces a rich, authentic sound that is almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

This level of authenticity is something that sets the Lexus brand apart from its competitors. While many car manufacturers are content to use fake engine noise or augment existing sounds to create a more convincing impression, Lexus is committed to producing cars that truly feel and sound like high-performance vehicles.

The GC F's relationship with global regulations also highlights the unique challenges faced by enthusiasts in this industry. As companies grapple with the increasingly complex rules and regulations surrounding emissions and performance, it's clear that many are struggling to adapt.

In fact, some car manufacturers have already begun to admit that their V8 models will be forced into retirement due to these regulations. The GC F, on the other hand, is a shining example of what can be achieved when a manufacturer is willing to push the boundaries and defy convention.

My Experience with the Lexus GC F: A Personal Perspective

As someone who has had the pleasure of driving several high-performance cars in my time, I can confidently say that the Lexus GC F is one of the most unique and rewarding experiences I've ever had behind the wheel. From its incredible engine sound to its massive size and handling capabilities, this car truly has it all.

What really stood out for me, however, was the sheer reliability of the 5-liter V8. As someone who has been in several cars that have broken down or required expensive repairs over the years, I can say with confidence that the GC F is a rock-solid choice.

Of course, there are many other factors to consider when choosing a car like the GC F, from its massive size and weight to its fuel efficiency and handling capabilities. But for me, the real clincher was its sheer driving experience – the way it handled on both the road and off-road, the sound of its engine as I pushed it hard on the throttle.

All in all, my time behind the wheel of the GC F left me with a lasting impression that will stay with me for a long time to come. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on one of these incredible cars, I highly recommend taking full advantage of its capabilities – and enjoying every moment of it!

Other cars in the same class as the Lexus GC F include the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol. Both of these vehicles offer similar levels of performance and handling capabilities to the GC F, but with some key differences that set them apart from their rival.

The Toyota Land Cruiser, for example, is known for its incredible off-road capability and ruggedness. While this makes it a great choice for those who need a car that can handle tough terrain, it also means that it may not be as comfortable or refined on the road compared to some of its rivals.

On the other hand, the Nissan Patrol offers a more luxurious and refined driving experience than the GC F. With features like heated seats and a premium sound system, this car is perfect for those who want the best of both worlds – incredible off-road capability combined with the comfort and style of a luxury vehicle.

Ultimately, the choice between these cars will depend on your individual needs and preferences. But if you're looking for an experience that truly has it all, I highly recommend taking a test drive in one of these incredible vehicles as soon as possible.

The Legacy of Lexus Performance: A Lasting Impact

As we look to the future and consider what's next for the world of high-performance driving, it's clear that the legacy of Lexus performance will continue to be felt. From its humble beginnings as a manufacturer of luxury vehicles to its current status as one of the leading purveyors of high-performance cars, the Lexus brand has always been committed to pushing the boundaries and achieving greatness.

The GC F is just one example of this commitment to excellence – a car that showcases the very best of what Lexus has to offer. As we look back on our time with this incredible vehicle, it's clear that it will be remembered for years to come as one of the greatest high-performance cars ever built.

