Hand on heart, we didn’t expect this test to be happening in 2024. So it’s enormously pleasing to have a new Ford Mustang GT and a (sort of) new Lexus RC F on road together. The last time these two went head to head, it felt like an end-of-an-era match-up; the future for both V8s seemed uncertain to say the least. That both manufacturers appeared hellbent on eliminating fun from their respective line-ups did not suggest anything good for coupes powered the old-fashioned way. We wondered if the history books beckoned.
For the RC F, that has come true - although to Lexus's credit it did get a last-of-the-line special edition. Just 30 Ultimates came to Europe, furnishing Track Pack spec with some additional carbon goodies and a slightly silly £90k asking price. But the latest Mustang is thoroughly refreshed and driven here for the first time. So it's hello to one naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 and goodbye to the other. Has there been a more PH-appropriate twin test this year? Certainly there will be no repeat of it this time.
A heck of a lot has changed in 10 years; for some context, the RC F arrived in showrooms just a year after the last V8 M3s were sold (!), and back in 2014 the Lexus looked a little undernourished compared to the newly turbocharged BMW alternative. Seemed a bit heavy and a tad weird-looking, too. Only now it’s the RC that’s showing BMW (and the rest of the world) how to make big grilles look fantastic, it weighs less than the equivalent M4 (which is now xDrive only), and it’s hard to care too much about torque when presented with a 7,000rpm-plus, titanium-valved V8 at the end of 2024. From tech-laden GT to a glorious throwback hot rod has only taken a decade.
Back in 2014, we were still a few months from the first right-hand drive Mustangs. These days the all-American hero is much more familiar and ten years on offers up 450hp for £55k and without any cap on its volume. As ever, the similarities between the Ford and Lexus make a comparison irresistible: just 69cc and 18hp separate them. This ought to be the optimum configuration of RC F; obviously, we'd expect the S650 Mustang to offer some meaningful improvements over its predecessor while extolling the V8 goodness that is very much its reason for being.
If a little fussier than before, the Mustang’s visual update is a successful one to these eyes, a bit more aggressive but always pleasingly recognisable. The move to a more notchback style for the rear end rather than the traditional fastback also works; it’s about incorporating traditional cues while usefully modernising the icon. The interior treatment perhaps isn’t so great; it would be churlish to grumble about quality when getting this much engine for £55k, but there’s just so little flair. Take the badge off the wheel and it could be anything, with two giant touchscreens doing pretty much everything, which is a shame given features like the toggle switches and cowled dials used to mark a Mustang out. For what it’s worth, the screens work well, and it’s hard to be too downbeat when they operate functions like line lock, launch control revs, and the ability to select digital dials from classic models. But real surprise and delight are in pretty short supply.
The Lexus interior has always been quirky (putting it politely), and never more so than in its dotage. You sit high, and very little - from wheel buttons to trackpad - makes a great deal of sense. On the other hand, it’s hard not to be totally beguiled by the unimpeachable quality, the beautiful tinted carbon and some of the swankiest Alcantara you'll ever lay your hands on. Truly weird and wonderful, the RC F.
With the V8 fired up, it’s hard to think of a car more antithetical to the prevailing attitudes of the time than the Mustang - it’s fantastic. Only the speed limit warning will spoil your old-school entertainment, the Coyote unit having apparently escaped any filters whatsoever. At low speeds it hollers and gargles along on its 99RON mouthwash, insistent on more noise because it’s just fun. (The screen does have a low-volume, nice neighbour exhaust setting though, of course). The six-speed manual, not unlike before, needs thought, consideration and fortitude; shame the clutch isn’t quite so decisive, though simply having something to do is welcome. A relationship needs building to get the best from this car.
But the V8 is a shortcut to immediate and wistful joy. Because while there’s ample muscle for bimbling about in the gear of your choosing, it really rewards revs as well. It’s a shame that each gear is longer than the Bayeux Tapestry (first runs to 50!), because the thrill of the Coyote building and building to peak power at more than 7,000rpm is undeniable. And hugely addictive. Exhaust unleashed and foot planted, any concerns about the new look or drastically different interior are expunged, because it roars and thunders and snarls like any good Mustang ought to.
Granted, the old car did that as well. Where this ‘Stang improves on before is in its manners, much more able to make full use of the wily, willing Coyote at every opportunity. Traction is further improved, and really impressive in considerably less-than-perfect conditions, and there’s more bite to the front end than memory suggests existed before. This means a little extra commitment is possible and confidence is gleaned from the car, particularly with some monster Brembo brakes as well. Despite a smidge less power and a few more kilos than before, the Mustang feels faster and more capable down a twisty road now.
