2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport Road Test & Review

For its first non-convertible two-door in nearly 15 years, Lexus offers its first truly sporting coupe ever. Yes the Lexus IS-C with its folding hardtop, did sort of qualify as a coupe, but like its Lexus SC 430 predecessor, which also featured a folding hardtop, it could hardly be called sporting oriented. Those cars were cast in the mold previously defining the Lexus marque.

These days, Lexus is making a push toward the performance side. This was most tellingly revealed in the Lexus LFA super car introduced in 2010. If you squint a bit, you’ll see a hint of that car in the RC 350’s lines, as well as more than a hint of the Lexus IS sport sedans. However, real students of Lexus lore know the marque has had at least one performance-oriented model since the 1997 Lexus GS was introduced as an alternative to the BMW 5 Series.

Still, some might ask if going this hard into performance is a wise move on the part of Lexus. Yes, very much so, particularly when you consider every serious competitor the marque faces these days has a car in this category. Audi’s A5, BMW’s 4 Series, Cadillac’ ATS Coupe, Infiniti’s Q60 (formerly known as the G37 Coupe) and the Mercedes-Benz C Class Coupe all do an admirable job of representing their brands—and all have sporting overtones to accompany their luxurious personae.

Looking to be a player in the luxury-performance game these days?

You have to have a sexy coupe.

Models & Pricing

For the 2015 model year, Lexus is offering the RC 350 in two states of trim; the standard RC 350, starting at $42,790 and the Lexus RC 350 F Sport starting at $46,775.

Standard equipment for the base RC 350 includes 18-inch wheels, dual exhaust; LED headlamps and daytime running lights, as well as LED brake lights, taillights and license plate illumination. Turn signal repeaters are integrated into housings of the heated outside rearview mirrors, while the door handles are illuminated with LED light pipes.

Keyless entry and pushbutton start, a 60/40 split folding rear seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, LCD instrumentation, cruise control, Bluetooth audio streaming and handsfree telephony, HomeLink, Lexus Enform, Siri Eyes Free, and of course full power accessories are also standard equipment.

To all of the above, RC 350 F Sport adds; an adaptive variable suspension system with a Sport + driving mode, aluminum pedals, 19-inch wheels with performance oriented summer tires, a specific F-Sport suspension setup, heated and ventilated front seats, a power adjustable tilt/telescoping steering wheel, memory for the driver’s seat, high friction performance brake pads, a specific front fascia and grille, and variable ratio four-wheel steering.

Options for both trim packages include a moonroof, park assist, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, smart cruise control with a pre-collision system, navigation, a premium Mark Levinson audio system with 17 speakers and an 835-watt amplifier, and a choice of interior trim.

An all-wheel drive package is offered for RC 350 at $2,235, and $1,830 with RC 350 F Sport. The pricing differential comes into play because some of the AWD package’s accompanying items are already included on the F Sport.

Design

To create the RC platform, the Lexus engineering team took elements of the front end from the current Lexus GS sedan, the super-rigid floorpan and passenger compartment structure from the platform developed for the IS-C convertible, and the elements of the rear end from current IS sedan. It’s like the best of three worlds, brought together under one roof. It should be noted parts weren’t taken directly from those cars, but rather their underlying concepts were appropriated and applied to this newest Lexus model.

Note also, we didn’t say one “fixed” roof. Lexus has shown a RC based concept car with a convertible roof, so we’re pretty sure it’s just a matter of time until Lexus showrooms also house a RC 350 convertible. There is also a hybrid version of the car currently on offer in Japan (no word on whether to expect it here—though it’s definitely possible), and then of course, there’s the ultra-high performance the Lexus RC F (reviewed separately).

Eiichi Kusama, the RC 350’s chief engineer says, “To make the exterior immediately recognizable, we adopted a design with a compact cabin contrasted by boldly protruding fender flares and body contours etched with deeply sweeping lines.” This, in concert with the long nose and short rear deck gives the RC 350 a very dynamic appearance.

As you might expect, much of the look of the car is dictated by aerodynamics. Ducts in the front bumper enhance aerodynamic and brake-cooling performance, the sharp cutoff at the trunk’s edge helps smooth airflow from the roof, the front and rear wheel spats reduce airflow hitting the tires, and the RC 350’s rear quarter panels are designed to smooth airflow around the coupe.

Features & Controls

While a number of mechanical differences separate the standard RC 350 from the RC 350 F Sport, the instrument panel in the F Sport is a singularly differentiating visual element. Taken from the system first seen in the LFA supercar, it is dominated by a large round dial containing a thin film transistor monitor displaying the tachometer and the digital speedometer. The dial slides to the right at the touch of a button to reveal ancillary information needed to monitor the car’s various systems while underway.

On the center console, the RC 350 features the new Lexus Remote Touchpad. Using a smartphone-like touch control, the touchpad supports tap, flick, and pinch gestures to control audio, navigation, and other systems displayed on the center screen at the top of th dash. Moving one finger over the Remote Touchpad panel’s surface moves the cursor, and pressing down or double tapping enters the selection. An integrated feedback function vibrates the Touchpad surface when the cursor moves over a button on the screen.

