To be fair, the bright Molten Pearl Orange 2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport coupe is an ostentatious ride. Everywhere I parked it, heads turned and people greeted me with "nice car." And to be honest, about half of those "nice car" greetings were probably sarcastic. It's difficult not to look like you're trying too hard in a massive orange sports coupe.
However, I hadn't been behind the wheel for more than a few hours before I noticed another type of unwanted attention that the Lexus was gathering: sneers and flybys from BMW 3 Series drivers. The RC F Sport seemed to bring out the worst in San Francisco's BMW enthusiasts; it's as if they took the orange paint, the gaping spindle grill, and the large L badge as personal challenges to their throne behind the wheel of the ultimate driving machine and felt obligated to knock me down a peg or two by launching away from traffic lights and weaving through traffic.
As the center of all of this attention, I couldn't help but chuckle. Though the ostentatious aesthetic will attract those looking for a 4-series fighter, the RC's softer edged performance is more akin to that of the more laid-back Benz C-Class Coupe. The F Sport may look like a boy racer, but it has the soul of a gentleman's tourer.
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Powerful, but a bit soft-edged
Under the sculpted hood, the RC is powered by a 3.5 liter V-6 engine that builds a naturally aspirated 305 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission (the only option available for the RC) the powertrain feels like a good fit for this sporty, but large coupe. The driver is given access to sport- and manual-shift programs for the gearbox and Sport S, Sport S+, Eco and Normal drive mode programs for the engine.
Power reaches the road via the rear wheels, but an optional all-wheel drive system is available for both the standard RC and RC F Sport.
With the drive mode and the transmission in their sportiest settings, I found that the Lexus is still just a little lazy. Despite having quite a bit of power on hand, the transmission always seemed to find itself in a gear or two taller than I would have chosen for spirited driving on a twisty road. Selective use of the manual-shift mode with steering wheel's paddle shifters largely remedied this, giving me better access to the upper reaches of the tachometer's swing.
Our F Sport model features a number of styling upgrades that give the RC a high-performing look, including the motorized F Sport instrument cluster cribbed from the IS F Sport and inspired by Lexus' LFA supercar. The digital gauge is pretty awesome to look at as the large central tachometer's face changes from white to yellow and red, as revs approach the redline that the transmission will never actually reach (because the computer will always upshift for you, even in the manual mode). Tap a button on the steering wheel and the tach's motorized bezel slides slightly to the right, revealing more screen real estate, which is used to display infotainment information, trip computer data and more.
Not merely a styling package, the F Sport model also features larger 19-inch wheels with staggered fit summer tires. The suspension is upgraded with an Adaptive Variable Suspension. Like the transmission's sport setting, the suspension still feels a bit floaty and soft at its most hardcore Sport S+ setting. The RC's handling feels more like a grand tourer and reminds me quite a bit of the Lexus GS 350 F Sport. That isn't a bad thing, but remember the GS is also a much larger, heavier car so the RC should theoretically feel more nimble.
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