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Lexus RC F Chief Engineer on the Decision to Stick with Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine


The Lexus UK blog has a technical interview with RC F chief engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi regarding the decision to stick with a naturally aspirated V8 engine when competitors are moving to turbochargers:

Damion Smy: Why a V8 powerplant when BMW, for instance, has decided to fit a turbocharged six-cylinder?

Yukihiko Yaguchi: First of all, the V8 engine format is the most appropriate for a sports car engine. The reason is that when we talk about sport driving, the torque feel – the acceleration – is most important, and that’s what the V8 format gives. This can also be said for the V10 in the LFA, but if you put under load the torque characteristic [of the V10] is very smooth, but as you go under load it [the V8] gives almost a heartbeat feeling.

DS: How have you managed to avoid turbocharging – or is that a deliberate point of difference for the RC F?


YY: For the ‘F’ brand, the powerplant – the engine – is an important identity, so for this reason we would keep a specifically designed engine. We’ve managed to incorporate detailed electronic control on the intake side of VVT, so at maximum, we are able to finely control the amount of air reaching the engine. What that means is in actual terms is better efficiency.

Read the full interview with Lexus chief engineer Yaguchi (Thanks V.Modi!)

Lexus RC F: First GenerationUnited Kingdom
Comments
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    Yong Thian Ding
  • March 20, 2014
Well ... I guess people who want Turbo would go 2JZ . XD
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Try to install TURBO when you get your RC F and you'll know what is the meaning of V8 ;)
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    Under Powered
  • March 20, 2014
Just by a C63 if you want big HP turbo, oh most people will.
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      yosafbridge
    • March 21, 2014
    Going with the crowd is a bad idea if you don't do your research first. Popularity does not equal quality.
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    MD
  • March 20, 2014
Turbo is f'ing boring. Listen to the new M4 and it sounds worse than cow moo'ing. There is a huge backfire happening in the F1 world with the new turbo V6. The fans are complaining and the revenues are going down forcing them to rethink this decision. The reason is, spectators find turbo engines boring and don't enjoy F1 anymore. The backlash is a lot bigger when they went from V8 to turbo V6 than it was when they went from the all-time best V10 engines to V8. Case in point, get over the turbo obsession. There is nothing like the surging torque all the way to redline in a pure performance naturally aspirated engine, the response and the sound. Naturally aspirated engines OWN these three characteristics.
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      F1orce
    • March 20, 2014
    QFT
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    F1orce
  • March 20, 2014
I'm glad Lexus has kept it real. BMW is not capable of producing such masterpiece. So they resort to the easy way out of cheap power by using turbos. How lame.
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      Levi
    • March 21, 2014
    They are capable, but they just have no interest. They are now about cost savings and higher sales volume, by appealing to a wider non enthusiast market group. AMG at least develops bespoke turbo engine, and VAG uses the cost saved by sharing the engines among all makes for other advantages. The R8 will still have NA engines, V8 and V10. But BMW has no interest.
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      F1orce
    • March 24, 2014
    Yeah like I said below BMW today is a pedestrian and mass market brand. Their products are all cost cutting rubbish. Lexus is the 'grande class'
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      05rollaxrs
    • March 21, 2014
    Don't forget BMW M produced the 4.0 Liter V8. That is a true amazing masterpiece.
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      F1orce
    • March 24, 2014
    That's back when BMW was a purist company. Today they're very pedestrian and cheap. Lexus is the new king of performance & luxury Always has been. But never popularised as much as now.

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