The layout of the cockpit lends itself readily to the task of driving hard and fast, with every control close at hand, and placed intuitively. The look of it might strike some as not exactly Lexus-ish as much of it is constructed of black glossless plastic. But there is no denying the efficiency of the arrangement.

Comfort & Cargo

The comfort of the driver and front passenger seat is absolutely amazing. Settling into them, they seem to mold themselves to your body. Fasten your seatbelt and you’re afforded the impression you’re wearing the car—rather than merely sitting in it. It’s a very confidence-inspiring sensation.

According to the people at Lexus, this is attributable to the company’s integrated foaming construction method. With this methodology, the upholstering material is set into the seat’s mold, which is then filled with foam to complete the seat in one process. This means the seat covering does not need to be stretched as tightly over the foam, which improves comfort. It also lends a premium feel and a high-precision appearance.

Further, the seat is designed to disperse body pressure when sat upon. This makes the seat tailor itself to the contours of the occupant. In addition to providing outstanding comfort in normal driving conditions, it also makes the seat exceptionally supportive during high-speed cornering maneuvers.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is the rear seats suck—big time.

Regardless of how the front seats are adjusted, they pretty much encroach upon any possible rear seat legroom. Further, trying to make your way back there to sit requires a degree of contortionism evident only when the Peking acrobats come to town. The RC 350 is best thought of as a two-seat grand tourer with a nicely upholstered parcel shelf behind the seats.

On the other hand, the trunk offers a generous 10.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

Safety & Ratings

The RC 350’s standard safety kit features eight airbags; these include a dual-stage driver’s airbag, a dual-stage and dual-chamber front passenger airbag, driver and front passenger knee airbags, front-seat side airbags, and side curtain airbags.

The RC 350 F Sport is also equipped with 14.06-inch two-piece brake rotors and oversized calipers, backed by ABS. Traction control, stability control, and hill start assist, are also fitted. Combined, these elements comprise the Lexus Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management system.

The latest in state of the art accident avoidance gear is offered as well. This includes adaptive cruise control, along wit pre-collision braking and brake assist, as well as blind spot and rear cross traffic monitoring.

Neither NHTSA nor the IIHS have posted crash test data on the RC 350 as of this writing (12/2014).

Engine & Fuel Economy

Power is generated by a 3.5-liter V6 capable of 306 horsepower and 277 ft-lbs of torque. This is combined with the Lexus eight-speed Sports Program Direct Shift transmission first employed in the IS F sedan.

The transmission offers three shift modes; Normal, Sport, and Manual. Delivering rev-matched downshifts in the manual mode, it also employs a G-sensor to improve its performance in the automatic mode during more aggressive driving situations.

The RC 350 F-Sport’s drive mode selector allows the driver to tailor powertrain response, steering effort, and suspension response. Settings include Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport +.

The available all-wheel drive system uses an electronically controlled center differential to vary the torque split. In most situations, it is rear-biased 20:80, but it’s also capable of a 50:50 split if loss of traction to the rear wheels is detected. All-wheel drive RC 350 models make do with a six-speed automatic transmission. A manual transmission is not offered.

Rear drive fuel economy is rated at 19 miles per gallon in the city, 28 on the highway, and 22 miles per gallon combined. All-wheel drive models are rated 19 in the city, 26 on the highway, and 21 combined.

Our rear drive F Sport test car averaged 20 miles per gallon overall.

Driving Impressions

To get right to it, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde live on in the Lexus RC 350 F Sport. Around town and in steady state situations with the drive mode selector in either Normal or Eco, you’ll enjoy a quiet and smooth ride. Dutifully absorbed, rough pavement is not permitted to intrude upon your comfort in any way.

The V6 engine is smooth, progressive, obedient, and docile. The eight-speed automatic transmission executes shifts imperceptibly. Steering is wonderfully accurate, very easy to handle, and provides good feel—despite its electric assist. In other words, if you never pushed the RC 350 F Sport, you’d never know how truly capable it is.

Then, when you reach over and rotate the drive mode selector to Sport, or Sport +, an entirely different nature emerges. Mind you, the experience remains laced with grace and sophistication, but this car will go all the way downtown on you and haul some serious asterisks.

Lexus quotes a zero to 60 time of just under six seconds and a top speed of 143 miles per hour. But what those numbers don’t reveal is how easy it is for the RC 350 F Sport to maintain an insanely high average speed over sinuous roads. What’s more, it does so with exceptional competence and absolutely no drama. The first time you glance at the speedometer coming out of a corner you’ll be very surprised.

Beautifully balanced, the Lexus turns in nicely, demonstrates no body roll whatsoever and takes a solid set. Grip is simply amazing; and the sound of the engine when it’s running hard?

Yeah—the engineering team got this car absolutely right.

Final Thoughts

Still, there’s some outrageously tough competition out there. The cars we mentioned in the introduction are not the kind to go quietly into the night. Further, a number of them are capable of better performance. This is a category packed with beautiful cars, so ultimately; it’ll come down to personal preference.

The Lexus RC 350 F Sport is definitely a contender though.

Pros & Cons

Distinctive looks, good reputation for reliability and exceptional comfort, strong performance

Rear seat legroom, faster competitors