Rabbers

I just came across the following 2019 RC video review: LEXUS RC review - hottest Lexus out there? By Girl on Swiss Roads youtube.com/watch?v=H9gLR82AXTU# Not especially informative but worth seeing because, unusually, the reviewer is as easy on the eye as the car being reviewed.

Subject to the locations of cameras being present in the data base, acoustic and visual alerts have in my experience always been a feature of Lexus premium navigation in both the RC and the IS. One of the advantages of the Coyote system supposedly lies in its constant updating by a community of users who are able to report new fixed cameras or the possible presence of mobile ones simply by highlighting the Coyote logo on the display. It also calculates and shows your average speed in the presence of SPECS-type camera systems, which sounds very useful. Also, the graphics are very much designed to grab your attention and provide guidance. I am not up to date on the niceties of French legislation on speed camera alerts (though I suspect semantics of may well play a role in its interpretation and enforcement) and its defining technologies but, for drivers unwilling to take chances, the Coyote can always be switched off.

I have just installed the Coyote alert system as a free download via MyLexus. The subscription is free for the first three years and would cost €99 per year on renewal. Compatibility is limited to the CY17 navigation system. I'm not sure if the Coyote is offered for all Lexus models in all countries, the 2019 RC being a very recent addition for Italy alongside the ES, UX and LS and maybe others. I know the three-year deal was already available and actively promoted at least in France (where Coyote is headquartered) and Spain in 2018 simultaneously with the introduction of the CY17 system. I further understand that Coyote would in any case be included in the Apple CarPlay apps suite, which, it is rumoured, will soon be available for owner download or, more likely, dealer installation. I am as yet unable to judge how useful the Coyote device might be. It has so far only alerted me of the presence of fixed speed cameras of which I was already aware. Not that such reminders are necessarily a bad thing. Real-time warnings of accidents, queues and stationary vehicles, roadworks etc. inside a 30km radius will certainly be useful for long motorway drives.

When I got into my new RC last Sunday morning I was mightily impressed to see the clock automatically put back. Or so I thought until my wife informed me that, not having found the traditional +/- buttons, she had switched off the DST in the Settings ten minutes before. Clever girl. Cleverer than me, at least ....

I see that a new update termed "2019 V2 Map Update" has become available as a free download from the MyLexus e-Store. I presume "V2" means "Version 2". There is an accompanying manual which makes the installation look more complicated than it probably is, but I think I'll let my dealer perform the task when I'm next in the neighbourhood.

There’s no question it’s the mixed tyres. I once punctured a rear tyre of a BMW 325 in a god-forsaken place in the middle of France and virtually destroyed it by driving for several km in order to find a safe place to lay up. Miraculously, a local garage had two tyres of the right size, albeit Michelins instead of Goodyears, and I gratefully had them fitted only to discover the car was unable to keep a straight line whenever it got up to 80-90kmh or so. When I got home after a rather terrifying drive, I immediately reverted to four Goodyears and had no further problem. About a year later, I did a normal change of tyres, satisfactorily adding two new Michelins to the two I had kept, which was a happy ending to a bad story.

Walking around the car multiple times with a drying towel provides its own aesthetic rewards right now, but a Touchless Dryer would certainly be quicker and more practical. As a matter of fact I’ve once or twice seen professional detailers using common-or-garden hair-dryers that looked fit enough for the purpose, if a little incongruous.

I just gave my new RC its first serious water-only wash and towelling - a sensuous experience in view of the pristine surfaces. Was it my imagination or were the drips and dribbles around the boot-lid, door-frames and mirrors now even more copious than previously?

Thomas: I had seen - and enjoyed - your video on the 2019 RC when you originally posted it, thereby further whetting my appetite while I was awaiting delivery of mine. The RC, as you amply demonstrate, is a highly videogenic car among its many other virtues.

Unless it serves a specific purpose such as improving DAB reception, as Britprius suggests, or some other equally valuable but more mysterious one, it certainly does appear to be a useless and rather confusing addition. No doubt someone someday will enlighten us. Having said this, I must admit that I am finding its appearance to be so impressive in terms of advanced technological aesthetics that I am already growing to like it for its presence alone.

.... Nothing happened. No heat emanated from the glass, so the wiring can be presumed to be an antenna.

No, I haven’t tried it yet but, on reflection, I agree that it’s probably an antenna. I’ll try the demister tomorrow morning in the expectation it will have been a dewy night and we’ll see what happens.

