[THEROK]

I actually was an early bird buyer of a maxed out 2015 RCF before my current run in with an M4 ZCP, now M4 CS.

So speaking from 25k miles in the Lex and about 35k miles in the M4s. No YouTube journalist, one night stand type influencer anecdotes here.

TLdR: One can appreciate both

*RCF is definitely more of a low volume relaxed/GT drive than the 2018+ M4. It comes down to fundamental design goal differences. Fast enough automatic v raucous dual clutch. Silky smooth V8 v high strung twin scroll turbos. Lexus reliability v BMW Motorsport. Avant-garde Japanese aesthetic to establish a new F brand identity v rooted in M for many decades of curated design history.

*You can wind out the NA V8 and sit in high revs without completely feeling like you're going straight to county jail. The S55 is such a sledge hammer in comparison; heavy metal to the 2UR's Symphony No. 9.

*My hot take is the RCF V8 not only sounds better, but is an outright more desirable engine than the S65. I outfitted the RCF with a JDM brand exhaust. I ran the M4 with a Remus + AA mid-pipe. While I appreciate the distinctive S55 noise esp with aftermarket parts, the 2UR takes the cake. Add the mellifluous intake noise to supplement what's coming out from the back = horrifically under-repped aural sensation. It sounds better than a similarly modified S65.

*RCF upshifts are PDK fast and seamless (they've been doing this since the beloved ISF), but it's the downshifts where you really feel the torque converter delay. M-DCT is fast up and down and can be made to be neck snapping with the press of a button. Daily driving is a wash. I reject any reviewer saying the M-DCT is somehow less desirable than a regular auto around town. M-DCT is an incredible transmission that I wish BMW further evolved in the G8X. Little known fact: Ferrari approached Biermann at BMW M to use his M-DCT when they were looking to make a move from their sht 360/430 single clutch. M told them to go kick rocks.

I'd totally rock the RCF TE if I didn't have my CS. It offers its own unique drive and look. We are talking big panels of LFA quality carbon fiber here made not in Czech, Italy or China, but straight outta Toyota's best manufacturing facilities and tools in Japan. This is what you're paying for. Some appreciate, many don't care about such details.

A properly modded RCF is a super rare bird, but when you do see one rolling, it's jaw-dropping alluring. There's a lot more to say so maybe someday I'll start a YouTube channel myself to inject some much needed discernment in a world full of lemmings.