One Week Road Test: Lexus RC 350 V6

Lexus RC comes with 3 engine choices.

The Lexus RC is an aggressively styled coupe offered in three versions. First is the RC-300. It has a 2.0-liter turbo cranking 241 horsepower with a starting price of about $40K. The top of the line trim is one we already tested on ClubLexus.com last week, the RC-F V-8. It cranks 467 horses, reaches 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, and our test car was priced at a steep $84K. The RC-350 is one step down from the RC F. It starts at $44K and has a more practical 3.5-liter V-6 engine. We drove it for a week to evaluate the performance and the real-world fuel economy. 

F-Sport package is $4K extra.

The V-6 engine is rated at 311 horsepower and is hooked to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The fuel economy is rated at 20/28 mpg. Our test car was loaded with options. First was the F-sport pack that includes larger wheels, heated/cooled seats, adaptive suspension, and plenty of cosmetic items for a stiff $4,105. Add $410 for fog lamps and $1,060 for LED headlights. Navigation system is another $2,725 but this includes a nice 835 watt stereo. The optional orange brake calipers are an extra $300. We thought $1,900 for variable ratio steering was a bit steep, as well as $339 for a trunk mat, the moonroof adds another $1,000, and a limited slip rear end costs $390. Tack on $595 for custom paint, and we get $57,988 with shipping. 

>>Join the conversation about the one week test of the RC 350 right here in the Club Lexus forum.

The cabin has luxurious appeal.

The interior materials and workmanship are what we expect from a high-quality car: excellent. The F-Sport system provides Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport+ modes of driving. The front seats are comfortable. The trunk only has 10 cubic feet of space, but the opening is super wide, so you can stick plenty of gear in there with ease.

There were some complaints, though. Rear seat room is limited, so only small kids or pets should be condemned to sit there. The infotainment system is controlled by a finger touchpad which is annoying to operate, especially in motion. What happened to the stick control used on other Lexus cars? Also, at certain angles, the sun can block out the view of the instrument panel. None of these gripes are deal breakers but must be mentioned. 

>>Join the conversation about the one week test of the RC 350 right here in the Club Lexus forum.

The V6 is economical but requires premium fuel.

The RC-350F is a pleasure to drive in daily commuting. The ride is smooth, wind noise is low, and those air conditioned seats kept us cool on a 115-degree day. Yet when taking tight twisty roads, the car sticks like glue, and high-speed stability is excellent. This is a true sports machine, equal to any German competition.

Because of the hot weather, the fuel economy figures took a dive. In heavy city traffic, it dropped to only 15 mpg rather than the 20 advertised. But driving at night, where the temps were a "cooler" 82-90 degrees, we did see 26 mpg on highway trips, and 20 in mixed commuting. Super premium gas rated at 91-octane is required, but we later tried some 89-octane with no issues. 

>>Join the conversation about the one week test of the RC 350 right here in the Club Lexus forum.

The Lexus RC 350 is a true sports car.

This Lexus RC-350F doesn't have the strong performance of its bigger V-8 brother, but overall, it is the most practical of the three RC choices. If you can't afford a new one, picking up a pre-owned model can save some money. And since Lexus cars seem to run forever like their Toyota cousins, there should be plenty of trouble free years left on it.

>>Join the conversation about the one week test of the RC 350 right here in the Club Lexus forum.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects please visit our how-to section in the forum.