I have ordered Mustangs directly from the factory 5 times. My last one a 2016 4-cyl. I use them as a daily driver and have gone from GT stick to Auto 6-cyl to Auto 4-cyl. Each time I go from performance to sensible comfort, I ask myself why I didn't do it sooner for daily use in traffic. I have to say I really admire what Ford has done with the Mustang. The last model change really improved fit and finish. That 4-Cyl dual turbo (mine had the performance package) really had low end punch and great gas mileage. So moving to the RC350 F-Sport did disappoint on power being a 6-cyl, but of course it is "naturally aspirated" (what a great way to say it doesn't have a turbo). The Stang had some features I wish the RC had (like playing the radio until the door is opened, multi color ambient lighting and headlights on when wipers are engaged).

Having said all that, I really like the RC350. Solid all around, power is plenty - especially in sport mode and if you want to get great gas mileage the eco mode does actually work (at first I thought it ate more but in normal straight driving it does get high MPG). I've not been in a car where the drive modes are so drastically different - I like that. The comfort level inside is top notch, the seat bolstering is excellent, the Mark Levinson sound system is really well played (pun intended). As for handling, CharlieRC said it best - "luxury coupe more than sports car." I love the ride and handling.

I do like the look of both cars, but from a vanity point I would get a compliment on the Stang at least once a month. I have gotten zero on the RC. I don't really care because that is not why I get a car, but I do find it interesting. Maybe it is going from Stang Ruby Red to Lexus Atomic Silver (that and one car being an icon). The RC is a delicious looking ride, but it also draws many lines from the sedans, so it takes a minute to fully appreciate the style.

So making this jump I'm back to asking myself why I didn't do it sooner for a daily drive. Also as the cost for both now approaches parity, on a daily drive I'd rather have the luxury. And while the purchase cost is approaching parity, to avoid quoting CharlieRC again, the resale value is not on par (but ease of sale is). I am very happy with the car and can easily see myself replacing it with the same.

(New to Lexus and the forum - thanks for a hearing. )

 

I was inside one at Arlington Lexus today. The seat is a nightmare - zero wiggle room. You feel like you are trapped in a body-fitting contraption, which may be fine for a five-minute trip. Anything longer and you will be asking yourself are we there yet. And it's hard. SC430 is grandma's couch in comparison.

 

MART: I was a little surprised for a minute to read your comment that you get few if any compliments on your RC350, as my experience has been just the opposite. I get comments and questions all the time at gas stations and in parking lots, and have since I got the car over 4 years ago.
Then I read that your car is Silver; mine is Infrared. The grey, silver and black RCs look, at first glance, much like the IS models (which have 4 doors and of which there are plenty). It takes me a while to tell the difference. The Lexus "Infrared," however, is a very deep and rich red which really stands out, especially in direct sunlight, and makes most of the other red cars in the parking lot look like they were done in primer, and many of the comments I receive relate to the color. Since over 50% of the cars on the road are black, grey or silver, they tend to be noticed less. (Red cars are fewer than 10%.)
My conclusion: a grey, black or silver car is the best way to travel incognito; a red car is clearly more conspicuous, and the Lexus Infrared (available only on the RC and the LC, as an extra-cost option) really stands out, even in a sea of red cars. (Also, get a radar detector.)

 

Hey tfischer, I think we are on the same page - "going from Stang Ruby Red to Lexus Atomic Silver" & "it also draws many lines from the sedans, so it takes a minute"

The Ruby Red was an extra cost too and had a deep clear coat. I'm positive if it was your Infrared I would have heard something by now. But, first car I didn't order from the factory.

Laugh - get a radar detector... I drove red mustangs! They hate red mustangs. A judge once looked down at me over his glasses after the officer said I was driving a red mustang, and he said "is that all fixed up". I told him I had a 6 cyl. and was coming back from the grocery store, I then got to question the officer. I won it, said I ran a red light but the officer couldn't correctly identify where the intersection marks were after I removed them from a photo. It was a Perry Mason moment

 

That is a nice shade of red. Very nice indeed!

 

I get the same reaction - regularly - with my '15 RC350 - it's Ultrasonic Blue Mica.

 

That is another great color on that car. I would have gone that route but only Atomic Silver was on the lot, which I actually like that silver speckled black look and it is great for not showing dust - but as noted above the silver looks like the ton of other Lexus/Toyota sedans unless you notice it is a coup. Interesting how much of a difference a color can make on a car.

 

15RC: That does not surprise me, as the Blue Mica is the other extra-cost color that is applied using a special process. (My recollection is that the car is first painted a metallic silver, then a few layers of clear coat, then a translucent blue or red; the silver acts as a mirror, giving the color a richness and depth beyond what a single layer of paint can provide). I hope they are doing something extra, since they charge us extra.

 

There is a downside to the nice color: it's difficult and expensive to repair damaged paint. Even relatively minor collisions can necessitate paint repairs that approach $1000.

 

. . . "it's difficult and expensive. . . "
Yes, off course, but it's worth it.