Whether you're an enthusiast who craves the sound and feel of a naturally aspirated engine or simply someone who appreciates exceptional performance and handling capabilities, the GC F is sure to leave a lasting impression. So if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one of these incredible cars, I highly recommend making the most of every moment – it's an experience that will stay with you for a long time to come!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm standing in front of the Lexus LC 500 RCF and GSF to celebrate what could potentially be the last use of their naturally aspirated 5 liter v8 we're gonna discuss why each one of these cars is unique and special in the marketplace why you would potentially own one or at least learn a little bit about it let's take a look and when I had the opportunity to gather the three Lexus products that have the five liter naturally aspirated motor it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do this is not a traditional review it's a celebration of cars that are uniquely flawed but also uniquely special well the Germans get together and try to compete with each other looking at spec sheets how to over engineer everything you're left with the feeling that they have this sterile experience they all run together now while the Lexus products may have some serious deficiencies on the spec sheet side they do some of the best work in terms of interior design exterior design and driving experience and a lot of that is helped with the engine let's start with the RC F with the updated 2020 you have an interior space that looks like nothing else in the segment and the use of stitching cross stitching the design of the seats which happen to be one of the best seating designs that you can get for under a hundred thousand dollars you feel immediately connected with the car there's no German product there's no Japanese product and there's certainly no Korean product that matches what it looks like now there are some deficiencies of course that is the infotainment is complete trash and the interior design is last generation so things like HVAC controls are touch sensitive but overall the aesthetic is where it is completely unique then we get to the GS F which shares most of its interior with the lower trim levels now they have decided to spruce it up by adding the F seats which again are amazing like the RC F there are uses and tasteful uses of carbon fiber and then you have all the usability of the regular sedan however because Lexus can't decide on a centralized control structure for infotainment you're left with this joystick that has prevented them from adding updated features like Android auto the audio systems in the RC F and GS F suffer greatly compared to the LC 500 these are things that are offset by the uniqueness of the interior space and driving characteristics of these cars lastly the LC 500 this interior space is a showcase of what Toyota and Lexus engineers can do from the carbon composite door frames to the door panels that have this long sweeping line outlined by alloy trim special materials the door handles are integrated into the door card where you wish for more mechanical design like this the dashboard has this ultra-modern feel without resorting to gimmicky materials like piano gloss or shiny plastic Rome overall this feels like a special space because it is there's nothing like this on the market and what it does is it helps to create an emotional connection to the driving experience when you see the carbon-fiber door sills the thicker pile in the carpeting the solidness that every single panel or grab handle has on the interior you don't need to know anything about interior design you don't need any fancy marketing words or buzzwords to tell you that it's one of their best engineered products they've ever made now there are of course our deficiencies here again with electronics the infotainment feels dated already and it's brand new there is no back seat room I don't know what you're gonna put back there the trunk space barely fits my cat litter and of course this may not fit every single body type but again every car is about compromise and Lexus and Toyota wanted to create this not to be German not to be Swedish not to be American it is uniquely Japanese and that's a great time to put this on the lift the RC F and the GS F to talk about the technical attributes welcome to the mechanical segment on the RC F GS F and LC 500 were under the LC 500 jack your favorite car I know you have a bedroom poster of us yeah not yet but I will tell you one thing I've been complaining about how difficult it is to raise cars this thing took two seconds it's like raising up a Toyota Corolla it's that easy and it's not another German car mark oh yes you're right so let's talk about the F products the first production car was the ISF which was more of a skunkworks design yeah a small team of dedicated engineers basically worked after hours to build that car though technically the LFA predates hood so once the ISF came out and the LFA came out the LFA kind of re refocused the entire company of what Lexus was trying to be so as an evolution of that we had the RC F which was their first F product post is F and that car because of the budget and they were there was kind of an experiment they had to combine three different elements when you look at the RC F underneath it has the GS front subframe and suspension the middle section of the car is from the is convertible which no longer exists and the rear suspension was from the is it's