Trying to decide between the rc300 AWD vs rc350 AWD.

Don't laugh, coming from an old Accord xD

Any helpful tips?

edit: and sway the wife away from the is300...

 

Hey I love Accord - had a 2003 EX and served me well.

Are you looking to daily drive? Any plans on modifications in the near future? The 300 is a detuned engine so if you are looking to do mods and upgrades, get the 350.

If you are just looking to drive it and plan on replacing it after a couple of years, then 300 since it's the cheaper option. 350 is a keeper.

With MODS, start with RR Racing - https://www.rr-racing.com/

 

If you just want to look sporty, the RC300 Rwd is a better option than the RC300 Awd--the smaller engine gets better mileage and neither is a big grin driving (except compared to the Accord). If you actually want to be sporty, then the RC350 Fsport is the way to go. Coming from an Accord which is Fwd, either will be a big change--biggest being you won't have room for many groceries and the back seat is pretty useless.

 

If you live in the north with snow, RC350 AWD is the way to go. This heavy car can deal with the winter drive when equipped with good Michelin tires.

 

I have a 21 RC350 F Sport AWD and daily drive it in PA. This was absolutely the way to go for me. I will also say that the F Sport trim and the addition of Mark Levinson stereo were worth it as well

 

Heavy car? Compared to just about everything in it's class, it is not heavy. It is a high quality car and quiet. No, it's not a sports car but not intended to be.
A luxury sport-coupe with a reasonably performance package with the Fsport options. I have the F-sport AWD version, pretty much takes everything you throw at it
within reason.The ML sound option, well worth it as well.

 

Any car over 4,000 pounds is a very heavy car!
Todays automobiles are all getting heavier especially all electric cars. Some electric cars are approaching over 5,000 pounds!!
The RC300 AWD and RC350 AWD are both great cars. I personally own a 2016 RC 300 AWD. The RC350 AWD was preferable to me for the extra 50HP, but at the time the dealerships were asking several thousands more for the RC350 AWD, so I went with the cheaper RC300.
I enjoy it as an everyday driver. Great in the snow, rain and dry.
You should be happy with either model.
If you don't live in a snow belt area then skip the AWD as stated above. You will have a quicker car and better gas mileage.

 

It is all relative. Back 20 years ago, 3400 lbs used to be considered very heavy. 333 HP was a lot of power back in those days, but I remember when the E46 M3 came out weighing 3450 lbs, everyone used to criticize how heavy it was. Now, even the small m240i weighs 3900 lbs.

 

One additional point re AWD vs RWD

The wheel gap of the AWD up front is immense so, for me at least, I had to spend some cash on lowering mine because I wasn’t completely happy until I did. I’m not talking about slamming it down because it’s a daily driver over rough PA roads. Just RSR superdown springs was enough for me.

 

I'm in the market myself and recently drove both cars. A '20 rc300 f sport and then a '19 rc 350 f sport, both awd. Both dealerships let me take the car out on my own with no time limit. Spent 30-40 minutes in both cars. Hands down 350 wins for me. While the 300 will move and feels fast enough if you mash the pedal, the 350, while not just more powerful, it's much more relaxed doing the same thing. My wife would drive a 300 and say it's slow, but she's afraid to lay into it. I on the other hand think the 300 is fast enough when pushed, but don't want to have to drive that way. Your driving style will decide for you. For reference I'm looking to use the car a a fun sporty daily driver, I have a weekend bigger power toy.

 

My 2015 RC350 F-sport AWD is my daily driver. On the weekend, I get my "fast" taken care of by a toy made by the Kawasaki guys, a ZZR1200

 

Similar here. I raced a ZX-7R in heavy weight super sport for years. Then on to a Ducati 996s. Now its a viper srt10.