Lexus RC-F and Supercharged Subaru BRZ Back to Back Drive

You could say a day of good fun is one where you get to drive a cool car all over some of the best driving roads around. Now, better fun is when you drive TWO awesome cars all over the best canyon roads near San Diego County.

That’s exactly what happened here. Two awesome cars. One, a supercharged Subaru BRZ with more than $15,000 in upgrades, not even counting labor. The second, the very stunning new Lexus RC F – An amazing machine with over 467 horsepower and more toys than you can even play with in one day.

These are two very different cars. One’s a minimalist lightweight precision instrument where the other one is a luxury powerhouse meant to excite while keeping you in comfort. This BRZ represents the car that Subaru should’ve built from the factory, perhaps rocking a turbo instead of a blower. The RC-F represents the coolest car Lexus has built to date barring the LFA.

That BRZ

You know the BRZ well. At least the stock form of it. It has been out as early as 2012 as a ’13 model. Now in 2015 it’s still turning heads and making drivers happy. Yet, many of them now have superchargers. A nod to the fact that everyone thinks it needs more power.

This modded BRZ proved amazing to drive. These are the perfect roads for it. This particular Crystal Black Silica BRZ has a slightly tamed tune for the upgrades that allows the supercharged car to be CARB-legal. This means it’s a car that’s considerably faster than stock, much more responsive, yet is running a conservative and less stressful tune. There’s still a hidden dragon in there should one wish to awaken it.

We will include many more details about the build in our follow-up article dedicated to this car.

The BRZ felt right at home in these roads of course – it’s what it was made for. Some argue the BRZ can be kind of boring on the freeway. Certainly not this one – though that’s up to you to decide. That said, it belongs on these types of roads. If you happen to live near windy roads, this car might be for you.

The RC F

This flavor of Lexus RC-F is Ultra White, the very classy type of pearl white you’d expect on a Lexus. Inside, it has the most amazing red leather seats money can buy (I’m not kidding, these are the most comfortable sport seats I’ve ever driven in) a healthy dose of Alcantara and just a touch of carbon fiber. The car has the right balance of interior materials to let you know it’s a performance sports coupé without looking like a home-brewed tuner car.

This RC-F, as configured is priced around $77,000 and has all sorts of gadgets like various driving modes, limited slip differential, heated and ventilated seats and a whole other host of amenities that would extend this article to be 5 times longer. The car also has an 8-speed automatic with direct-shift. In these canyon roads I spend most of my time in second and third gear.

The Lexus RC-F is a heavy car. However, I hadn’t looked up the specs before driving it. I didn’t think it felt heavy. Honestly, after getting out of the car I was commenting on how light-footed it felt and how nimble and responsive it felt for being a big car. In fact, while the BRZ fit these roads better, I never complained that the RC-F was too big for the roads. It was very easy to drive fast and handled the road with authority. It feels more at home in slightly wider windy roads. For example, when we hit Mesa Grande, it was obvious the BRZ fit the super narrow roads there better. But the RC-F still managed amazingly well. I hopped back into the BRZ after that to get a good feel for both cars, but I never felt I wanted to get out of the RCF regardless of the type of road.

We’ll be going into a lot more detail on both of these cars in separate articles about each. Make sure to keep an eye out on our main blog so you don’t miss them. In fact, I suggest you join our email list and you won’t have to worry about remembering to check. You will receive the stories straight to your inbox.

Both of these cars come courtesy of Crowley Car Company. The Supercharged Subaru BRZ is for sale at Subaru El Cajón. The Lexus RC-F is a certified pre-owned from nearby at Lexus El Cajón. This is of course in El Cajon, San Diego California.