basically a Frankenstein car that's not necessarily a negative thing but it's true yes so they a part of the balance and some of the the problems with that car is that you know you can only do so much with that the successor to that was the GS F and when you look at the underbody of the GS F it's its own dedicated platform although a legacy platform the GS is no longer going to be in production according to Japanese Toyota so when you look at the GS it looks like a luxury car double wishbone suspension tons of aluminum coil over dampeners independent rear suspension and the out the LC 500 is now the replacement for all of that well they're still selling the GS F currently on the RC F this is kind of the future of Toyota luxury products and high performance machines so between the RC F and the GS F how do they differ in drivetrain in suspensions typically good questions so the RCAF has adaptive dampers and in the back you have two options you have a Torsen limited slip differential and you can do the optional torque vectoring differential with a DVD DVD which creates a completely different driving experience so if you want to slide around get the Torsen it basically allows you to do hellacious trips like you can do in this LC 500 but if you want to maximize your grip decrease your lap times you're gonna get the TVD but it will not allow you to slide around the car that's correct the GS F and the RC F however share the same engine the 5 liter naturally aspirated unit and the same 8-speed automatic or direct shift automatic torque covered unit which is an evolution to the ISS transmission the cool thing about the RC F and GS F is they both have engine and transmission coolers in the front half of the car so you never really have an issue with temperature even when you're pounding around on the street and it can take some track time if that's what you decide to do something that the LC 500 does not have granted this is not enough product but this is built on the GL architecture saved for the LS the LC and what our future SUV they're doing what advantages does it granted over the GS F and the RC F well for one thing it's the most rigid body structure they've ever built it's even more rigid than the LFA it uses extensive use of aluminum front subframe carrier that knuckle the hobby of dual ball joints in the upper a arms however in the back there's an option for a Torsen limited slip differential or an open diff they do not have a TV D on this car and potentially will do it on an F product when they do in LCF but one of the main reasons why it doesn't have a TV d they left a Torsen as the option is according their engineers it's about the driving dynamics of this car it's so rigid it's so different in its feeling it's more connected than the GS F and the RC F it it moves around more naturally it is able to rotate through corners the only thing that they did put on here is a rear-wheel steering module which is part of their performance pack that's where this car starts to feel a lot more nimble so I drove the original LC 500 with you about a year ago and that car was open diff and did not have rear steer that car felt I'm not gonna say cumbersome but much bigger than this does the rear steer does a lot of this car to shrink though I thought the RCF also got rear steer the RCF does not have rear steer the RCF only had a Torsen differential option and a TVD option the RCAF sport got a rear-wheel steering module and according to their engineers they felt that the rear wheel steering module and the RC F did not suit the character for what the car was so it's it's these choices they make based on their lead engineers of what they want the car to be drivability wise and they split off some of these features I think on purpose so they can have different trim levels that's part of it so mechanically pass the tennspeed which we'll talk about in a second what else is different with a drivetrain here the drivetrain is the main difference here is the transmission in terms of drivetrain the tennspeed is that evolution of the 8-speed that's in the GS F and RC F it is far quicker to respond the gearing is almost like this they show a chart its rhythmic they want that manual shifting experience or automatic shifting experience to feel like a constant where there's no huge dips or delays like when you go into first second third where you feel a huge drop the other thing that they tried to bake into the tennspeed is it's smoother than the 8-speed automatic and the personality is more you can tell the personality change based on throttle position so if you're like 25% throttle a lot Street car yeah oh yeah total slush box when you go about 50% throttle the shifts get faster when you go flat-out specifically in Sport Plus mode those shifts are as fast as most dual clutch transmissions and they are hard they're fast they're quick they're lightning quick the tennspeed has a lot of character and with that said I think we've talked about this enough let's get this out on the road and see how they all Drive all right well mark I was wrong something this car has in spades this character something that the German cars don't have something that basically nothing else in this segment of luxury GT cars can come close to and when I first drove this car about a year ago I didn't like it I approached it the wrong way I didn't drive this like a yob I drove this like a sophisticated gentleman and when you drive this like a monkey it's phenomenal so what is what changed your mind really about it from when you were first in it did you come to it