Lexus Performance Driving School (rough notes)

"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
07/23/2017 at 22:15 • Filed to: None

Today I did the Lexus Performance Driving School. It was quite interesting. I’ve previously done similar Ford, BMW, Porsche, and Jaguar events. This one kind of ranked in the middle across the board with 1 exception...

The Format:

Check-in

Refreshments and waiting

Presentation

Driving: Drag Strip (RC350/IS350)

Driving: Autocross Practice (RCF/GSF)

Driving: Timed Autocross (LC500)

Goodbye from the team

First off, they get 10 points out of 10 for the amount of driving. 2 or 3 runs on the drag strip, 4-5 runs of autocross practice, then 2 runs in the LC500 course (a mirror of the practice course). Outside of Jaguar, it’s the most seat time I’ve gotten at one of these events. Jaguar had more seat time due to having a self-drive as-much-as-you-want course where you could test traction on many surfaces/experience the infotainment. The Lexus event had a similar amount or more of performance driving.

Unfortunately, I’m taking some points off for their refreshments. They were pretty lackluster. Convenience store packaged cookies and chips, bottled water, and coffee served from what looked almost like gatoraide tubs. Jaguar, Porsche, and BMW won there. Infused water, tasty finger foods (props to Porsche on nice little meats and cheeses), and nice wait staff are kind of the standard. This didn’t have that, but whatever, it’s about the cars, dammit!

The Cars & The Driving:

One key difference from most events, is that the instructors weren’t right next to you in the cars on these events - unless you were that girl but more on her in a moment. I expected to get some driving instruction but that was strangely absent. That was refreshing, but also a bit odd. It has always seemed necessary to me at these events to lean a bit on the instructors (who have driven the cars) to help me get the most out of it. In general, your average person has no idea what to do with 467 horsepower. Tossing average bloke the keys and saying “try not to hit too many cones and we wish you luck in the later competition” is just weird. It took a few laps for my friend’s butterflies to settle down. In my experience, the instructor takes a lot of those away faster.

The IS350 F-Sport & RC350 F-Sport on a drag strip:

I’m sure someone at Lexus thought: most people can’t afford the RCF and GSF, so let’s make sure they get some seat time in the IS 350 and the RC 350. Honestly, these are the wrong cars for a drag strip and probably don’t belong at a performance events. They come off as wonderful commuters with some sporty pretense but are poor ambassadors to the performance brand - even with the F-Sport package. Let us speak no more of these.

The RC F & GS F practice autocross:

This orange rocks in person.

This was really interesting. My coworker (who also attended at the same time we did) had brought a buddy with an M4 that tracks his car (and friend’s cars) fairly regularly. All four of finished our 3rd runs about the same time and had the exact same thought: The GS F is much easier to drive fast than the RC F. Part of it may be it’s different differential but we all wondered if part of the reason was that it had more body roll than the RC F. As strange as it sounds, you feel so little through the steering and brake pedal that a little body roll goes a long way in telling you what the car is doing.

That leads me to a couple of issues - the gas pedal is an off/on switch for no reason and the steering is a nice thick wheel that seems to be a deaf dictator. It tells the wheels what to do just fine but when they scream back, it doesn’t hear it. Even while the car is in a 4 wheel understeer towards the cones, the steering feels exactly the same as it was before you screwed up. Get on that gas again to make up your lost time and traction control kicks in as modulating your input on a pedal that has a couple millimeters of travel feels impossible.

However, the traction control works wonderfully. And I don’t often say that. I had one lap with the GS F where I went through their set of double S’s with the throttle pegged on the floor, the traction control screaming the entire time, and me just sawing away at the wheel like Jim Carey’s alter-ego in Me Myself & Irene. And it wasn’t slow. That felt like my fastest lap by far. The traction management didn’t slow me down, it just corrected the stupidity.

The LC500: Timed Autocross ... but why?

Remember when I said there was 1 exception to why this event ranked differently than Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, and Ford? It’s because of the LC500. You see, I’m glad I had read and watched a few quick reviews before this event. Because I would have probably had a very similar takeaway my buddy who said: “Boy, if you told me that I could have one car from the lot, I’d take the GS F - it drove so much better than the LC500".

There was a 40mph wind and dust kept blowing back onto the track so it was slippery but I can’t think of a worse way of showcasing the LC500 than on an autocross course. The best moments I had in it where waiting for the other cars to go while I stuck my fingers all over everything. The interior is wonderful.

Then you hammer it down an autocross course and it falls all over itself like a hot mess. The harder you push it, the more it falters.

Braking hard! All 4,370 pounds want to keep going forward! Engine room, give me reverse thrust!!!

Turn in, pushing wiiiiiiiide! Still pushing!!! Checking my watch, yep still pushing!!! Okay, done.

Give her more gas! Ra- nothing . Traction control counts to 3. Now go! No! More traction control - count to 3 again. Engine room, I need more speed!

Here’s the thing - this thing is probably one hell of a touring car. It has a great exhaust note, incredible seats, gorgeous interior, and tons of power. But on an autocross course? It’s like when you take your parents on what you consider a short hike and halfway through, you realize - this wasn’t really what they were built for.

If I spent a week driving the LC500, my opinion may be very different about the car but from I could tell from 2 laps of an autocross course: this is far from a canyon carver.

Bonus: Lexus - Make Your Own Roads Autocross Course

While we waited for our turn for the LC500, a woman ended up lost off-course. We had a good laugh but then a few minutes later, another (or the same?) woman got the thumbs up and started her first lap. She hammered it down the straight and promptly made a hard left (mind you, the first turn was a hard right) into open parking lot and drove into the practice autocross where she, uh, finished that course. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it.

An instructor over there hopped in and they drove back to the proper course. Good on Lexus - they made sure she still got real laps (albeit with an instructor - which is maybe how it should have been anyways).

DISCUSSION (4)

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Nick Has an Exocet
07/24/2017 at 08:49

Thanks for the review — am scheduled to do this on Sunday!

B_dol > Nick Has an Exocet
07/24/2017 at 11:44

But what was your LC500 autocross time?! (assuming this was Golden Gate Fields). I found the experience very enjoyable for the two hours it lasted and free.99 cost, however I found the cars lackluster in an autocross environment.

The RCF and LC500 seem like thoroughly enjoyable commuter and weekend sports car, as a performance car they leave much to be desired in the way of steering feel and agility.

Nick Has an Exocet > B_dol
07/24/2017 at 15:53

Yep! GGF! 30.805 was my best with the LC500.

Agree on the cars not being great for Autocross. The RCF is a hair under 4000lbs. It’s a piggy. Comfortable and fast enough though.

B_dol > Nick Has an Exocet
07/24/2017 at 16:07

Indeed, that and the broken up gravel in sections made placing and cornering the big car difficult. 30.4 was the best I could muster in two laps.