Lexus’ massive 5.0-liter V8 lives on.
Even as the automotive world shifts toward electrification, Lexus is still hanging on to the large, naturally-aspirated 2UR-GSE V8 engine. With a fairly large (by modern standards) 5.0-liter displacement, no electric motors and not even forced induction, this is one of the few places left you can turn for some good old eight-cylinder grunt. But does the whole package with the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance and the RC F Fuji Speedway Edition actually work? In this video, Nathan takes a closer look at how Lexus set up both cars.
To be clear, the video below does not include driving impressions. We will have another video coming up on the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance in early September, though we can’t discuss pricing or our driving impressions on the modern IS F successor just yet.
So how much power is under the hood?
While the RC F Fuji Speedway Edition is obviously tailored toward track use, both these cars pack exactly the same amount of power under the hood. The IS 500 F Sport Performance and the RC F manage 472 horsepower @ 7,100 RPM, as well as 395 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 RPM. Both fire all that power to their rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Sticking with the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance, that V8 is just the start of proceedings. It looks fairly subtle under the skin, but you do also get larger two-piece aluminum brakes (steel discs with an aluminum hat), as well as Lexus’ sport-tuned Adaptive Variable Suspenion with Yamaha rear performance dampers and a Torsen limited-slip differential.
The 2021 Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition takes the performance aspect a bit further by bringing in a carbon fiber spliter, hood, roof, spoiler and diffuser to make it lighter than the normal RC F. The Lexus team didn’t stop there, though, adding in carbon fiber ceramic brakes and a titanium exhaust system to aid the weight loss. As a result, the automaker says “Temple of Speed”-inspired RC can hit 60 in 3.96 seconds.
Check out more of what you get in the video below:
