Please don't crucify me, educate me.

I'm trying to figure out why anyone would spend nearly $50k for one of these RC's and opt for the 4 cylinder. The gas mileage on the base model is pretty good....25-28 mph. If someone is TRULY passionate about saving gas/money/environment, they would buy a hybrid. But to spend nearly $50k for a few more miles per gallon just doesn't make sense to me.

My husband would have loved the 467 hp. It was hard enough to talk him down to the 306 hp, but because it was $20k less, it wasn't too much of a battle (this was my car this time). But that's not the case with the 4 cylinder. This is not a significance difference in the price. And I can also see why someone would not want the full 467 hp....a few reasons (too much power for your general average driver that is just going back and forth to the grocery store or work...overkill...and the 306 meets those needs). But you never hear anyone say that a 6 cylinder has too much power...let's go for a 4 cylinder. Not when the car is around $50k....if someone was buying a little 4 banger for their kid in school for $18k-22k, again, I can see that.

What niche of the market am I missing? There is obviously a market or they wouldn't have built them and/or sold any. I just can't imagine wanting a 4 cylinder $50k Lexus (I don't really care how "special" their 4 cylinder is...it is still a 4 banger) to save a few thousand dollars and a few more mpg. If I am really concerned about the MPG, there are WAY more cars that I would consider.

Maybe there are other features that I don't know about that are apart of the appeal (maybe their a/c works in their seats!). Who is buying these cars?

When the idea was first being discussed, my husband and I looked at each other and said, "who would buy one of these cars and opt for a 4 cylinder over the 306 for just a few thousand less"?

Please don't crucify......I know I just need to be educated!

Thanks....

 

I don't know either, this was ultimately why I ended up passing on the A5 with S-Line (I was just going to tune it to match the RC 350's power) but I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on a four banger and if I'm going to spring for a higher package (like the S5) I might as well just get the RC-F.

I talked myself out of the RC-F, so I feel you on that one lol.

Gas mileage between the 4 cyl and 6 cyl aren't really that far apart if you keep your foot out of it.

 

The 2 reasons I could think of is budget and the gas mileage. That way they can use the extra money for upgrades/mods.

 

Lexus was probably just trying to stay competitive with the competition. Competitions like BMW, Mercedes, and Audi all have a turbo-4 available as the base engine for their coupes too. This keeps the price slightly more affordable. Some people think that the power from the turbo-4 is enough for their daily commute, but I'm with you in that it wouldn't be enough for me. Not to mention, the turbo lag in a turbo-4...no thanks.

 

I remember them saying the new regulations coming up are a big deal (40 mpg or something mandatory)

 

a member just picked up a new 2015 rcf for 55k plus ttl. So that's only a few thousand more than rc350. As far as too much power to handle, on normal mode my rcf drive just like any other Lexus and it very hard to lose control of the car bc of too much power...unless wot
when gas mileage is concerned especially how cheap right now, if a person cant afford 16 mpg (rcf) or 18-20? Mpg (rc350), they should be looking at cheaper cars
im with you, totally confused why someone would pay 50k (44-45k negotiated) price for the rc200

 

Where in the world did he get an RC-F for that price? I may have to take a road trip on my lease trade in next year. The lowest I could get them down to was 60 I believe on a loaded out one.

 

That was most definitely an anomaly. My husband would probably have "won" and got the 467 hp over the 306 if it was just that close. But again, I can still see arguments for being perfectly fine with 306 hp. I just can't see the argument for a 4 banger.

There are plenty of people that really don't need 467 hp...that is overkill for a lot of people. A 6 cylinder is not overkill for anyone (IMHO) and the price difference isn't enough (again, IMHO) to make someone want a 4 over the 6. That's why I don't understand this option.

I am perfectly fine with my 306 hp. Truth be told, I would not have purchased the RC if it had the 4. Not for this kind of money--it simply doesn't compute for me. I just can't see spending nearly $50k (or even $40k) and driving away with 4 cylinders, period.