When I got my 2019 RC I didn’t immediately notice that the de-frosting/misting function now extends to the passenger-side quarter window. I have found no reference to it in the User Guide. Has anybody seen it mentioned in reviews or promotional literature? I am rather sceptical of its potential value, especially in the presence of the BSM/RCTA, but will give it the benefit of the doubt pending use this coming winter.

I should have added to my above post that Lexus, probably because of criticism of the diamond-cuts, has reverted to a normal - albeit darkened - finish for the 2019 RC F-Sport wheels and, while retaining the same design as the old diamond-cuts for the top-grade non-F-Sport model, now produces it solely in a plain- alloy version.

I had one or more alloys replaced under warranty, no questions asked, because of corrosion issues on each of three of five ISs I owned, the last time in a 2013 300h. Having read negative comments on this Forum about diamond-cuts, I was worried history might have repeated itself with my 2016 RC300h but, when I recently traded the car in after 71000km, the wheels were as good as new. This might well have been attributable to the lightness of the salting of the roads for three consecutive mild winters but I like to believe the following simple care & maintenance regimen also helped: * Don't let the wheels get too dirty * Wash only with normal car shampoo using a wheel brush if necessary * Apply a protective wax, e.g. Collinite, 3-4 times a year

Earlier this week I took delivery of a new 2019 RC300h F-Sport and traded in my 2016 model with 71000km on the clock. The only colour I could get for quick delivery was the same Sonic Titanium as I had before, with the Dark Rose leather now replaced by Flare Red. Since the titanium/red combination still heads my list of preferences, the lack of choice was not an issue. In fact, a change of colour would have deprived me of the option of not telling people I’ve got a new car. While my car was being groomed for delivery, I took the dealer’s demo RC for a short drive, and found it distinctly quieter than the 2016 F-Sport, an impression confirmed when I drove my own 2019 car for the first time. I confess, at the risk of trivialising the work of the RC’s engineers, that I have not yet figured out if - or to what extent - this apparent advance in the car’s already high level of refinement is due to an unannounced tweak to the hybrid system, perhaps accompanied by better soundproofing, or simply reflects the low amount of noise made by factory-fresh tyres compared to old ones. An assessment of the claimed improvements in handling and grip deriving from the re-tuned steering and new shock absorbers had to wait until my long drive home from the dealer, and was immediately positive. The upper limits at which I comfortably take corners and bends are now significantly higher, and I am finding this almost as enjoyable in routine driving as it is on winding roads taken at a brisk pace. I have not yet driven the car on the motorway, but since it feels even more firmly planted than its predecessor when cruising at >90-110kmh on normal roads, I would be surprised if the straight-line and long-curve stability at higher speeds is not similarly improved. Benign signals from my neck and back on familiar stretches of bad road are proof of an improvement in ride quality, but considering that Lexus found it necessary to redesign the original shock absorbers, I was expecting the effect on general comfort to be more pronounced. My overall impression, reflecting a level of contentment that becomes more addictive with every drive, is that the RC now transmits an eagerness to perform it may previously have lacked. As a repeat customer, I was clearly biased in favor of the RC from the outset: I have not tired of the car’s looks, its level of performance meets my needs and suits my temperament, and its reliability, underscored by dealer competence and efficiency, is comforting. My niggles are few and mainly concerned with keeping the car as spotless as pride of ownership dictates, which can be a bit of a chore though in itself often satisfying. Opinions may differ as to whether the facelift should have leaned more towards content than looks, but, in my view, the margins for improvement within the car’s original terms of reference were slim - not that mid-life restylings of Lexus models are typically other than low-key given the marque’s prioritisation of dependability over change for change’s sake. Having now spent quite a few hours gazing at the car with as much objectivity as love permits, I find the principal elements of the restyling less inconsequential than I originally thought. By confining changes largely to non-metal components such as the bumpers and out-sourced ones such as the lights, Lexus has re-emphasised the characteristic muscularity of the design without incurring heavy new investments in plant and equipment at this stage of the car’s life, thus potentially attracting a few new customers without upsetting its own accountants. Certainly, I was never fond of the strakes in the rear flanks. While not dismissing their role in accentuating the car’s dynamic lines and adding interest to the otherwise empty overhang, I found them aesthetically redundant - as well as irritating to clean. And, not being convinced that they create additional downforce at high speeds, or of any strict need for it if they do, I also thought them aerodynamically superfluous. So, for these reasons, to which I would add the contagious cheapening influence of kindred rubber or plastic excrescences recently blighting more and more cars, I was happy to see the strakes replaced by less obtrusive air ducts which, by replicating the front intakes, also improve the symmetry of the car’s profile. The clustering into single units of the vertically stacked triple headlights and solid-surface DRLs, the latter replacing the previous separate rows of small LEDs, is stylistically unusual and unmistakably identifies the RC as a premium car - as do the LC-inspired tail-lights. I won’t swear that the headlights are now more effective, but my one experience so far of an ill-lit country road on a murky night suggests the beam is brighter and whiter and maybe longer. The mesh of the grille is a handsome piece of design, but its gradations are perhaps too subtle for the eye to