It’s not without entertainment, either, before it seems like the Mustang has gone all serious. Track mode apparently straight pipes the exhaust, sets the assists’ curfew to very late indeed and doesn’t compromise the suspension, so it’s well worth embracing wholeheartedly. Any car that insists on revs and manual ratios is automatically fun these days; that the Mustang can back that up with a nicely sorted chassis makes it a proper hoot. Somewhat predictably, it still lacks that final layer of finesse and sophistication found in something like a BMW M2 - the damping being a tad loose for challenging roads and steering eventually wanting for instinctive accuracy - though that hardly detracts from its core appeal.
It says something about the changes rendered to the Mustang that it’s the Lexus that feels the sillier of the two in slippery conditions. Traction is noticeably less assured than the Ford, despite its 275-section rear Michelins matching the Ford's Pirellis to the millimetre, and the assists not nearly as sophisticated. There’s leeway to explore in a mid-way Track setting, albeit a much sterner snap back into line when they’ve decided enough is enough. Where it counters though is with sumptuous and obviously superior damping. Forged wheels and ceramic brakes, as per every Track Pack car, will help with unsprung mass, and the way the RC F can serenely glide across a pockmarked road really does impress. Having not driven one of any stripe for a while, it comes as a nice revelation; presumably the changes at the most recent facelift - stiffer bushes for the steering rack and suspension, plus tweaks to the Sachs dampers - wrought a useful improvement.
Despite the styling, which seems quite circuit-focused, the RC F offers a lovely fast-road experience. Both brake and steering have a satisfying weight and feel to them, with effort and reward commensurate; the lethargic automatic can eventually be stirred into life with the Sport S+ mode, and what probably felt like a large car at launch doesn’t seem that chunky in a modern context. The Lexus is a reminder of all that’s been lost as well as gained over the past decade: the RC F wouldn’t benefit from more modes, silly sounds, additional performance or a super stiff circuit setting. What once seemed underpowered and complex now seems just right in the face of a mild hybrid, twin-turbo, electrified onslaught. It’s hard to think about running costs when so absorbed in the experience.
The 2UR-GSE is more than capable of speed, though because it requires working for the performance it doesn’t sneak up on you. The confidence imbued through the suspension means picking up the throttle sooner, and feeling the swell of performance as all 5.0-litres snort and bellow through the power band - racier, revvier, more motorsport sounding than the Mustang - is easy to lap up. Limited traction doesn’t seem all that problematic with a perfectly calibrated limited-slip diff, either. Traditional engagement and modern manners - of course the RC F is supremely refined, especially on a motorway - have seldom melded so persuasively.
It means, happily, that the RC F signs off in some style. There is no sense in announcing a clear-cut winner here - not least because the Lexus is no longer on sale and the few who have secured an Ultimate will have been asked for tens of thousands more than a Mustang costs - but it is surprisingly easy to find yourself in the older car's corner. Though undoubtedly flawed in some areas, it is little short of compelling in others. Perhaps some of that is related to the old-fashioned feel that comes with its age, yet every journey in it seems like something of a privilege, the experience brimming with character and idiosyncratic charm as well as proper chassis smarts. Those folk who do have one, presumably the people who know the swept capacity of an LFA cylinder and the What3Words for Fuji Speedway, will adore the Ultimate. It’s an unexpected highlight of 2024.
And the Mustang looks like being one for 2025 - and beyond, thank goodness. We’re still yet to try the Dark Horse in the UK, and there will surely be spicier variants to follow. The prospect of those bodes well given this showing, the Mustang driving experience usefully improved without losing sight of why people love these things in the first place. As the fast Ford cull continues, it’s reassuring to have some time and effort spent on making the best base Mustang yet. As so many new cars require certain roads or conditions or settings to feel interesting, the intrinsic specialness of a manual V8 shines brighter than ever. As we've spent ten years saying, there will never be a dull day with a Mustang in your life - let’s hope there are plenty more to follow.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 LEXUS RC F ULTIMATE
Engine: 4,969cc V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 464@7,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 384@4,800rpm
0-62mph: 4.3sec
Top speed: 168mph (limited)
Weight: 1,715kg (Lexus minimum kerbweight)
MPG: 23.9
CO2: 268g/km
Price: £93,495
SPECIFICATION | 2025 FORD MUSTANG GT
Engine: 5,038cc, V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 446@N/Arpm
Torque (lb ft): 398@5,100rpm
0-62mph: 5.3sec
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,836kg (Ford kerbweight)
MPG: 23.5
CO2: 274g/km
Price: £55,725 (price as standard; price as tested £57,275 comprising Grabber Blue paint for £1,150 and red painted brake calipers for £400)
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