Lexus announced Friday that its RC coupe would get the turbo four treatment for 2016, following the NX, GS, IS and RX Toyota’s eventual march toward smaller-displacement, boosted engines for many of its sedans and coupes.
According to the automaker, the 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 241 horsepower, will be available in the coupe with an eight-speed automatic with rear-wheel drive only. It will join three other engines available in the RC.
The all-wheel drive RC300 will come equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 255 horsepower mated to a six-speed automatic, a rear-wheel drive RC350 with a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 306 horsepower married to an eight-speed automatic, and a 468-horsepower 5-liter V-8 in the RC-F and how many engines does Toyota have on its shelves?
The RC200t follows suit with the automaker’s course of introducing an engine in Europe, then doing about the same thing in the U.S. — despite saying they won’t — about three months later.
Lexus buyers in Japan can get the RC in a hybrid variant, the RC300h, but that appears to be available in Japan only.
Based on this current course, expect an RX200t sometime in November.
And what is that sound? Some of the B&B’s heads exploding? Turbo Toyotas, oh the humanity… Nevermind the thought of a FOUR BANGER in a Lexus!
And wow, FOUR engines. BMW offers the 3/4-series with about a dozen.
BWHAHAHAHA! Truth. The horror…the horror.
It wasn’t that long ago that the B&B were declaring that a turbo-4 had no business in a proper luxury car and you would never see [LUXURY MARK OF PREFERENCE] ever, ever, ever, follow BMW and GM in this race of turbo 4s.
Thats weird, so old Saabs and Volvos could have turbo-fours but not a modern Lexus?
Btw both 3.5 V6s sound like the same engine, just re-tuned.
And, of course, these are the first turbo Toyotas in existence. This manufacturer never stooped so low until forced to do so by regulations.
The Celica AllTrack AWD was a turbo. And Toyota have a few diesel turbos under their belt.
So all this hand-wringing is a bit much, no?
Supra had a turbo option too.
Those, and the MR-2 turbo, were exactly my sarcastic point. And there were even more models in Japan, including something like a Matrix with the turbo4 and AWD.
Ya, that’s it – US EPA regulators forced Toyota to do this for the world.
/facepalm
@krhodes –
While I think it’s a bad move to go w/a 4 cylinder FI motor, whether by Lexus, BMW, Cadillac or Audi, especially in any alleged “premium” marque that costs anything close to 40k (let alone 50k), at least the Lexus 4 banger is statistically likely to be about 800% more reliable and 1600% more durable than the 2.0T used in the Cadillac ATS, CTS & incredibly, CT6 (and alleged BMW 5 or 7, or Mercedes E or S competitor, depending on the day and Cadillac spokesperson speaking).
In the real world, 4 cylinders can’t match the refinement, power (all things being equal as in FI or N/A), and often, even efficiency of 6 cylinders. They often weigh less, which can be one of their few redeeming traits versus a larger motor, especially when implemented in a lighter, balanced, sportier vehicle.
“The all-wheel drive RC300 will come equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6”
Oh good, I was wondering when they were going to break their sensible numbering scheme on a car. Previously I think only the hybrid models broke it.
How they only get 255 HP out of the 3.5L V6 in the RC300?!?!?!
More power might bust the torque converter for the front wheels in AWD or something like that.
AWD = evil
You know me well.
I’ve been trying to learn more about the AWD system on my wife’s car and I keep coming back to the fact that it is voodoo magic.
Clearly.
We’ll get another two or three years out of it. Then it’s Navigator time.
Well it’s bad for hooning (put me in that category) but it has sold a lot of higher end sedans/coupes in bad weather locales.
It’s OK, people can buy a tuner to get that HP back and then shred a differential or torque converter and blame Lexus.
They took the 306hp engine and clogged up the exhaust.
Something like 42,7 for the RWD V6 model. Not horrible for what it is.
I’d rather spend a few thousand more for the 435.
Or in my case, less for a Mustang GT, but I’m a hillbilly at heart I guess.
This is the rich man’s Japanese Mustang.
I don’t hate this car at all. In the low 40s, its a decent buy. I have a soft spot for I6 BMWs, but I suspect a $48K base 435i is almost impossible to find. I’d bet most 435s are going above $55K. I wish the RC came with the 5.0L V8. At $48K-$55K, it would be the car to have.
Since I am not rich and have access to A-Plan, my preferred build of a Mustang GT Premium would run around $35K. I want so much, but C-Max is paid off next month.
You can order a 435i with no options. It takes about 2-3 months from order to delivery. Also, BMW is typically willing to offer deals, unlike Toyota, and I assume Lexus.
The Hyundai Genesis Coupe seems like a much better value.
I was a Genesis Coupe fan until I did a lapping day. The G8 fared well sans the brakes where cooked. Upgraded afterward.
The Genesis Coupe (3.8L V6 model)? Cooked. I mean the car was cooked. We were all kind of gathered around mumbling how the car was just toast.
Day-to-day it is a fine ride, it can’t be rode hard – let alone left out wet.
How did the Genesis stack up against a Nissan 370z? I thought thats what the Genesis Coupe was competing with.
Well the 370Z, and to some extent the Miata and FRS-twins.
The damn thing weighs 3900+lbs and needs over 300hp just to move with any authority.
The AWD 255hp version sounds very weak and I doubt the turbo will save enough weight to avoid being pokey.
