leebo19633

Looking for some input from current RC 350 F Sport owners. I'm in the midst of deciding on my next ride and torn between 2015 BMW 435i, 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport and the 2015 Mercedes E400 Coupe. I

I know these cars are so different, but i'm torn between the myriad of pros and cons of each. Big discounts on 2015 BMW 435I and Mercedes E400 Coupe which make them comparable to out the door price on RC 350 F Sport.

Interested in feedback on some things I don't love about RC 350:
-Remote Touchpad - Seemed awkward during test drive and not easy or intuitive
-Power - Do you feel like in Sport + that you get enough oomph from the engine?
-Some Toyota Stuff - Does the cabin feel high end, or bothered by any Toyota switchgear in the car?
-Seats - Any quality issues with Nutuluxe seatings surface?

Thanks guys, appreciate your input.

walkedu

Ill give my honest unbiased opinion, so take it as a grain of salt. Ive had my RC for about 3 weeks now and has 1400 miles on the odometer.

I'm a long time European / Italian car guy, 16 years alone with just BMW's. Ive had and or still own a 335i, 135i, 1M, E92 M3, and a E89 Z4 3.5Sdrive. Ferrari 575M, 458 Italia, 1970 Porsche 911E, 997TTS, and countless other cars. Some have been modded and others have been kept stock. Ive never owned a Japanese car, although family members and friends have Toyotas and Lexus. Never been interested in Japanese cars in general as far as styling goes. Ive always heard good things about them as far as reliability. My fiance has a Toyota Sequoia we take out when we need a larger car. It has 162k miles on the odometer and still running strong.

My daily driver at the time was the Z4, I loved that car got 27 mpg combined. Felt nimble and very sporty, but the ride was a bit too firm for me after long drives and the interior road noise was a little hard even though it was a hardtop convertible. I hit 78k miles on it and honestly things on it started failing. All my cars are serviced regularly and garaged or kept in the car port. Even with the extended warranty on it I didn't have a peace of mind.

I drive quiet a bit for work (150-200 miles a day), so I needed a car that has reliability and creature comforts with good power and driving feel. Before I pulled the trigger on the car I was looking at either the 435i, M235i with all the M performance goodies on it, , and S5. Had to be a coupe since I don't really need a sedan since my Fiance has a 2015 335i and we have other cars for that.

What attracted me to the RFC was the styling. I really loved how the side and rear profile looked on the car. The front I wasn't a real big fan of. All the chrome accents were a bit too garish for me. I got rid of that already though. The interior is amazing I love it, everywhere you touch is soft and great to feel / look at. Honestly probably one of the nicest interiors in a car that Ive had that is sub 100k. There is no contest to the interior of the RC compared to the 4 series. RC hands down beats the 4 series even with the m package. Even the tech in the Lexus is a lot better. Not to mention the Mark Levinson sound system compared to BMW's prem sound is way better.

The drive is very smooth and refined. As far as "sporty" goes... It does ok...

Now here are the downsides...

The car feels heavy, I didnt realize how heavy it felt after actually driving it for a couple weeks. It just doesnt feel nimble compared to the 3 series. Hell I got a IS250 as a loaner and that car felt a lot more nimble than my RC.

I drive it in eco / normal mode daily and the MPG is actually really sad. I average 23 mpg. I drive super conservative also. I would average 27 mpg on my z4 easily.

When I drive my Fiances 335i, or even a 328i loaner car in comfort mode there's a sense of urgency when you drive. The car wants you to drive it. With the RC its more of a cruiser. But if you put it in sport or sport sharp it wakens up a lot. The thing is though I rarely put it in anything over normal mode.

I bought the car for what it is and that's a car that's refined and smooth but still has some sort of sportiness to it. The interior and the styling are IMO a notch above any car in its class right now. Not to mention its a Toyota so the reliability is there also. For my first Japanese car Im pleased for what it does.

Oh Also another reason why I went to Lexus is that I got huge discounts on it. My car is fully loaded with every option and every cargo net / floor mat available. They beat what BMW and audi was willing to offer me. The Lexus at the end of the day was priced out higher than both BMW and Audis and yet they still beat their prices.

Forgot to mention my brother inlaw was so impressed by the car he ended up getting one also. Hes a long time BMW guy too.

leebo19633

That's excellent feedback and I appreciate it. "Refined and smooth but still has sportiness" is a good combination.

walkedu

No problem! Glad to help

Just saying if you are looking for 100% drivers car where being dynamic is your main concern then I would go with the BMW. But if you are willing to make compromises where you want a little of both then get the Lexus. The Lexus does luxury very well, as far as driving dynamic goes the BMW hands down is a better choice.

GearHead69

I've had my car since mid-December and have 4700 miles on it.

Interested in feedback on some things I don't love about RC 350:

-Remote Touchpad - Seemed awkward during test drive and not easy or intuitive
You can adjust the feedback control so it is not so touchy.

-Power - Do you feel like in Sport + that you get enough oomph from the engine?

