POSITIONING itself as it does as a luxury car maker with a strong hybrid message, you might forget that Lexus can do performance.

Following the much-lauded LFA supercar is the RC F, aimed at passing on the DNA of that 202mph V10 beast in a package that’s affordable to a lot more people.

So, rather than the near-£350,000 that the LFA commands, those with a thirst for performance can step into the RC F for barely £60,000.

For that, you get a genuine 2+2 coupe with a meaty naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 producing 450bhp – it’s delightfully old school for a technology-loving Japanese manufacturer like Lexus.

It’s its most powerful V8 yet and it goes rather well indeed.

There are several drive modes – ranging from ‘eco’ to ‘sport+’ and, needless to say, everything is wonderful in full-blooded sport+ mode.

That’s when the RC F really wakes up – put your foot down and acceleration is instant and seemingly endless, with 60mph coming up in 4.5 seconds and the noise, albeit it with a little bit of synth, from that V8 is glorious and addictive.

A lot has been made of the RC F’s weight in comparison to some rivals, but it handles with precision and doesn’t feel overly heavy. That acceleration figure, coupled with a limited top speed of 168mph, attest to that.

One thing that might put some potential buyers off, though, is the fact that you only have the choice of an automatic gearbox, albeit with the usual semi-manual paddle option.

I found myself a tiny bit frustrated with it, particularly from a standing start. It just felt a little bit hesitant.

It’s not the best auto ‘box out there and I found myself thinking how much I’d love to have a manual option. Somehow a naturally aspirated V8 suits a manual more in my view.

Looks-wise the RC F is an aggressive, chunky coupe, while the interior, featuring gorgeous red seats on my test model, is excellent, with lots of sport details everywhere you look.

There’s plenty of tech, such as both heated and cooled seats, full-on infotainment system, rear parking camera and so on.

That stuff, coupled with rear seats that kids will fit fine into and a boot that’s much bigger than I’d expected, makes the RC F a car that is genuinely useable every day – as long as you can live with fuel consumption in the mid-teens around town.

The RC F is a great sports car, make no mistake – fast, loud and addictive to drive, but seriously usable in the real world to boot.

Whether or not it has done enough to steal customers from its rivals is the question – I found myself liking the RC F a lot, but I didn’t quite love it.

BLOB

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/lexus