readily appreciate. I suspect the grille itself has been widened at the base, but this could well be an illusion created by the horizontal splitter added below it. The wing-mirrors, also LC-inspired, give every impression of being aerodynamically efficient - not, despite their chunky appearance, that I had any serious complaint about the earlier ones in this regard. The two-tone wheels on my 2016 RC - now made in a plain-alloy version solely for the top non-F-Sport grade - were, to my eye, more attractive, especially on a metallic grey car. Given their unblemished condition - of which I was rather proud - I considered transferring them to the new car, but thought better of it in the interests of generational authenticity. No doubt I’ll grow to like the replacement design, which fills the arches pleasingly enough and also promises to be easier to clean by virtue of its more open geometry. In addition to its undeniable elegance, the “Darkened Alloy” tonality has the intrinsic ability to camouflage light deposits of brake-dust, thus prospectively lengthening the intervals between their removal. The car came with the orange-coloured calipers and larger front discs fitted as standard on the F-Sport in some countries and offered as an optional in others. Although I have seen no official performance data, I like to think the extra confidence they inspire is not misplaced. Lexus’ choice of orange - thankfully a not-too-garish shade thereof - is less suited to some body colours than others and may not be to everyone’s taste but, in the absence of alternative offerings, discussion is pointless. That the changes to the cabin are few and in some cases too subtle to be immediately noticed is a tribute to the freshness and continuing serviceability of the design. I admit I was baffled by the presence of a connecting channel between the cupholders until it dawned on me that my willingness to forgo the pleasures of in-car hydration or on-the-go shots of caffeine has finally been rewarded by the availability of a handy slot for my phone. For Lexus to describe, let alone promote, the brushed faux-metal finish of the climate/audio control panel etc., as an upgrade is a bit of a stretch, but I suppose inoffensiveness can itself be deemed a virtue. The same could be said for the enlarged leather pads flanking the centre console, even though they do provide a slightly more cosseted feel while theoretically lessening the chance of rattles. Unless I’m mistaken, the door of the glove-box is now angled millimetrically further inwards so as to provide more knee-room without reducing storage capacity. If so, I’m not sure if I wouldn’t have preferred the exact opposite. Another minor novelty is represented by the START button, which is now concave and thus no longer Toyota-like. Strange to tell, I immediately liked it without knowing if the attraction is ergonomic or tactile or merely subjective. Anyone opting for red leather will probably agree that Flare Red provides a good contrast to the black cloth of the roof lining, which is presumably why it has replaced the more sedate Dark Rose in new F-Sport models across the range. After living for so many years with a 7 inch display framed by inert sidebar-like panels inside a mismatched 10.3 inch housing, first in a 2013 IS300h and then in the 2016 RC, I was naturally glad to finally have the reformatted infotainment system already present in both cars since last year. The improvement in visibility and readability is good, but considering that a chiefly dimensional upgrade was no great feat of technology, I still find myself wondering what prevented Lexus from resolving an embarrassing visual anomaly much earlier. Similarly, I won’t hide my annoyance at seeing that a neighbour’s 2018 Alfa Giulia has Apple CarPlay when my 2019 RC does not. That the main improvements to the infotainment system, welcome as they are, appear to be in the speed and possible reliability of the nav calculations and not in its functionality will disappoint its many critics more than it does me. Because the system has remained practically unchanged, warts and all, for upwards of a decade, its workings have become so familiar as to inspire my affection if not my esteem, and although I admit that a comparison between an item of third-millennium technology and a comfortable pair of old shoes may not be entirely apt, it does go some way towards explaining my relationship with the system. Having said this, I delighted to find the once highly capricious Vocal Command function now steadily delivering far more first-time hits than misses, thus considerably raising my irritation threshold and inviting more frequent use. No doubt other surprises lie hidden within the system’s folds and creases. After being advertised as standard equipment for the F-Sport in some pre-launch brochures in 2016 - along with a phantom wireless phone charger - the G-Force monitor has finally materialised. Once I overcame a childish urge to accelerate and brake abnormally hard in order to make the graph wobble around spiritedly but to no intelligible purpose, I sadly concluded that such power as the device might have to inform and/or entertain and thus enhance the driving experience is not sufficient to qualify it as other than surplus to requirements. It would be interesting to hear from fellow owners who think otherwise. Like its predecessor, my car came without ML audio, the absence of which irked me less than before, not because I don’t still miss it from past cars, but because I believe the cost may finally have come to outweigh the benefits. Few, if any, spoken-word podcasts or radio shows demand premium audio, and even though my iPod/iPhone music content would unquestionably benefit from the ML’s superior clarity and power, I now judge the standard 10-speaker system to be nearly as good for my enjoyment of much or most of it. Even so, I can’t quite rid myself of the notion that making do with second-best has adversely affected my listening standards. Having decided long ago that my life would be no poorer for the want of a sunroof - my last was in a 2008 IS250 - I was almost startled to find myself thoroughly enjoying sun and unconditioned air again, to the point where I could barely suppress a twinge of nostalgia on seeing that the roof’s design - and hopefully the reliability of the mechanism - has not changed down the years.

