Taking on the venerable BMW->ke178 M4 Coupe is a bold move for any carmaker. The Germans pretty much created the yardstick for sporting luxury,->ke505 and while many have attempted to overthrow the ruling class, most have failed. Lexus, however, may have created the perfect usurper with the RC F.

The RC F was first unveiled in 2013 as the successor to the IS->ke500. This performance coupe takes many cues from its bigger brother, the LF-A->ke2181, with body styling and interior design that mimics Lexus’ supercar.->ke177 You’ll also find aerodynamic features that made the jump, such as a speed-sensing rear wing that deploys from the trunk lid when traveling over 50 mph.

The most interesting feature, however, lies under the hood, where a 5.0-liter V-8 revving over 7,000 rpm creates 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque. That’s a substantial wallop, even in a car as heavy as the RC F, and it’s enough to propel the coupe from a standstill to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. The quarter-mile blinks by in 12.5 seconds, and if you keep your foot planted, you’ll reach an electronically limited top speed of 170 mph.

The Lexus->ke47 clearly has the power, but can it hang with the Bimmer in the corners? With nearly two tons of mass to haul around, that could be a rather tall order. There’s a trick Torque Vectoring Differential to help put down all that V-8 juice at the rear wheels, plus Lexus says it’s developed the RC F’s suspension in anticipation of track duty, but we still have our doubts. BMW->ke178 is known for producing cars that offer sublime handling, and it's engineers have pulled out all the squishy comfort bits to make the current generation M4->ke4183 truly shine on the track.

To sort it all out, Autocar put the RC F to test on the road and on the track. Does Lexus have what it takes to beat out BMW? Press play to find out. You can also check out TopSpeed's take on this match up here.

Lexus RC F