Lexus RC review

Time to play spot-the-difference with this revised and updated RC, what Lexus describes as a ‘luxury sports coupe’. It’s supposed to have taken direction from Lexus’ awesome LC supercar-slash-GT and have subtle design changes, better aero, suspension, tyres etc than the car that first popped up in 2014. You get the idea.

It gets a bit forensic though: new bumper corners, new grille mesh, triple-stacked LED headlights (only on F Sport and Takumi models) and some L-shaped daytime running lights. Different rear light units, ducts on the corners of the rear bumper, a slightly wider stance, apparently. Hard to spot, that one. It’s supposed to be ‘sharper and more graceful’ than before, but when the press pack lauds the fact that the RC is supposed to be ‘more stable than before under a wide variety of conditions’, you get the feeling that bald driving excitement wasn’t point one on the agenda. Unlike the RC F (and Track Edition), which sport much more exciting hardware.

Mind you, the RC300h isn’t supposed to be a hardcore sports car, but offer a different take on a sporty-looking coupe - one with a bit of a conscience. After all, there aren’t that many two-door coupes that can hit 47.5mpg regularly, and manage a decent chunk of their usage cycle on EV only (which it does). The F-Sport grade gets 19-inch wheels that echo the rims on the LS and LC, as well as badges and a few other upgrades, and generally it hangs together very nicely. It certainly stands quite happily with the Merc C-Class Coupe or BMW 4 Series, giving the genre a more specific Japanese style, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

For around £40k, you’d be wantonly left-field to choose an RC300h. The RC F is a different story, mind.