 

So i wanted a nice car that was a sports coupe and i wanted it to be quick, efficient, japanese, and economical and that lexus is it, it gets 40mpg at 62mph (most roads around me ar 55mph can only go 7 over w/o cops harassing) so it gets great mpg. and has almost the same torque as the v6 so it has get. i get 30-31 mpg at 80mph cruise control. and its i can merge on the highway just fine with, you just have to downshift it everytime before you merge or pull anywhere. the v6 was an extra $3,500 for me which i didnt have.

 

Thank you Shadow....I appreciate your response. I was with you until the very end. You said the V6 was another $3,500 which you did not have. That doesn't make sense. If you can get $45k-$50k....you can't get $3,500 more? I am guessing you paid cash in this instance, which I applaud, I really do. I think I would just have waited to save another $3,500 and returned to buy the V6.

But again, hats off to you for not getting a loan. When I researched this car, I did note that many people were paying for these cars in cash. I love not having a car payment, but I still have about another year and a half before I get my title.

The mileage does sound very good. But still not good enough for me to buy a 4 banger. Regardless of how great the mpg is or how great the 4 banger is. But I do understand your financial responsibility (can't pay for it, you don't buy it--love it).

 

i got my rcf back in February with 19.7% off sticker. It's easily doable if negotiate hard enough. Many rcf buyers used my base line and got better deals. The 55k negotiated rcf is only 22.7% off sticker. If I were in market again, I would push even more

the issue I have with the rc350 is the old engine. It's been out for 10 years and outdated with same hp. Plus the rc350 is heavier than is350

 

In some urban markets there are large price deltas for insurance between 4 cyl and 6 cyl -- there are also tax and tariff implications in various global markets.

 

I do remember wondering about luxury taxes. I never thought I would buy a car that exceeded the amount for such a tax, until I did. But when I started doing my research, I discovered that there was no such tax anymore so I was happy about that. It's been quite a few years since we had that tax.

I would not think there would be different taxes based on a 4 cyl and a 6...interesting. And I am surprised that the insurance would be that different in a 4 vs 6. Learn something new everyday!

 

I got screwed on taxes when I moved from LA to DE; the truck wasn't registered in DE on trade in so I lost my tax credit. D'oh!

 

Hey Kimba!

We went from a GS350 to RC200T just recently and the main reason we chose the 4 cylinder is simply due to a matter of preference. Before I begin, let me mention that my household has the RC 200t and the RC-F along with some other cars we use intermittently.

Personally, I do more city driving and the extended test drive of the 200t felt fine for me and was enjoyable and fun to drive for daily commuting. I did not experience the turbo lag during the test drive. I know this option of 4 cyl is opposite of most people's expectations when considering a sports car, but to me its not always about the performance or how fast the car can go. The RC200T F-sport has a great exterior design and all the interior luxury amenities (blind spot, pre collision, sunroof, etc.) are what is the most important for me in the car. The MPG is better than the V6 I had before and that was a plus for me and its much better than the RC-F we have. My first drive home the average was around 34-35mpg. One of the reviews I have read even favor the 4 cylinder model over the V6 (below) so it mainly is just a personal preference. The last reason is having our teenager in the house to "gift" this car to when she turns 16 is also under consideration.

Overall, its a matter of preference of choosing the turbo 4 over the V6 or V8, cost for some and mpgs for others. The competition for the RC 200T engine such as the 2017 MB C300 Coupe gets 241 HP, 273LB of torque, and a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds and it has a turbo inline 4 cylinder starting at around $42k base from looking at mbusa.com. With those numbers they are almost as fast as the RC350 if you are looking at 0-60 times being a turbo 4 cylinder compared to a V6 and of course better than the RC200T engine. Like one of the other posters said before me Lexus is trying to stay competitive by offering the 4 cylinder models and there is a market out there for turbo 4 cylinders engines for certain people.

Just my opinions, hope this helps.

http://editorial.autoweb.com/2016-le...-drive-review/