come to a proach like you're looking at like a German GT car or like a British I looked at it objectively on paper and that's not how you approach this car you approach this car as an emotional purchase unlike the many German counterparts like the 8 Series we just did or some of the Audi products for the Mercedes this understands that driving is about an experience you remember long-term and because there's so much induction noise the way it looks the interior and its many compromises you will always remember this car when a lot of the other products in this price segment you just forget about yeah it's a big point because we've been in and out of these hundred thousand dollar cars now anything well you know you're for that type of money once you start crossing that line it's got to be more than just a corporate badge and a corporate like identity this car definitely has some of the most character of any vehicle I have been at in modern history I entirely agree and some of it is just yeah you never get you never ever get tired of that I mean I am NOT shocked when I look at our street MPGs when I got in this car yesterday they said 11 yeah but that's what it's trying to do it's trying to make you feel something through this sound through the the look the feel of it it's such a unique experience I will say coming out of a car like the Supra there's this is nowhere near as fast but it's about 50 to 100 percent more rewarding and fun to drive because every day you get to experience all your senses are excited and that is why I love this car it's not a car for someone who buys a vehicle based upon its specs Lexus acknowledges that and now I understand why I decide about 0-60 it's not about the ring time or lateral G's it's about I'm setting off at Autobahn Country Club the only place I can really explore the f products properly because to do some of this on the street is just stupid RC F was one of the first F products after the LFA the LFA launched this whole series of things and you had the ISF and this was the continuation however the RC F is more of a skunkworks car I mean we talked about it in the shop how it's three different cars kind of stitched together to give you this coupe shape that resembles some of the LC concept that came out but as a car after the years of evolution the suspension has changed and been improved this specific car has the T V D which shares the same DVD that's in the GS F and of course you have all the new fancy interior appointments with the multi-color options but driving this there are a few things to know it feels a little bit more understeer prone than the GS F so there's not a lot of camber in the front of this car you can just kind of feel it washing out of it the other thing to talk about is the engine although it shares the same engine with the GS F and the LC 500 the five liter take a listen to this that's correct there is fake engine noise that you can't turn off and this is the only F product that has that but the main thing to say is this is more than adequate for the street and on the track it's still pretty enjoyable again it favours understeer but it also seems to want to also oversteer the most out of all the cars when you get it out of sorts it kind of goes through this understeer State and then when you power it out it wants to completely go sideways but it's in lexus form it's completely controllable all of these cars have the same characteristics that will never let you get to the place where this thing is gonna go into a tree like a Mustang or some of the higher horsepower cars so there's always this safety net that you feel this in terms of ride quality compared to the GS F feels a little bit more firmer it's the the ride compliance isn't as good in the softest settings and on the track settings like now to me it's just about the right balance you get a little bit of that rebound feel to it when you're driving but the main thing is the engine now it's time to take the GSF out for a spin oh yeah immediately you can hear that this has a bit more induction noise than the RCF and you can turn off the fake engine noise but the main difference to talk about between these two cars as they share an 8-speed automatic and I'm going to explain the way this works briefly for those who would like to know there's multiple different drive modes from eco all the way to Sport Plus and as you ramp your way up the transmission performance and throttle response changes so one of the big knocks on the F Sport or F transmissions in the v8 models is they're kind of weird at the lower rpm if you manually shift them they're herky-jerky they don't respond all that smooth so it's always been one of these cars that if you plan to drive this slower you just want to keep it in automatic because if you do it kind of knows the g-force of the car it will queue up a gear based on the load best based on the yaw rate sensors all the things the steering wheel angle so it's in the right gear for you in terms of driving an automatic experience if you want to use the paddles and you want to go into manual mode you need to be going foot to the floor but really at the end of the day this is an enormous vehicle one that is going away and we know that the GS might be replaced by something else but we know in this form factor there's not a lot left sitting on dealer lots and they're not gonna continue to produce money and for the size of this the experience is so unique because of this insane v8 that has an engine sound it has induction noise and that is one of the most rewarding parts of