Such a tubby chub-meister. And on the RC’s debut, people were mumbling about the top-line engine motivating the RC around!
ATS coupe walks all over this thing. Even DW would admit that.
Alternate universe DW may feel that way.
I’m sure the ATS drives better. I thought it was a very good driving car. I do think the RC will be worth more in a few years and the interior is nicer. The Cadillac is also $4000 more when comparing V6 prices.
There is no doubt the Lexus will have better resale but since GM puts so much money on the hood even at 4K more it may be cheaper initially.
While the word “better” is obviously subjective, I seriously doubt that the ATS’s handling chops are much better than the IS/RC in F-sport guise. They are that good. They manage to find the balance between bone stiff and marshmallow soft that seems to evade the BMW 435i (sport suspension is rough, standard suspension is disconnected) for about $7,500 less.
The F-Sport and 435i start at basically the same price. $48K.
Comparably equipped, the 435i is $57,000 as opposed to the IS’s $49,500. I ran the numbers 5 months ago. You will have to special order a $48K 435i and suffer through the deficiencies.
In terms of resale valuation, it is not subjective. Cadillac cars going back twenty years have had poor resale, the Escalade is the only Cadillac historically to buck the trend.
Performance wise? absolutely. Exterior looks? Sure. Interior? Definetly not. Performance alone does not make a better car.
I don’t know where this idea that the ATS interior is not that good came from but it’s simply not true. Have you actually sat in one?? Yes the gauge cluster is lame but everything else is top notch for this class. The materials are quite nice and the design (to me) looks good also. I recently was driving a ’16 ATS and even the much maligned CUE is now better with improved hardware and software.
Also framing the argument that the Caddy isn’t as good as the RC because of resale is weak. All luxury cars are a money pit and if a couple grand down the road is reason enough for you to buy an inferior product (this Lexus) then you shouldn’t buy this type of car to begin with.
The caddy is just better. Lexus tried to take a shortcut with the RC and failed.
Although it is a complicated thing, resale always tells a story. I have to slightly correct you, all cars are money pits to some degree. I worked used cars in the mid 2000s when there were still reliable Cadillacs still on the road (4.5/4.9), the newer variety running the junk Northstar, and the then new CTS 3.0. These cars for the most part became ghetto fodder very quickly because their resale was garbage and those cars are gone now. Count how many 2005 and earlier Cadillacs you see and then count how many 05 and earlier Lexuses in the same day. Lexus uses better materials, a better manufacturing process, and offers better reliability than nearly every Cadillac since 1980, its a fact. You mention the MY16 ATS being better than it was, when did Alpha come out 2013? When did Cue come out, 2012 maybe? Earlier? Lexus products will work properly from day one, its not going to take them four model years to correct a problem. If I buy a product, I don’t want to have to visit the dealer constantly for problems or updates, nor do I want to buy the “fixed” version after having brought the first iteration. I want it to just work as designed for its service life. I have little to no confidence in a Cadillac product doing this since about 1995. Cadillac starting in the 2000s went toward leasing and if I had to guess would say now is a lease heavy company. If I want lease only I’m looking at zee Germans (and I owned two Cadillacs an MY85 & MY89, also drove several more for a spell. Nice when they ran).
What I would be interested in seeing is a side to side comparison review between say the MY16 ATS Coupe and this RC300. In some metrics I wouldn’t be surprised if it was better but I’d be curious to know what those metrics happen to be and then compare ATPs.
“Lexus tried to take a shortcut with the RC and failed.”
What shortcut?
All these scary-face cars are, I presume, intended to induce fear and liberate homoerotic submissiveness in those whose mirrors they loom?
They just make me slow down to annoy the owner.
“Try to mau-mau *me*, a**hole!”
I dunno. When I drive my IS350, people move out of my way well before I get within overtaking distance. When I’m in my BMW, they seem to slow down because they think I’m an a-hole (hey, they might be right). Either way, there’s a noticeable difference that makes driving the Lexus a bit more pleasant.
When a Lexus approaches me in the fast lane, I definitely move over out of respect for our elders. It’s cute when an old man thinks his Lexus is a sports car.
Haha! spoken by a young person who doesn’t realize the endgame is the same. You’re out of the way.
This is odd. There is already a V6 AWD version in 2015 MY, right? And it produces over 300 HP, right? So, for 2016, AWD buyers are just getting less for their money than 2015 AWD buyers? Or is there a lower price point for the AWD version in 2016?
they introduced cheaper AWD option…. so there are RC300 AWD and RC350 AWD, as well as RC200t and RC350 RWD as well as RC300h worldwide.
Nice looking car, but I can’t hack that front end theme. I’m probably in a small minority though.
Im sure it works well in parking lot bumps.
What this car needed was less weight not less power.
Four-cyl? This isn’t a Fusion, it’s a Lexus and a Lexus coupe, no less. And a pathetic 241HP in car this size? Fuel-economy, regulations, yadda, yadda. I’d be far more impressed if Lexus showed some the engineering prowess of the LFA by designing a killer 2.5L V8 with 325HP, that would impress me.
point of this thing is torque where 2.0t has similar torque as 3.5l V6.
But only offered in RWD and evidently slightly over 60 less horsepower vs the V6. Maybe Europe and perhaps Japan have a desire for this, I doubt to see it on US sold models in any frequency.
I wonder which engine/driveline will sell and continue oroduction in a few years. Seems Toyota isn’t sure either. This just looks like spitballing with the intent to focus on what aells later.