First Drive Review
Whenever an automaker decides to fire a coupe into the market, it most often plucks a sedan from its quiver of cars, cuts a few inches out of the wheelbase, excises two doors, and wraps it in a swoopy body aimed to seduce the emotional hearts—not the practical minds—of buyers. Not Lexus. Not this time around. The all-new RC350 is built on the bones of three different cars, as the IS C convertible and the latest IS and GS sedans all make osteal contributions. The IS C donates its floor pan (with reinforced sills), the GS its structure forward of the A-pillar, and the IS its rear architecture.
In the RC lineup, the low-volume RC F is aimed at the power junkies, but this RC350 will find the most garages. Lexus hopes some 25,000 people will adopt one over the next year, half of whom, Lexus executives predict, will be new conquests to the brand. After all, there hasn’t been a truly affordable fixed-roof Lexus coupe since the SC400 went out of production nearly 15 years ago.
Whether you love or hate the styling, even the base $43,715 RC350 will draw stares from the sidewalk. The driver, meanwhile, sits wrapped in a cockpit that makes them feel as if they’re wearing the car, not riding in it. Those who bother to peek behind the front seats will notice that they very nearly rest against the leading edge of the bottom rear cushion. Small children won’t complain if you stuff them back there—especially those who haven’t learned to talk yet—but we wouldn’t want to stretch around the B-pillar to either get in ourselves or secure a kid in a child seat.
Every RC350 is powered by the same V-6 found in the IS350, which is good for 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. Rear-wheel-drive models have an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is a $2235 upcharge, but you part with more than your bucks: AWD cars must make do with a six-speed automatic transmission. No manual is available. Opt for the F Sport trim, and the interior goes sporty, including an LFA-inspired gauge pod that features a power-actuated sliding bezel like the one available in the IS.
While the trick gauge cluster is neat, the F Sport also upgrades key hardware in the name of performance, and the package is a must for any enthusiast. It includes adaptive dampers and four-wheel steering, high-friction brake pads, 19-inch wheels, and a front fascia that might as well be the RC F’s, among other bits.
Pricing for the F Sport trim starts at $48,800 for the rear-drive version—including the required power sunroof option—which undercuts a BMW 435i with the M Sport package by a few grand. Adding insult to injury, at least as far as the Bavarians are concerned, the F Sport also includes a few features, such as adaptive dampers, that cost even more money on the BMW.
The 435i, though, will win any drag race. Because the RC’s beefy structure makes it heavier, we’re predicting that the coupe will hit 60 mph behind a comparable IS350 sedan. Using the numbers from our last sports sedan comparison test as a guide, the RC should be about a second slower to 60 mph, or somewhere in the mid- to high-fives. Our estimated quarter-mile times would also place the RC about a second behind the Bimmer.
Cruising along the highway in an RC is as tranquil and comfortable an experience as it is in a Lexus ES, with the main difference being far firmer seats. There is no flat spot in the V-6’s power delivery, but the engine lacks character when compared with the inline-sixes available at the BMW shop. All of that said, this car is engaging to drive hard, with good body control and a well-damped suspension. Even with variable-ratio steering—a $1900 option exclusive to rear-drive F Sports—the feel and feedback available to the driver are near the top of the class.
Fully loaded, an RC tops out around $60,000. At that price, the RC F, which packs a 467-hp V-8 to back up its aggressive maw, becomes a reasonable alternative. But since the RC350 and the RC F are brothers from the same three mothers—or uncles, or whatever—there’s no bad option.