driving the GS F final thoughts on the LC the GS F and RC F I sought out this project I wanted to do it this engine the five liter that is in all three of these cars has been known to be almost bulletproof it is super reliable it sounds great as you've heard there's a lot going for it and the most important thing is it's gonna disappear soon global regulations many companies have talked about the heads of companies and engineering have said global regulations are gonna make it next to impossible to make high-performance naturally aspirated motors and it's so sad because the automotive world at this point in time for enthusiasts is getting to be a mixed bag things are more expensive things are a lot more complicated than they used to be and everything is going turbocharged everything is forced induction and when you do that whether you love the extra power in the torque there's also a lot that gets zapped out of it and so many of these cars that I'm in now they just don't sound like a whole lot or they are adding fake engine noise or augmenting all of it so the purity of these three Lexus products are very special and they are not sports cars they are not for everyone and I'm not even saying that they are the best thing ever they are completely flawed in fact I would say you know like the GS F the infotainment some of the technology the RC F it's a mixed architecture between three cars and the LC doesn't fit a whole lot it's not all that practical so why am i celebrating cars like this they're different they are unique they're original in certain ways the GS the GS as a whole is going away so there's not a lot left on the market if you're watching this later it's going to become harder to find used ones the RC is way easier to find an affordable use version of it but at around ninety thousand dollars as we tested this there's going to be very few people that are going to want to invest that money on a new model the LC is still in production and we know it's going to be around for a while I've been in the convertible I've seen the changes to the 2021 and that car from where it started to now all the suspension change it's become a more soft more comfortable driving car and it still brings out a lot of smiles and that's the whole point of motoring at this level you're spending a ton of money you want to know that you're getting something back the reliability factor is huge for me and that's one of the major reasons why I also love these cars I know that it's not just gonna go in the garbage heap and like five years when things break or if things break now I want to say a big thanks to the people that helped to make this happen Jen from Toyota Ron from Autobahn Country Club in Joliet Illinois it's one of the best places to take cars in the Midwest if you really love to drive and then of course Jack Chris and Johnny America and Katherine Brewster for helping all of this go through I hope you enjoyed watching this video as much as I enjoyed making it thanks for watching I'll see you next time youI'm standing in front of the Lexus LC 500 RCF and GSF to celebrate what could potentially be the last use of their naturally aspirated 5 liter v8 we're gonna discuss why each one of these cars is unique and special in the marketplace why you would potentially own one or at least learn a little bit about it let's take a look and when I had the opportunity to gather the three Lexus products that have the five liter naturally aspirated motor it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do this is not a traditional review it's a celebration of cars that are uniquely flawed but also uniquely special well the Germans get together and try to compete with each other looking at spec sheets how to over engineer everything you're left with the feeling that they have this sterile experience they all run together now while the Lexus products may have some serious deficiencies on the spec sheet side they do some of the best work in terms of interior design exterior design and driving experience and a lot of that is helped with the engine let's start with the RC F with the updated 2020 you have an interior space that looks like nothing else in the segment and the use of stitching cross stitching the design of the seats which happen to be one of the best seating designs that you can get for under a hundred thousand dollars you feel immediately connected with the car there's no German product there's no Japanese product and there's certainly no Korean product that matches what it looks like now there are some deficiencies of course that is the infotainment is complete trash and the interior design is last generation so things like HVAC controls are touch sensitive but overall the aesthetic is where it is completely unique then we get to the GS F which shares most of its interior with the lower trim levels now they have decided to spruce it up by adding the F seats which again are amazing like the RC F there are uses and tasteful uses of carbon fiber and then you have all the usability of the regular sedan however because Lexus can't decide on a centralized control structure for infotainment you're left with this joystick that has prevented them from adding updated features like Android auto the audio systems in the RC F and GS F suffer greatly compared to the LC 500 these are things that are offset by the uniqueness of the interior space and driving characteristics of these cars lastly the LC 500 this interior space is a showcase of what Toyota and Lexus engineers can do from the carbon composite door frames to the door