Lexus recently announced that its RC F sports coupe is no more. And its departure leaves me wondering what this means for the future of the Lexus brand. More specifically, I’m wondering what this means for the future of Lexus’ performance sub-brand, F.
The Origin
Not go full old-man here, but I was there back in 2007 when Lexus introduced the media to its first F-badged ride: the mighty IS F. And it’s hard to overstate just how radical this car was. Though not even 20 years old at the time, Lexus had a firmly established presence in the luxury space and enjoyed a fiercely loyal customer base. Problem was: these buyers were among the oldest in the industry. And even the carefully crafted PR messaging made it clear that Lexus needed a younger customer base because its existing one, well, had a habit of dying of old age.
And the original IS F did all the right things to attract a younger, more affluent audience. It was everything that the Lexus brand was not. It was bold, brash, audacious. It was loud. Mighty. It literally shouted “I am a performance machine” in every way, shape and form possible. And it was clearly a project born of passion. It’s far from elegant, but there’s a charm to its function-first look, its bulbous sheet metal clearly straining to contain the various performance add-ons. This was a ride that defined the entire F concept: performance first; F everything else.
Of course, nearly two decades later, we now know that this first IS F helped set the stage for beloved rides like the GS F, RC F and incredible LF-A. But these cars—the ones that created the F brand—are dead. While the F badge itself has yet to receive its death certificate, it’s definitely on life support. And it’s my fear that, once that F-shaped halo is gone, Lexus will kill what may very well be its greatest sports sedan ever: the IS 500 F SPORT Performance.
The Successor
G
I am of the mind that the Lexus IS 500 F SPORT Performance is the greatest new sports car Toyota builds today. I adore the Lexus LC, but it’s a luxurious grand tourer, not a rambunctious street fighter. The RC F goes a bit too hard in the opposite direction, prioritizing track performance over streetability. Same can be said for Toyota-badged rides like the GR Corolla and GR Yaris. GR Supra and GR86? I like ‘em, but we all know those aren’t real Toyotas.
That leaves the IS 500 the best all-around performance machine that’s truly all-Toyota. It’s got the same stuff that made that first IS F so great, starting with that Yamaha-built naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine. It still sounds phenomenal, and through the years it has been massaged to output 472 horsepower. Its 8-speed transmission had many saying “too many gears” back in 2008, but in today’s world of 10-speed boxes, it offers just the right amount of response down low and makes high-speed cruising effortless.
The IS 500 F SPORT Performance may lack some of the focus of the original IS F or RC F, but that also means it works as a sports sedan for all occasions. Use it as a commuter and it drives like any other Lexus. But when the roads allow, its small-ish footprint and finely tuned RWD chassis make it a joy to toss around corners. Or, if like Ricky Bobby, you just wanna go fast, this thing is ready to deliver the power and response you need to brute-force your way to a 4.4-second 0-60 time.
Just as I’ve grown and matured since 2007, so has this V8-powered IS. Its design is more cohesive, more intentional, versus the original’s “make it fit” aesthetic. It’s a whole lot nicer inside, too. It’s a proper a proper luxury car, boasting a clean cockpit-like design that prioritizes driver comfort and ergonomics over boy-racer-inspired design flourishes. And best of all, since it is kind of old, it still features a whole lot of real, physical buttons.
The Lexus IS 500 F SPORT Performance is a brilliant car, and the fact it exists helps soften the blow that the pure F model line is no more. It’s so good, I’d say it can stand as the new halo performance brand for Lexus. But there’s one little, and by little I mean big, problem: Lexus has also slapped this badge on some big ol’ honkin’ SUVs.
The Problem
Lexus has given its money makers—the RX crossover and TX three-row SUV—their own F SPORT Performance variants. And while these family haulers are phenomenal at doing the whole luxury SUV thing, and have some neat tech that that make them feel a bit more responsive, they are, at their core, uninspired. They’re sedate. They’re quiet. Their electrified and turbocharged engines groan when pushed. They lack the agility and playfulness one desires when the roads get twisty. They blend into the background. They are everything the original IS F rebelled against. They are, in other words, not a “true” F.
As the saying goes: history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Despite the massive success of the RX, the average age of new RX buyers is about 65 years old. And while the minivan-like nature of the TX naturally appeals to a younger demographic (parents of young kids tend to be under 65…), a family hauler simply won’t generate the kind of excitement needed to draw passionate new enthusiasts to the brand. It’s feeling an awful lot like 2007 up in here…
The Solution
I’m no marketing (or product-planning) genius, but I think we can learn a lot from the past. And a quick look back might provide us with a cheap and simple fix: Now that the RC F is gone, the IS 500 F SPORT Performance has the character—and the capability—to uphold the legacy of F. It should have been called an IS F from the beginning, and a simple badge tweak is all that’s needed to keep the spirit of F alive. It will show fans everywhere that Lexus still gives an F about driving. And maybe, just maybe, Lexus can capture some new buyers who have yet to hit retirement age.
Justin Kaehler has been covering all things automotive for 20 years, and has been an active part of the car scene for much longer than that. Though he’s grown to love all cars, he’s still particularly fond of the ’80s and ’90s Japanese metal he grew up on. And for those of you who grew up playing The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift game for the PS2 and PSP, yes, he’s also that JDM Justin.