Lexus RC 350 2015 review

Lexus RC 350 is rapidly becoming high on our list of our favourite coupes. Sure its hard hitting big brother the V8 engined RC F Sport is even quicker and almost race focussed, but the F is far more expensive - at $74,000 - than the $66,000 RC 350 Luxury in which we have just spent a pleasant week. 

Design

Lexus RC is a purpose designed two-door sports coupe, not a variant of a four-door sedan as are quite a few competitors in this upmarket field. Thus it cuts down on compromises in style, body strength and suspension dynamics.

No one can accuse Lexus of being conservative these days

The currently fashionable big-grille treatment has been taken to a new level by the designers at Lexus. It totally dominates the front, and the lower edges look as though they want to go even closer to the road than they already do.

No one can accuse Lexus of being conservative these days – a deliberate decision made when Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota's founder, took up the position of president of Lexus and Toyota in 2009.

Lexus RC 350's Luxury body has a neat profile, the rear end is bold, with a large built-in spoiler, side air extractors and a deep diffuser. 

Inside, the large circular instruments are housed in sizeable binnacle. Though the display looks analog it's actually electronic and in some models can be changed depending on the driver's desires and the driving mode selected. The sporting design is finished in quality materials, with plenty of cues to the ultra-expensive Lexus LFA supercar.

Features

The 7.0-inch multimedia screen is well shaded (handy on bright Queensland days in our home area) and easy to read. The functions on the screen are operated by a touchpad between the front seats. While we had fewer miss-hits than with the ones currently used in other Lexus models, the system ranks low on our list of usability of screens.

The RC Luxury gives access to satellite navigation, a 10-speaker audio that includes DAB broadcasts and the reversing camera. It has Advanced Bluetooth, Aux and USB inputs.

Engine / Transmission

Power comes from one of our favourite engines – the Lexus/Toyota 3.5-litre V6. To add serious sportiness it has been tuned to increase power to 233kW, with 378Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. That latter may seem high by sedan standards, but keep in mind this is a full-on sportscar and 'real' drivers are happy to have the needle sitting will up on the dial. In any case, there's decent grunt from about 2000 revs upwards.

The V6 sits in front of an eight-speed automatic transmission and drives the rear wheels. Retuning of the auto give it sharp changes aimed very much at the response and dynamic feel demanded by the typical owner.

Safety

With an impressive array of active and passive technology, not all of it standard on every model (check with your dealer) the Lexus RC Series will do all it can avoid a crash, and protect you should one still occur. The RC has eight airbags, an impressive number for a two-door coupe, and seems likely to gain a strong rating when Australasian NCAP testing is carried out.

This is a true sports coupe that's guaranteed to bring smiles to faces

Driving

The front seats are supportive without being aggressive to the point of being a nuisance in day-to-day driving. The back seats are designed for occasional use, but we have seen worse as far as head and leg space are concerned. A simple one-touch lever gets the front seats quickly forward so access to the back isn't overly difficult. 

This is a true sports coupe that's guaranteed to bring smiles to faces. Choose the Sport mode and the twin-cam V6 engine produces a great sound as well as near instantaneous throttle response. Give us a well-tuned naturally aspirated engine ahead of a highly strung turbo engine any day. 

Steering is amongst the best we have ever experienced thanks to excellent tuning and the use of rear-wheel drive. Thus leaving the front wheels to do nothing but steer, instead of being compromised by the need to drive the car as well. Feel and feedback are spot on. 

Interestingly, we preferred the feel of the RC 350 Luxury, the lower cost model. The F Sport and Sport Luxury models have a different steering system, including some rear-wheel steer, that doesn't feel quite as nice in day-to-day road driving. 

Boot volume is very good for a sports coupe and the rear seat backrests can be folded forward in a 60/40 split to let you juggle luggage/people space.