I simply spent a few week driving a fabulously-yellow Lexus RC F round southern California, and total I cherished it. It’s a bit previous and outdated at this level, however that’s greater than made up for by its fantastic 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8. It makes a noise like few different automobiles on the highway immediately, however that’s not what I’m right here to speak about. I’m speaking about one thing so nit-picky and bizarre that — as far as I can inform — nobody else has ever introduced up whereas talking concerning the RC F. you tiny, little and pointless speedometer.
You see, the RC F is a bizarre mixture of each previous and new tech, and that’s abundantly clear on the within. I’ll be masking the ins and outs of the cabin in my full evaluation, however immediately we’re simply specializing in the gauge cluster. Like most Lexuses, it’s acquired a giant digital tachometer with a pace readout surrounded by an aluminum-looking bezel within the center that’s meant to function a reminder that this firm as soon as constructed the LFA. The design is straightforward and crisp, if not a little bit fundamental when in comparison with most fashionable automobiles. To the left of it’s a little data display with your whole fundamentals like journey data, media and instructions.
Normally, Lexus merchandise would have an analogous display to the precise of the fundamental gauge, however not the RC F, oh no. For causes identified solely to God and Lexus engineers, they determined so as to add the smallest analogue speedometer identified to man. This isn’t hyperbole. I’ve by no means seen a speedometer this small earlier than. I didn’t have a tape measure, so I resorted to my iPhone’s measuring app, and that mentioned the speedometer was simply three inches in diameter. It’s actually smaller than the important thing that comes with the automotive. For reference, the tach was over 5.
To make issues much more complicated for the motive force, the speedometer goes as much as 210 miles per hour. Disregard the truth that this factor can solely do 168, and also you’re left with numbers which might be so small and shut collectively that you could’t make heads or tails of them.
Throughout my almost 500 miles of driving, I don’t assume I checked out this analogue readout as soon as apart from to gawk at how pointless and small it was.
That being mentioned, I don’t hate it. It’s a quirk – one thing most fashionable automobiles are completely lacking out on. I love weirdness in a automotive. They provide them character – one thing the RC F has in spades. Would the RC F’s gauge cluster make extra sense with out this tiny speedo? Most likely, however who cares?