LEXUS RC 200T COUPE
Pretty is as pretty does
Neither the fastest down the track nor the quickest through a curve, the four-cylinder Lexus RC 200t nonetheless possesses its strong points. It owns the title as the most reliable sports coupe on the market and is a strong contender for prettiest.
The real attraction of this beauty was made clear to me several times during its week in our driveway. At the mall, in my driveway, in a restaurant parking lot, I was confronted by fellow baby boomers who fawned over design lines that suggestively course the length of her wide-stanced physique— sort of like Jessica Rabbit on wheels.
“I’m not bad,” she purred. “I’m just drawn that way.”
Don’t remember the line? Not to fret, my millennial friends. Lexus has a car for you. It’s called the IS. The cars are similar in size but the IS costs around $2,000 less and is more family friendly, thanks to a full-size rear seat and spacious trunk.
Both models come with the same three power train options, and the size of the engine denotes the model. The RC 200t is one of several 2017 Lexus models powered by a 2.0-liter, twin-scroll turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with the direct injection system and an intercooler. It produces 241 hp, with 258 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 1,650-4,400 rpm. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and delivers 22 mpg city / 32 mpg highway / 26 mpg combined EPA-estimated fuel economy.
The 300 AWD model’s 3.5-liter V6 with direct and port injection produces 255 hp and 236 lb.-ft. torque, the latter at 2,000-4,800 rpm, and is teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission. The 350 gets a 306-horsepower version of the V6. With rear-wheel drive, it’s got an eightspeed transmission; with all-wheel drive, it’s a six-speed automatic.
A few years ago, I would have named the IS 350 as one of my top-three, all-time favorite cars. It offers silky power with the practicality of a luxury midsize sedan; but I no longer drive children to band practice or haul a complete infield to games. Boy Wonder now drives to visit me, and I find the sporty RC is perfect for sojourning through the Ozarks with Beautiful Child Bride.
The critics’ consensus is that the RC does not have the performance of, say, the Audi A4, or the BMW 2-, 3-, and 4-series. The experts can’t agree which is the RC’s competitor, probably because of the RC’s wide range of power options.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia, Mercedes C-Class, Cadillac ATS and Infiniti Q60 are also estima-
With the RC
200t, Lexus brings the automotive equivalent of a runway model to the masses.
ble competitors in a class of cars that begins around $40,000 and tops out near $80,000.
To be honest, these are all superb machines. Look, this is my wheel house. If, on the day I die, I land in a place that does not encourage playing with dogs and driving nicely balanced machines around a challenging road course, I'll know I didn't make it to heaven. I won't be surprised. Just sad. Thus, I have never failed to find something I liked about each of these competitors.
Here's the case for the Lexus RC:
The first is that it's a real looker. The reaction of my cohort was instructive because I am, at heart, a gearhead. An automobile's appearance is subjective, so I tend to focus on items like chassis design, suspension geometry and drive train.
Photographers say every car has its side, and that it's just a matter of finding it. I say the Pontiac Aztek, the only time I used the adjective “butt ugly,” had none, but the Lexus RC has many, and they are all stunning.
The goes for the interior, too. Every surface pleasures the touch and pleases they eye. Lines blend into junctions of functionality.
Competitors battle to post ever quicker Nürburgring times, but the RC is no slouch at weaving its way down a deserted back road. Even at triple-digit speeds, the car tracked perfectly through a sweeping 90-degree turn in cattle country.
I suspect that about the only way to push an RC past its handling limits would be to get one's hands on a, 5.0-L, 467-hp RC F, which has a top speed of 168 mph and is treated as a separate model.
The last time I drove one of those I hit unannounced gravel in the middle of a curve at somewhere around 115 and came within inches of taking out a herd of cows.
At the last moment, the car's electronic control systems kicked in; still, for a moment I could hear angels singing, dogs barking, and cars roaring down a Gran Prix 1 track. Cows mooing, too. If I were buying a sports coupe, the RC would probably be my first choice because it's, well, a Lexus. Equipped similarly, it's going to come at a better price and it's going to be easier to have serviced.
The RC has earned top reliability ratings from J.C. Power and Associates and was named Best Resale Value in entry-level luxury by Kelly Blue Book.