An everyday, smoking hot coupé

Even though the premium coupé segment comprises only 7 percent of sales, Lexus is confident that its striking new RC 350 F-Sport will be filling a nice little niche in the market, where contenders like the Audi A5 are already taking a slice of the premium pie. And with styling so bold and sassy, the RC 350 might actually sell on its devilish good looks alone.

More than the sum of its parts

Instead of building a hot new body on an existing platform, the RC is a bespoke coupé, all-new from ground up, taking inspiration from the a select few models in the Lexus line-up. The front end is based on the GS (for chassis response), the centre on the IS Convertible (for rigidity) and the rear on the IS Line, to better suit the rear-wheel drive set-up.

Great expectations

At the local launch in Cape Town, only 3 RC’s were available for motoring media to sample. Ever since Lexus started implementing their very masculine and flamboyant styling, I have been a fan. The Lexus IS 350 F-Sport is one of my favourite sedans, so I had high expectations of the RC. They both sport a very traditionalist, six-cylinder V6 engine and eight-speed auto gearbox, with which I couldn’t find much fault with in the past.

Inner beauty

I opened the door and a sumptuous interior greeted me, in mulberry red. Lexus calls the colour Dark Rose – similar to the interior option in the IS350 F-Sport. But where the IS350 is more passenger-orientated, the RC is 100 percent geared towards the lucky driver. After all, who is the person that buys a coupé? Not the guy who carpools.

The gorgeous leather seats are highly supportive, and electrically adjustable in a number of ways. They also have a memory function. The padded interior is thoroughly stylish, and feels quite cosy and welcoming, but also modern and high-tech. Splashes of quality metal trim and soft-touch plastics create a feeling of refinement, with Lexus’s signature analogue clock situated between the central air-vents, directly below the seven-inch multi-vision navigation (EMVN) display screen. This system is controlled via a small, rectangular track-pad on the middle console. I recently used it in the Lexus NX 200t, and I found it to be okay, but not without its flaws. It is easy to miss the correct icon on the somewhat drab home screen, but should get easier to use with time. The CD player/radio area also seems inconsistent with the rest of the RC’s quality interior. However, the Pioneer sound system has ten speakers and sounds very decent. All systems in the RC can be controlled from the chunky steering wheel as well, or you can press the voice-activation button and tell it what to do. And if you press the display button on the steering wheel, the meter ring inside the instrument binnacle moves to the right to make space for a small info screen, just like it does in the IS 350 F-Sport, and LFA Supercar. A nifty touch is the way in which you control your side of the air-conditioning: two thin, vertical chrome-like switches will increase or decrease temperature if you slide a finger towards the top or bottom.

Coupé seating

Space in the back is tight, in typical coupé fashion. However, the bottom seat cushions are quite long and deep, and one may be able to fit two five year-olds in there if need be. The boot is quite sizeable though, and will easily accommodate three weeks’ worth of holiday luggage for two people. It can also be split 60/40 if a bachelor’s kite-surfing kit needs to go in there.

The RS 350 F-Sport meets Clarence Drive

When we left the city, the sun was out in all its glory and Cape Town was in her Sunday Best – bright and beautiful with a cool sea breeze. As we left the airport parking area, I immediately opened the standard sunroof. The first section of the launch route was on the uninspiring N2, but as we took the turnoff to Gordon’s Bay, our spirits started to lift. Soon we were on Clarence Drive, one of the world’s most scenic (and also fun!), twisty, ocean-facing mountain drives. On a clear day, you can see all the way across the sea to Cape Point, which we did. My co-pilot pressed the accelerator hard, and the throaty growl of the 233 kW / 378 Nm V6 engine entered the cabin, further enhanced with the help of the intake sound generator. As he threw the RC into a couple of corners, it acted impeccably throughout. I was waiting rather impatiently for my turn, which came near Botriver. After the driver change we headed in the direction of Villiersdorp and up the Franschhoek Pass. I had the drive mode selector dial on Sport Plus, and the RC came alive, adapting its suspension, gearbox and steering to its sporty environment. With ample amounts of grip and a touch of controlled hooliganism, I felt my adrenaline soar as the RC kept things tight around every bend. And I just love to listen to that 3.5 litre engine exert itself, even though I know it’s been tweaked to sound more impressive.

Packed to the rafters

The RC comes fully stocked with electronic assistance and stability systems, and has such good aerodynamics that it’s really hard to critique. There’s variable gear ratio steering, which is also speed-sensitive – steering is light when you need to park, but stiffer at highway speeds. Then there’s adaptive suspension as well as Dynamic Rear Steering (the RC is driven via the rear wheels). Safety is high on Lexus’s priority list, and with specifications such as 8 airbags, traction control, Lane Departure Alert, High Beam assist and hill-start assist, as well as the aforementioned assistance systems, its price tag of R 730 900 is not preposterous. Considering what the German competition, like the Audi A5 costs, the RC outshines it with its amount of standard kit.

On-road presence

I can see a successful, individualistic and interesting person driving this car, someone confident and secure who likes to bend the rules a little. If I had some spare cash lying about, I would love to have one in black – it shimmers in the sunlight and looks very intimidating from the front and the rear. As a hot, everyday coupé, Lexus has the right idea with the RC 350 F-Sport.

 

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