I've added a CAI to mine, and use Sport+ in manual mode everyday. Does it get enough oomph, oh heck yes. If you dive in Sport+ in full auto mode the car has to shift up through all those 8 gears, which makes a slower 0-60 time. In Manual mode in Sport+ you are controlling the shifting and it is so much faster off the line. Also on the highway in Full Auto mode with Sport+ you are wasting gas as the tach is sitting at about 2500 RPM, whereas in Sport+ in Manual mode and in 8th gear the tach is at 1900 RPM. I average over 22 mpg in combined driving, and over 30 mpg when on the highway in Normal mode.


-Some Toyota Stuff - Does the cabin feel high end, or bothered by any Toyota switchgear in the car?

The cabin feels very luxurious, and the over 45" of front legroom is a bonus. I came from a 2011 V6 Camaro. I have the 825 watt, 17 speaker ML setup and love it.

-Seats - Any quality issues with Nuluxe seating surface?

I'm a big guy and have not had any issue with the Nuluxe seating. I live in Phoenix where it is over 100 degrees from May through October and I've not had any sticking to the seat or burning my bum or back on the seats.

jeremyp111

I'll add my feedback and experience here...and it closely mirrors walkedu's very closely. Love the look of the RC350 inside and out. I get more compliments on this car than any of my other cars I've owned. Just about everywhere I go someone says something to me about it.

From a performance standpoint, I agree with walkedu 100%. The Lexus RC350 IS heavy and feels heavy compared to the BMW coupes. However, that heaviness also makes it feel very comfortable and refined while driving, even on the bumpy roads. I ALWAYS drive with it in Sport or Sport+ mode and it definitely makes a difference in the handling and shifting. The BMW with it's twin turbo I6 engine is a rocket ship with gobs of low end grunt due to it reaching max torque at 1500rpm and staying there until about 5000rpm. However, the RC350 F Sport isn't a slouch. It's really fun to drive in manual mode and the shifts are very quick and firm. The RC350 reaches max torque at 4800 rpm so you need to drive this car in the higher rpm ranges than you would the BMW so they will feel very different. It took me some getting used to but once I did, I loved it.

I have had a few Lexus cars in the past as well...a RX300 and two different SC400s and I loved them all. I've also owned a number of BMWs...two 525s, a 328is, a 540i M Sport and a 545i Sport, which I still own. I had actually bought a CPO 335i XDrive M Sport Coupe (also looked at 435i XDrive M Sport). The day I picked up the CPO 335 I got a malfunction warning light not 1/4 mile from the dealer so I brought it back the next morning. After 5 more days and two additional issues with the car, I decided to walk away. The dealer did not fight me one bit as they knew the experience completely soured me on the car. This was on top of the fact that I have spent about $15k on my BMW 545 in the last two years.

From a reliability standpoint all three of my prior Lexus vehicles cost me less to maintain than any ONE of my BMWs. This was a huge deciding factor for me in choosing the RC350 F Sport over the CPO 335 or new 435. BMW's reliability isn't in the same stratosphere as Lexus and I have really grown to dislike bringing my car into the dealer every month. Warranty or not, it's still wasted time...I want to DRIVE my car, not have them sit in a dealer service bay.

So in a nutshell, here it is... The RC350 F Sport is a better looking car inside and out, IMO. I also like the overall ride quality better as well. The BMW definitely has more performance feel to it due to the twin turbo engine and lower weight. From a looks standpoint I feel like BMW has become a little boring looking. Put the two cars side by side and the RC just stands out.

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, just ask...

JP

AussieRC

Not an issue for us here in Oz!! Here the competitors (BMW, MB and Audi) are at least AUD 20-40k more than the F Sport, so the decision is easy. You guys in the US are so much better off than us for car prices, not to mention spare parts, wheels, tyres, accessories, etc...

Re driving experience, I'd agree with walkedu and jeremyp111.

For me the RC is the choice as they are so rare here (never seen one on the road so far) and the competitors are way more common, and are older in their model lifecycles.

leebo19633

Thanks Gearhead. You put all of my potential issues to rest. Do you also have Variable Gear/Four Wheel steering package?

leebo19633

Better looking inside and out is true for sure. Great feedback, thanks!

iceweasel

Had my car for about 2 months. If I could go back I would get a 435i grand coupe. RC 350 is nice especially the rear and interior, but the weight and speed is so kinda sad

SRC350F

I am jealous of you gearhead... 4700 miles and you have had it since December? Have had my car since July the 3rd.... @ 2300 miles and building

PeterLegen

I would personally get a CPO 2013 Audi S5 in the low to mid 40K price.

dseag2

Now you're talkin.

Sexis350

Is350 = D. Best of both worlds

leebo19633

I am a Wannabe no more.......................Infrared with Stratus Grey and got it loaded with just about everything you can put in the car. Thanks to all the dudes here that responded to my post and helped me make my decision.

12 Hours with the car and I absolutely friggin love it!