When something that used to be readily available no longer is, it makes what's still available even more desirable. Especially when it may not be for very much longer.
The '24 Lexus RC coupe, for instance.
It's still available with a V6 — and that's almost like finding a pound of bacon at the store that's still actually a pound of bacon.
And you can still get it with a CD player. It comes standard with an analog clock. These are two things that aren't easy to find these days.
Especially the six.
At least, for the money.
What It Is
The RC is a two-door, four-seater luxury-performance coupe — which all by itself is almost exceptional because there aren't many such left on the market.
Even fewer that can be bought with a 3.5-liter V-6 — for less than $50k. $48,850, to be precise.
That's the base price of the rear-drive RC350; opting for all-wheel-drive pushes the price up to just shy of $50k.
You can also buy this Lexus with a turbocharged four for less — $45,920, to be precise. That's the base price of the rear-drive RC300. And you can also get the 3.5-liter V6 — at a slightly discounted price versus the RC350 — if you buy the RC300 all-wheel-drive, which stickers for $48,610.
The price you pay for that is a less powerful version of the V6.
What's New for 2024
Both the RC300 and the RC350 can be ordered with an F Sport performance package that includes a 19-inch wheel and tire package (with short-sidewall performance tires), selectable drive modes, an adaptive suspension, high-performance brakes, aluminum pedals, perforated leather sport seats, a performance instrument cluster and interior/exterior trim upgrades.
What's Good
Lexus still makes 'em like others used to.
A steal, compared with the $49,900 price (to start) of a BMW 430i — which comes standard with a four.
Available CD player.
What's Not So Good
BMW 4's back seats have significantly more head and legroom, making them more able to actually seat passengers.
F-Sport performance upgrades do not include engine upgrades.
Under the Hood
The RC300 comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four. Not — as Seinfeld likes to say — that there's anything wrong with that. This engine produces 241 horsepower and is paired with an eight-speed automatic — if you choose the rear-drive model. All-wheel-drive-equipped models get a six-speed automatic.
If you do choose the all-wheel-drive, you'll also get a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 260 horsepower.
If you want more power to go with that — with or without the all-wheel-drive — the RC350 comes standard with a 311-horsepower version of the 3.5-liter six, paired with either the eight-speed automatic (rear-drive versions) or the six-speed automatic (with all-wheel-drive).
On the Road
A decade ago, V6 engines were common ... in Toyotas. In practically everything. You could get a V6 in the Toyota RAV4.
And getting a V6 in a Lexus was a (once) a given.
Today, it's at least available. And that is what makes the RC something unlike almost everything else (plus the CD player and analog clock). You don't feel disappointed when you push the start button and hear the sound (the real rather than augmented sound) of something more than a four for the nearly $50k you just spent. This cannot be quantified by such stats as 0-60.
It is something you feel glad that you did.
This V6 is also a legendarily excellent one. Toyota has been installing versions of it in various Toyota — and Lexus — models for 20-plus years. And it is a 20-plus-year engine. One — in this case — with a near 7,000 RPM redline that's smooth as liquid butter all the way there. The sound of it getting there is what this trip is all about, much more so than how quickly it happens.
At the Curb
The RC is the smallest of the three main players in this class — the other two being the Audi A5 coupe and the BMW 4 Series (which is basically the two-door version of the 3 Series sedan). All of these are four seaters, which makes them more practical than two-door sports cars with no seats in the back.
But the RC's a bit less practical than its BMW rival, because it is smaller.
Well, shorter.
The Lexus is 185 inches end to end — versus 187.9 for the BMW. This probably accounts for the Lexus having the least rearseat legroom of the three — 27.3 inches versus 32.1 for the BMW.
But it's the sportier roofline of the Lexus — which rakes backward sharply aft of the B pillar — that detracts most from the RC's backseat passenger-carrying feasibility. Headroom back there is more than 4 inches less than it is up front — 34.8 inches versus 39 for the driver and front seat passenger. The BMW has 2.3 inches more rearseat headroom (32.5 inches) on account of its more conservative posture.
The real point of departure, however, is what you'll find inside the RC's cabin versus what's no longer to be found in pretty much everything else. And also what you won't find. There's the CD slot and the analog clock. And there isn't a gigantic tablet ticky-tacky sticking out of the dashboard like a giant glowing Pop Tart.
The Rest
If you want a larger (10.3 inch) touch screen, it's available. It's wider — rather than taller — so it also doesn't look like a glowing Pop Tart popping upward out of the toaster/dashboard. The CD player is also a DVD player, which means you can play those in the car (rather than stream them from a service, as in the newer-design cars that have that feature).
The Bottom Line
"Who knows how long this will last — or how we've come so far, so fast" — Don Henley's lyrics about changing times and how fast times change. This may be your final chance to buy a V6-powered luxury sport coupe for less than $50,000. Or at all.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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