Then, as we filed out, bellies full of McMuffins and toffee lates, the Lexus reminded me what it is objectively still (and always has been) really very good at – monstering motorways and munching miles. We launched onto the M2 down to Dover, hopped the channel, skipped through France and Belgium, into Germany, onto Autobahn 1 up to Cologne and back, in consummate comfort and in the case of the latter, quite effortless and epic speed – 180mph indicated, if you’re asking.
It was a total trooper and, honestly, left me wondering if I would be quite so fresh stepping out of the latest M4 after as many hundreds of miles. It may have the aggressive looks of a Japanese sportscar – I’ve always loved the way they look – but it’s no secret the RC F has always been a sports GT at heart.
But that’s not to discredit it dynamically, either. For as soon as the E42 gave way to the L16 just across the German border, as we leapt between sleepy Eiffel mountain villages, the RC F took the rural turn in its stride, revealing a Hyde side after miles of Dr Jekyll; that alacritous V8 stroking us along nicely on a wave of induction thunder that rippled into a howl with rising revs, as the aging eight-speed auto ran up and down its ratios with surprising willingness and pace.
All the while the chassis, adaptive dampers and limited-slip diff (in Sport+) encouraged us to push on and explore the car further along the undulating yet creamy smooth German forest lanes. Our only genuine complaint in these moments? A bit more weight and feel to the steering wouldn’t have gone a miss. But the RC F was bafflingly charming, entirely enjoyable and enormously (if not class-leadingly) capable.
Day after day, we ventured out and back from our rural stop in the German hamlet of Buchet, to the Nürburgring, Spa and beyond, exploring the German/Belgian border and the periphery of the Ardennes. With each excursion, that musical engine and all-round on-road character got more and more under my skin, to the point that on one of our final days, exploring the old Sudschleife and photographing the car, it got me thinking – would I actually spend the £75,000+ on this over an M4?