panels that have this long sweeping line outlined by alloy trim special materials the door handles are integrated into the door card where you wish for more mechanical design like this the dashboard has this ultra-modern feel without resorting to gimmicky materials like piano gloss or shiny plastic Rome overall this feels like a special space because it is there's nothing like this on the market and what it does is it helps to create an emotional connection to the driving experience when you see the carbon-fiber door sills the thicker pile in the carpeting the solidness that every single panel or grab handle has on the interior you don't need to know anything about interior design you don't need any fancy marketing words or buzzwords to tell you that it's one of their best engineered products they've ever made now there are of course our deficiencies here again with electronics the infotainment feels dated already and it's brand new there is no back seat room I don't know what you're gonna put back there the trunk space barely fits my cat litter and of course this may not fit every single body type but again every car is about compromise and Lexus and Toyota wanted to create this not to be German not to be Swedish not to be American it is uniquely Japanese and that's a great time to put this on the lift the RC F and the GS F to talk about the technical attributes welcome to the mechanical segment on the RC F GS F and LC 500 were under the LC 500 jack your favorite car I know you have a bedroom poster of us yeah not yet but I will tell you one thing I've been complaining about how difficult it is to raise cars this thing took two seconds it's like raising up a Toyota Corolla it's that easy and it's not another German car mark oh yes you're right so let's talk about the F products the first production car was the ISF which was more of a skunkworks design yeah a small team of dedicated engineers basically worked after hours to build that car though technically the LFA predates hood so once the ISF came out and the LFA came out the LFA kind of re refocused the entire company of what Lexus was trying to be so as an evolution of that we had the RC F which was their first F product post is F and that car because of the budget and they were there was kind of an experiment they had to combine three different elements when you look at the RC F underneath it has the GS front subframe and suspension the middle section of the car is from the is convertible which no longer exists and the rear suspension was from the is it's basically a Frankenstein car that's not necessarily a negative thing but it's true yes so they a part of the balance and some of the the problems with that car is that you know you can only do so much with that the successor to that was the GS F and when you look at the underbody of the GS F it's its own dedicated platform although a legacy platform the GS is no longer going to be in production according to Japanese Toyota so when you look at the GS it looks like a luxury car double wishbone suspension tons of aluminum coil over dampeners independent rear suspension and the out the LC 500 is now the replacement for all of that well they're still selling the GS F currently on the RC F this is kind of the future of Toyota luxury products and high performance machines so between the RC F and the GS F how do they differ in drivetrain in suspensions typically good questions so the RCAF has adaptive dampers and in the back you have two options you have a Torsen limited slip differential and you can do the optional torque vectoring differential with a DVD DVD which creates a completely different driving experience so if you want to slide around get the Torsen it basically allows you to do hellacious trips like you can do in this LC 500 but if you want to maximize your grip decrease your lap times you're gonna get the TVD but it will not allow you to slide around the car that's correct the GS F and the RC F however share the same engine the 5 liter naturally aspirated unit and the same 8-speed automatic or direct shift automatic torque covered unit which is an evolution to the ISS transmission the cool thing about the RC F and GS F is they both have engine and transmission coolers in the front half of the car so you never really have an issue with temperature even when you're pounding around on the street and it can take some track time if that's what you decide to do something that the LC 500 does not have granted this is not enough product but this is built on the GL architecture saved for the LS the LC and what our future SUV they're doing what advantages does it granted over the GS F and the RC F well for one thing it's the most rigid body structure they've ever built it's even more rigid than the LFA it uses extensive use of aluminum front subframe carrier that knuckle the hobby of dual ball joints in the upper a arms however in the back there's an option for a Torsen limited slip differential or an open diff they do not have a TV D on this car and potentially will do it on an F product when they do in LCF but one of the main reasons why it doesn't have a TV d they left a Torsen as the option is according their engineers it's about the driving dynamics of this car it's so rigid it's so different in its feeling it's more connected than the GS F and the RC F it it moves around more naturally it is able to rotate through corners the only thing that they did put on here is a rear-wheel steering module which is part of their performance pack that's where this car starts to feel a lot more nimble so I