I've been told the same, and am waiting to hear when the new ones will be available - which, alas, will certainly not be in time for the delivery of my own new car within the next two weeks or so. The dealer was not convinced the front flaps wouldn't fit, but since they come in a set with the rears, the thought was in any case academic.

Sounds like a case of bigger being better and literally cooler.

Does anyone have information, technical or otherwise, about the orange-coloured calipers and relative discs fitted as standard on the F-Sport RC in the U.K. or offered under the name of “Orange Pack”as a €300 optional in some other countries? The discs are supposed to be bigger, which could well be true insofar as the price seems high for enameling alone. And if they are indeed bigger, is their stopping power any greater because of it?

Lovely car. I’ll be picking up my own F-Sport in early September after a wait of only six weeks as the result of my dealer’s interception of a cancelled order about to be shipped from Japan. It is the same Sonic Titanium as my present one, which is fine since the combination with red leather objectively remains my favourite. Regrettably, but not so much as to have been a dealbreaker or cause me an excess of suffering, it doesn’t have ML audio or the heated steering-wheel and card-key included in the Takumi pack in the UK and some other countries.

I was both surprised and pleased to see that the RC300h (the 2019 model of which I have just ordered for delivery in September as a replacement for my present 2016 one) has come top in the Sports Car category of the 2019 Auto Express Driver Power Survey, in which LEXUS did very well all round. While the RC’s inclusion in the Sports Car category may well raise some eyebrows, the remarkable thing is how the magazine accompanied the news with a simple repetition of its own rather unenthusiastic and very German-oriented previous review. I can recall few better illustrations of the gulf between owner and journalist opinions.

Phil: I’m sorry to suggest what I think you’ll find to be depressing reading, but the subject was exhaustively discussed in the following thread: Pop-Up Hood Warning, started by EvilAudi on March 3, 2015, IS300H etc. Club. Check it out.

Congratulations on your new RC. It looks - and undoubtedly is - superb, and I look forward to further reports. Having been away from home since May I’ve delayed placing my own order until my return later this month. With luck - and not being overfussed about colour unless it is one I actively dislike, I hope to be able to get one from dealer stock.

Not badly at all. It felt a bit lumpish on a brief uphill stretch but this could well have been my imagination. Comforted by the thought that all Japanese cars must be designed to occasionally carry a couple of Sumo wrestlers, I figured the load was equal to two corpulent rear passengers plus their luggage for a long holiday. I am glad to hear that my good lady is not alone in offering generous support to the retail trade wherever she travels.

This post may be of interest to other owners tempted to put their RC to unorthodox use. Certainly, until recently, the RC was not the sort of car I would normally have connected with my memory - now probably a remote one - of all shapes and sizes of vehicles with GB plates heading towards Calais or Boulogne filled to the roof with bottles of wine. The other day I found myself needing to transport a cargo of wines across town. The load consisted of upwards of 160 bottles mostly packed in cartons of 6 plus two wooden cases of 12 and a few odd singles. Worried they would not fit into the RC, I had been toying with the idea of hiring a small van. However, to my amazement, though admittedly not without some geometrical computation, the entire load went in easily once the rear-seats were folded down. To my even greater surprise, I could probably have got another couple of dozen bottles into the back without affecting my rear view and, at a pinch, also used the footwells. I have never hidden my fondness for the RC but had not previously given it high marks for its loading potential.