RC convertible (LF-C2)

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

I might be late to the party, but have not seen this discussed on the forum, neither search brings any results (though I don't trust it)...

It seems Lexus planning on RC convertible as LF-C2 can be nothing else but it:

Knowing our engine options in UK, though I hope it will get only form of RC-Fc, because you wouldn't want to hear awful sound of 300h/200t with roof down.

rayaans · December 9, 2016

Its an interesting concept actually.

Apparently the RC is extremely stiff - so stiff in fact that they could chop the roof off for the convertible and not have to put any more strengthening in the car (you can thank the IS250C bit of the chassis for that)

It'll be unlikely to surface as an RC-F but if it does get made, itll definitely come to the UK in RC300h form, after all, nobody cares about the sound of cars anymore - otherwise there wouldnt be any convertible diesels would there?

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

... yeah, I am not sure if I agree. RC300h is total flop in my opinion. Not saying it is not practical, but not enjoyable..

doog442 · December 9, 2016

My 200t engine doesn't sound much different than my straight 6 3 litre N55....its quieter actually,.the exhaust note is obviously different but that's down to what's at the back end and within reason you can add a bit of crackle and pop to most cars .My IS200 had a nice engine note however but modern engines of this class are so soundproofed you wouldn't hear much from the bonnet anyway roof or no roof (and isn't that the bleeding point of a Lexus ! )

The suggestion a 200t sounds 'awful' is just complete and utter nonsense and I guess IS300h owners would also agree about the assertion their engines sound awful...

This tactic of constantly slating Lexus products on a Lexus forum is a little bit confusing.

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

I don't really understand why won't you accept that different people could have different opinions. I am not slating Lexus products ... but it is true that I don't like the turn company is making. I would take v6 or v8 any day over hybrid or low volume turbo engine. My opinion is that they don't sound as good. And I can recommend certain Lexus models any day, but that won't be 300h or 200t. I am not saying every Lexus should be as loud as IS-F, RC-F or LFA, but even quiet note of IS250 V6 is much nicer that sound from 300h or 200t engines... again just my personal opinion.

Some of you guys are acting as if I say your cars are not good... that is not the case, you have made your choices are have your reasons, what I am saying I personally wouldn't buy such car and I am giving my reasons for it. Finally, it is fact that I am not alone here who would rather have RC/IS350 or who agrees that Lexus is lacking mid-tier in UK.

NemesisUK · December 9, 2016

You may not be slating Lexus but you constantly express your dislike for the engines offered, the sound they do or don't make. You don't like the direction you perceive the company is taking, you find it incomprehensible that certain models/engine/option combination aren't offered on the UK market, whereas other marques do. It does beg the question, why do you still persevere with Lexus?

It's a great discussion but there seems to be no positive side to your viewpoint?

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

You probably should read what I have said again, there were many positive comments as well. True, overall I there were bad points and less good, but that was from my personal perspective and I was very clear about it.

You kind of answered you own question... "you find it incomprehensible that certain models/engine/option combination aren't offered on the UK market", that is exactly the point - so I admire the Lexus brand overall, but not Lexus UK offering.. It might well be the case that it is UK government and UK market fault and not Lexus.. simply people do not value cars which are great to drive anymore, but rather value tax bands, insurance classes and how much of tax value they can offset as a business tax saving.

I wish Lexus would challenge that and protect their brand by introducing the models which suits not only general public, but as well loyal customers. True it would reduce their profit margin in short term, but I believe in long term they would be able to have more customer retention and it would work out more profitable.

NemesisUK · December 9, 2016

The vast majority of new car sales within the UK are by fleet buyers, where tax bands, economy, service interval are king. They have no feeling for 'a great drive'.

That said if Lexus thought there was money to be made, directly or via a loss leader, they would be promoting that 'unpopular' model/engine/option...

Nothing tp do with Lexus UK or UK,gov

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

So you said almost the same thing as me, but at the same time managed to disagree with me... how?!

Can I summarise that currently Lexus UK range represents "fleet buyers, where tax bands, economy, service interval are king" and therefore their cars are not great to drive?

Am I missing anything.. that what I was saying all along...

NemesisUK · December 9, 2016

No, you missed nothing except that 'fun to drive' is subjective and tax bands, economy and service intervals are objective but the two classifications are not mutually exclusive.

It's your subjective assessment of 'fun to drive' that is different from many other Lexus drivers?

steveledzep · December 9, 2016

The 0-60 time on my IS250 convertible is somewhere between 8 and 9 seconds, but it's great fun to drive, especially when the sun is shining !!

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

what about engine sound, does it plays any part of it?

By the way, the engine is the same as mine and while official acceleration is 8.6s all the reviewers, my personal experience and many posts on this forum proves it is closer to 7.5s. RC300h feels a lot slower and because my friend was taking me to pick it up in my IS250 we have tried few times and IS250 is definitely faster, even though on the paper RC300h and IS250 are the same.

Which means that if this convertible ever going to make it in form of RC300h, it will be noticeably slower than IS250C.. and no v6 sound from anywhere.

@NemesisUK you are right, fun to drive is completely subjective, as well as factors which contributes towards that. That is why I said in my opinion it is not fun to drive. Maybe for some people knowing that they save £150 a year on road tax is all they need to make them smile. My logic is that Lexus is premium car and not meant for those who are trying to save.. as I guess they all have Leaf or Prius by now or use public transport.

steveledzep · December 9, 2016

My IS250 will be a wee bit slower than yours Linas because it's heavier.

I'm not really interested in whose car is quicker or sounds better, I just like my car.

I do most of my driving in rural Wales, and yes the engine does sound good at 4,000+ rpm. I don't take the revs that high to hear it, I'm more interested in overtaking the tractor safely !

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

If you have an option, would you rather get RC350 or RC300h/200t? Or equally, would you rather simply stay with you IS250c? That was kind of one of my major issues.. I din't feel that RC300h is much of upgrade from my old IS250.. so I guess if I wouldn't have experience of owning IS250 my opinion would be completely different and potentially more positive.

doog442 · December 9, 2016

How can he answer that without

1. Wanting to change his car

2. Having the finance to do so

3. Having driven them all ?

I wasn't happy with Lexus offerings, just like you aren't now. So I left and like me there is nothing stopping you going to BMW/ Jaguar or a multitude of other dealers and getting a car that satisfies your criteria.

I returned when the IS200t came out - I wouldn't have if it hadn't - that's how car ownership works. One thing I didn't do was drive every BMW under the sun and rip them all to pieces on Pistonheads or Bimmerfest.

Best of luck, however i get the feeling I'm going to be reading loads more disenchanted posts from you about how crap Lexus are....actually i'm not I've just found the ignore button.

(PS I come on here to feel good about my car with like minded people, not see it getting ripped to pieces by someone who's never sat in one - )-cheerio

Linas.P · December 9, 2016

"about how crap Lexus are.... in UK"

I can see quite a lot of fanboyism going on here.... It seems like, if this is Lexus forum there should be only positive opinions about their cars. Maybe from now we should stop saying IS220d had reliability issues... because you know "why should we rip Lexus to pieces on Lexus forum".. Lets close our eyes and pretend they do not make mistakes and instead only make perfect cars.