2015 BMW M4 vs. 2015 Lexus RC F – MotorTrend Head 2 Head

[DrtyJrze]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

If you don't have 18 minutes I'll sum up the video for you:

If V8 sound (whatever that means) is important to you and you like the look of the RCF, go for it. If you prefer performance, EVERY measurable says buy the M4.

If you listened to what they said and watched their body language the M4 blew the RCF out of the water. But the RCF will have a market: people who like a softer ride and don't really care for BMWs (the "reliability" thing people talk about cracks me up on a performance vehicle).

RCF is a solid car, but loses this head to head.

Next up is the C63...

[damnitBobby]

its important to note the rcf was only slower at the track by a few tenth seconds.. respectable for a 4k pound car

but still it looks hideous lol

[stressdoc]

Yeah not sure what is up with the track performance. Love SO with speedcloth.

[irablumberg]

Originally Posted by damnitBobby

its important to note the rcf was only slower at the track by a few tenth seconds.. respectable for a 4k pound car

but still it looks hideous lol

Agreed on the looks, especially that gaping "mouth."

However, why is the performance of the RCF on the track greater than the sum of its parts, or conversely, why is the performance of the M4 on the track less than the sum of its parts?

Given the differences in individual performance metrics (straight line acceleration, braking, steady state cornering, figure 8 time and grip), the M4 should have finished several full seconds faster than the RCF on the road course.

[Maddict3]

The M4 raped the RCF, I wonder whats happening right now at Club Lexus..LOL

[M3OW]

My lord the Lexus is hideous.

[DrtyJrze]

Originally Posted by irablumberg

Agreed on the looks, especially that gaping "mouth."

However, why is the performance of the RCF on the track greater than the sum of its parts, or conversely, why is the performance of the M4 on the track less than the sum of its parts?

Given the differences in individual performance metrics (straight line acceleration, braking, steady state cornering, figure 8 time and grip), the M4 should have finished several full seconds faster than the RCF on the road course.

I scrolled through the comments and someone said that Willow is better suited for a softer suspension setup due to the uneven surfaces (don't know if this is true or not). That M4 did not have adaptive suspension.

Also keep in mind the lap was only a little over a minute. Multiply that over many laps and that small difference gets considerable real quick.

[ybbiz34]

The RC F performed much better than I anticipated. Three tenths slower than the M4 around the Streets of Willow? Who would've guessed that? It also sounds great. The exterior styling is growing on me (particularly the rear).

The F82 M4 is clearly the better all-around car. I also slightly prefer the M4's aesthetics, inside and out. The M4 looked like a handful to drive around that circuit. That's what happens when you have mountains of torque to play with. On all of my M4 test drives, the TC light was flickering quite a bit. That's one of the reasons I had so much fun with it!

[BlackCobra08]

Sorry if this is a repost but just watched this video today, didn't see anyone else post it under this video section. More kudos to the M4 from MT Interesting how Randy thinks it sounds like a V8 where as Carlos complains about the sound

[Powaup]

M4 FTW! the price tag on the test car is much higher than it should be, M4 with CBB, DCT, LED and paint is 79K, if you drop the CCBs the M4 cost less than the lexus.

The RCF is just so ugly, I've seen it in person too...

[hellrotm]

Pobst lost a lot of time due to the oversteer nature of the M4. Look at the last turn coming onto the straight, he was opposite lock through the entire turn. But that is part of why the M4 is much more gratifying to drive.

M4 won every measured test in the comparo. It was a landslide victory.

If Lexus could have made RC-F lighter, the outcome could have been different.

[TheBingoBalls]

Not sure why Lexus decided to use part of the GS chassis. Surely if they built specifically over the IS chassis, it would've been lighter and performed better.

[Phaeron]

I do not like the Lexus. It looks cheap... Like as if it is made of plastic. The complaint about the sound is rather funny because the RCF sounds like a motorcycle to me I suspect the true reason of hate on the F80 sound has nothing to do with the sound but the knowledge it isn't a V8.

its one of those if they did not know they would be praising it but since they do know they feel the need to hate it.

[jc05e46m3]

Originally Posted by damnitBobby

its important to note the rcf was only slower at the track by a few tenth seconds.. respectable for a 4k pound car

but still it looks hideous lol

Originally Posted by M3OW

My lord the Lexus is hideous.

In real life, this thing actually looks pretty good. The front is a little much, but it looks good overall. The interior is

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

Not sure why Lexus decided to use part of the GS chassis. Surely if they built specifically over the IS chassis, it would've been lighter and performed better.

This.

[nbennettksu]

anybody notice the M4 had cloth seats?

[VMRWheels]

Thanks for sharing! Can't say I'm too surprised by the outcome though.

[V1.47fan]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Pobst lost a lot of time due to the oversteer nature of the M4. Look at the last turn coming onto the straight, he was opposite lock through the entire turn. But that is part of why the M4 is much more gratifying to drive.

M4 won every measured test in the comparo. It was a landslide victory.

If Lexus could have made RC-F lighter, the outcome could have been different.

How's that a landslide victory if around the track where acceleration, braking, cornering, etc. Come into play, the RC-F ran 1:24.05 vs 1:23.73?

[Manbnda]

Each and everytime we hear Jonny Lieberman say "This is the manliest thing I've ever done in my life", a star far from the milky way explodes.

[YOYO1111]

That Lexus is sooo ugly!

[Horns0897]

Originally Posted by V1.47fan

How's that a landslide victory if around the track where acceleration, braking, cornering, etc. Come into play, the RC-F ran 1:24.05 vs 1:23.73?

I read that to mean that the M4 won every measured metric so it was a landslide.

[TheBingoBalls]

Need to compare on a longer track.

[ixse]

Originally Posted by V1.47fan

How's that a landslide victory if around the track where acceleration, braking, cornering, etc. Come into play, the RC-F ran 1:24.05 vs 1:23.73?

Put a stig in there for both cars.. Bet the diff would've been more significant