drove the original LC 500 with you about a year ago and that car was open diff and did not have rear steer that car felt I'm not gonna say cumbersome but much bigger than this does the rear steer does a lot of this car to shrink though I thought the RCF also got rear steer the RCF does not have rear steer the RCF only had a Torsen differential option and a TVD option the RCAF sport got a rear-wheel steering module and according to their engineers they felt that the rear wheel steering module and the RC F did not suit the character for what the car was so it's it's these choices they make based on their lead engineers of what they want the car to be drivability wise and they split off some of these features I think on purpose so they can have different trim levels that's part of it so mechanically pass the tennspeed which we'll talk about in a second what else is different with a drivetrain here the drivetrain is the main difference here is the transmission in terms of drivetrain the tennspeed is that evolution of the 8-speed that's in the GS F and RC F it is far quicker to respond the gearing is almost like this they show a chart its rhythmic they want that manual shifting experience or automatic shifting experience to feel like a constant where there's no huge dips or delays like when you go into first second third where you feel a huge drop the other thing that they tried to bake into the tennspeed is it's smoother than the 8-speed automatic and the personality is more you can tell the personality change based on throttle position so if you're like 25% throttle a lot Street car yeah oh yeah total slush box when you go about 50% throttle the shifts get faster when you go flat-out specifically in Sport Plus mode those shifts are as fast as most dual clutch transmissions and they are hard they're fast they're quick they're lightning quick the tennspeed has a lot of character and with that said I think we've talked about this enough let's get this out on the road and see how they all Drive all right well mark I was wrong something this car has in spades this character something that the German cars don't have something that basically nothing else in this segment of luxury GT cars can come close to and when I first drove this car about a year ago I didn't like it I approached it the wrong way I didn't drive this like a yob I drove this like a sophisticated gentleman and when you drive this like a monkey it's phenomenal so what is what changed your mind really about it from when you were first in it did you come to it come to a proach like you're looking at like a German GT car or like a British I looked at it objectively on paper and that's not how you approach this car you approach this car as an emotional purchase unlike the many German counterparts like the 8 Series we just did or some of the Audi products for the Mercedes this understands that driving is about an experience you remember long-term and because there's so much induction noise the way it looks the interior and its many compromises you will always remember this car when a lot of the other products in this price segment you just forget about yeah it's a big point because we've been in and out of these hundred thousand dollar cars now anything well you know you're for that type of money once you start crossing that line it's got to be more than just a corporate badge and a corporate like identity this car definitely has some of the most character of any vehicle I have been at in modern history I entirely agree and some of it is just yeah you never get you never ever get tired of that I mean I am NOT shocked when I look at our street MPGs when I got in this car yesterday they said 11 yeah but that's what it's trying to do it's trying to make you feel something through this sound through the the look the feel of it it's such a unique experience I will say coming out of a car like the Supra there's this is nowhere near as fast but it's about 50 to 100 percent more rewarding and fun to drive because every day you get to experience all your senses are excited and that is why I love this car it's not a car for someone who buys a vehicle based upon its specs Lexus acknowledges that and now I understand why I decide about 0-60 it's not about the ring time or lateral G's it's about I'm setting off at Autobahn Country Club the only place I can really explore the f products properly because to do some of this on the street is just stupid RC F was one of the first F products after the LFA the LFA launched this whole series of things and you had the ISF and this was the continuation however the RC F is more of a skunkworks car I mean we talked about it in the shop how it's three different cars kind of stitched together to give you this coupe shape that resembles some of the LC concept that came out but as a car after the years of evolution the suspension has changed and been improved this specific car has the T V D which shares the same DVD that's in the GS F and of course you have all the new fancy interior appointments with the multi-color options but driving this there are a few things to know it feels a little bit more understeer prone than the GS F so there's not a lot of camber in the front of this car you can just kind of feel it washing out of it the other thing to talk about is the engine although it shares the same engine with the GS F and the LC 500 the five liter take a listen to this that's correct there is fake engine noise that you can't turn off and this is the only F product that has that but the main thing to say is this is more than