The 2024 Lexus RC 350: a classic grand touring coupe

Well, isn’t this the throwback?

It’s not often that you get into a new car, let alone a sports coupe, and are confronted with a Compact Disc player. I admire Toyota’s willingness to still offer a car with one, and my guess is that many Lexus buyers still own a stack of CDs. I once did, and digitized them all, a job that took some time, given that I had hundreds. But do I miss having a CD player? No more than I miss radio stations, with their idiotic verbose morning drive DJs interrupted by endless streams of commercials and an occasional song here or there.

But I do miss cars like 2024 Lexus RC 350 F-Sport, a gorgeously built, reasonably priced grand touring luxury sports coupe. Such cars are increasingly rare, with its only competition being the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5.

Despite wearing a nine-year-old design, it remains fresh, aggressive and classic in appearance. Actually, classic best describes the interior, which boasts an 8-inch or optional 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen display. The controls seem dated, but let’s consider them classic. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa are standard; a Wi-Fi hotspot is optional, as is a 17-speaker Mark Levinson audio system.

The front seats are comfortable and supportive, while rear seats are afterthoughts; consider them a place to punish someone you loathe or as a padded parcel shelf. They’re covered in ridiculously indulgent leather, and fit and finish is first rate. There’re the expected luxuries, such as dual climate control, and a cabin that’s seriously silent at speed. That is, except for your ABBA’s greatest hits CD that you have cranked to 11.

If there is some noise at speed, it comes courtesy of the engine you’re most likely to find at dealers: a 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 311-horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is standard is on the rear-wheel-drive RC 300, generating a respectable 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Regardless of which engine you choose, rear-wheel-drive models get an eight-speed transmission; all-wheel drive models make do with a six-speed automatic.

The turbo four comes only with rear-wheel drive on the RC 300; other models get the V-6, which feels much more appropriate given this car’s mission. There’s also a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 producing 472 horsepower on the RC F, which reduces 0-60 mph times to 4.2 seconds from 6 seconds.

The test vehicle, a 2024 Lexus RC 350 F-Sport, proved to be the consummate Lexus. It’s not the fastest in its segment, nor does have the sharp, hard-edged performance you’d expect of a sports coupe. This is, as stated, a grand tourer. It’s a car that’s as interested in comfort as it is in speed. There’s a refinement to its nature that’s not always present in its competitors. This is a gentleman’s car, not a boy racer’s.

Prices start at $45,920, including destination charge for the RC 300. The 2024 Lexus RC 350 F-Sport test vehicle started at a little over $52,000 for a luxury-laden bubble. It proves to be a comfortably accommodating coupe with which to make an escape in classic Lexus luxury.

Yet it’s a rare gem that’s soon to be replaced.

“We understand the importance of performance and having a performance halo for the brand,” Vinay Shahani, vice president of Lexus marketing, told me in October 2023. “We have the LC 500 and we have the RC. Those are both vehicles that I think are uniquely tuned and kind of aimed toward the enthusiast. But we understand that there’s probably the need to even be more aggressive in that in that arena. So stay tuned for more.”

As ABBA might sing, thank you for the music, Lexus RC.

NUTS & BOLTS

Base price: $52,320

Engine: 3.5-liter V6

Horsepower/Torque: 311/280 pound-feet

EPA fuel economy (city/highway): 16/24 mpg

Fuel required: 91 Octane

Length/Width/Height: 184/72.4/54.9 inches

Ground clearance: 5.1 inches

Cargo capacity: 10.4 cubic feet

Payload: 1,080 pounds

Towing capacity: Not rated