Attention-grabbing Lexus RC350 coupe turns heads

The 2017 Lexus RC 350 has head-turning good looks.
The 2017 Lexus RC 350 has head-turning good looks.
photo Cream colored leather seating surfaces help lighten the cabin of the Lexus RC 350.

Even though the design is three years old, driving the Lexus RC350 coupe around Chattanooga this week felt like buzzing the Riverbend festival in a Han Solo-style Millennium Falcon.

Heads didn't just turn when we drove by, they snapped around.

"Hey, look, Hot Wheels!" shouted a worker in Coolidge Park.

Downtown walkers, meanwhile, turned in unison to watch the rear-wheel-drive sports coupe pass, their gaze lingering over the RC350's sculpted backside, which carries a hint of Ferrari. At the other end, the FC350's gloss-black Spindle grille looks like something you'd see on a jet aircraft.

Assuming you have about $54,985 to spend on a sports coupe, the striking RC350 offers a lot of visual bang for your buck. Competitors in the segment, such as the BMW 440i and the Cadillac ATS-V, are performance peers of the RC350 but don't make nearly the same fashion statement.

Lexus' RC line is vast, ranging from the four-cylinder RC Turbo (base price $40,155) to the six-cylinder RC300 ($42,720), to the performance oriented RC350 with its 306 horsepower V-6 engine. For track junkies, there's also the insanely powerful RC F ($64,165 base) which packs a 467-horsepower V-8 powerplant.

Cary Smith, sales manager of Lexus of Chattanooga on Lee Highway, says the dealership has two 2017 RC350s in stock this week, along with one RC200t and one RC F.

DESIGN AND FEATURES

The flip side to the RC350's racy looks is that it won't work for introverts. But let's stipulate that the introvert/sports-coupe-owner club is vanishingly small.

The RC350s long, low-slung shape is accentuated by flared rear wheel-wells that call attention to the RC350's rear-wheel-drive set-up. All-wheel-drive is an option.

"Infared" is a dynamic color to highlight the curvaceous body lines of the RC350, and we are big fans of the cream-colored "Playa" Nulux interior. The light, synthetic leather seating surfaces make the cabin seem larger and show off the high-quality interior materials that are a Lexus trademark.

The yawning, hour-glass shaped grille blends into a sculpted hood that points a path for your eyes to sweep the entire length of the coupe. Character lines in the rear side panels also create visual interest in the haunches. The rear fascia, meanwhile, gets a little too busy for our tastes, with a prominent deck-lid spoiler and convex tail-light assemblies that seem to squint. Overall, though, the styling is arresting and never fails to attract attention - and smiles.

The interior, meanwhile, beckons with deeply bolstered, body-hugging seats that should keep you pointed forward if you try to test the cornering limits of the RC350. A terraced center stack, meanwhile, provides a platform for a couple of sturdy cup-holders, an elegantly crafted shift knob and Lexus' track-pad telematics control.

The carmaker's excellent Lexus Enform system combines access to navigation, a smartphone-like app suite, service status reports and roadside assistance. There's a bit of a learning curve on all this, but most of the functions are fairly straightforward.

The RC350 comes generously equipped with such standard features as a 3.6-liter V-6 engine, eight-speed automatic transmission, LED headlamps, dual chrome exhausts, bluetooth and folding rear seats.

Options on our loaner from Toyota North America include spiffy 19-inch alloy wheels ($795), heated and ventilated front seats (part of a $2,990 luxury package), parking assist ($595), radar cruise control ($500) and moon-roof ($1,100).

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

Driving the RC350 can be summed up in two words: effortless power. With a zero-to-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 147 mph, the RC350 is a hoss.

Power pours out smoothly, almost silently. At about 3,700 pounds, the coupe is a bit heavier than you might expect, but that just adds to the solid feel of the car. Even without all-wheel-drive, our tester has good adhesion owing to its optional summer tires. (All-season tires are standard.)

The RC350 is tuned more for comfort than sport, so there is not a lot of driver feedback and steering is benign. Still, the comfy seats and isolated cabin make it a perfect cross-country ride. There's 10 cubic feet of trunk space, and the back seat is spacious enough for small children. Honestly, though, most will use the back bench for storage.

BOTTOM LINE

Part of the joy of owning a new car is getting noticed. Based on the past week, we'd put the RC 350 easily in the top 10 of attention-grabbing cars we've ever driven.

If you can feed your ego and still get all that Lexus quality in one package, what's not to love here.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.

Fast facts

- Model: 2017 Lexus RC350 - Exterior color: Infrared - Interior color: Playa - Engine: 3.5-liter V-6 - Horsepower: 306 - Transmission: eight-speed automatic - Fuel economy: 28 mpg highway, 19 mpg city - Local Dealer: Lexus of Chattanooga, Lee Highway - Price (as tested): $53,985

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