adequate for the street and on the track it's still pretty enjoyable again it favours understeer but it also seems to want to also oversteer the most out of all the cars when you get it out of sorts it kind of goes through this understeer State and then when you power it out it wants to completely go sideways but it's in lexus form it's completely controllable all of these cars have the same characteristics that will never let you get to the place where this thing is gonna go into a tree like a Mustang or some of the higher horsepower cars so there's always this safety net that you feel this in terms of ride quality compared to the GS F feels a little bit more firmer it's the the ride compliance isn't as good in the softest settings and on the track settings like now to me it's just about the right balance you get a little bit of that rebound feel to it when you're driving but the main thing is the engine now it's time to take the GSF out for a spin oh yeah immediately you can hear that this has a bit more induction noise than the RCF and you can turn off the fake engine noise but the main difference to talk about between these two cars as they share an 8-speed automatic and I'm going to explain the way this works briefly for those who would like to know there's multiple different drive modes from eco all the way to Sport Plus and as you ramp your way up the transmission performance and throttle response changes so one of the big knocks on the F Sport or F transmissions in the v8 models is they're kind of weird at the lower rpm if you manually shift them they're herky-jerky they don't respond all that smooth so it's always been one of these cars that if you plan to drive this slower you just want to keep it in automatic because if you do it kind of knows the g-force of the car it will queue up a gear based on the load best based on the yaw rate sensors all the things the steering wheel angle so it's in the right gear for you in terms of driving an automatic experience if you want to use the paddles and you want to go into manual mode you need to be going foot to the floor but really at the end of the day this is an enormous vehicle one that is going away and we know that the GS might be replaced by something else but we know in this form factor there's not a lot left sitting on dealer lots and they're not gonna continue to produce money and for the size of this the experience is so unique because of this insane v8 that has an engine sound it has induction noise and that is one of the most rewarding parts of driving the GS F final thoughts on the LC the GS F and RC F I sought out this project I wanted to do it this engine the five liter that is in all three of these cars has been known to be almost bulletproof it is super reliable it sounds great as you've heard there's a lot going for it and the most important thing is it's gonna disappear soon global regulations many companies have talked about the heads of companies and engineering have said global regulations are gonna make it next to impossible to make high-performance naturally aspirated motors and it's so sad because the automotive world at this point in time for enthusiasts is getting to be a mixed bag things are more expensive things are a lot more complicated than they used to be and everything is going turbocharged everything is forced induction and when you do that whether you love the extra power in the torque there's also a lot that gets zapped out of it and so many of these cars that I'm in now they just don't sound like a whole lot or they are adding fake engine noise or augmenting all of it so the purity of these three Lexus products are very special and they are not sports cars they are not for everyone and I'm not even saying that they are the best thing ever they are completely flawed in fact I would say you know like the GS F the infotainment some of the technology the RC F it's a mixed architecture between three cars and the LC doesn't fit a whole lot it's not all that practical so why am i celebrating cars like this they're different they are unique they're original in certain ways the GS the GS as a whole is going away so there's not a lot left on the market if you're watching this later it's going to become harder to find used ones the RC is way easier to find an affordable use version of it but at around ninety thousand dollars as we tested this there's going to be very few people that are going to want to invest that money on a new model the LC is still in production and we know it's going to be around for a while I've been in the convertible I've seen the changes to the 2021 and that car from where it started to now all the suspension change it's become a more soft more comfortable driving car and it still brings out a lot of smiles and that's the whole point of motoring at this level you're spending a ton of money you want to know that you're getting something back the reliability factor is huge for me and that's one of the major reasons why I also love these cars I know that it's not just gonna go in the garbage heap and like five years when things break or if things break now I want to say a big thanks to the people that helped to make this happen Jen from Toyota Ron from Autobahn Country Club in Joliet Illinois it's one of the best places to take cars in the Midwest if you really love to drive and then of course Jack Chris and Johnny America and Katherine Brewster for helping all of this go through I hope you enjoyed watching this video as much as I enjoyed making it thanks for watching I'll see you next time you\n"