Justin Hilliard
Head of Editorial
15 Mar 2018
3 min read

Lexus Australia has ushered in its updated RC sportscar with boosted safety levels, interior upgrades, dynamic improvements and price adjustments.

The RC350 Sports Luxury and RC F Carbon are the only two variants in the eight-tier line-up to cop price cuts, down $91 and $6248 respectively, with the latter partly owing to the removal of its carbon-fibre bonnet in favour of an aluminium panel.

Otherwise, price increases range from $149 for the RC F to $809 for the RC300 F Sport, with these premiums justified by the aforementioned specification adjustments.

Thus, the RC line-up now starts from $65,400 before on-road costs for the RC300 Luxury, topping out at $152,300 for the flagship RC F Carbon.

The Japanese carmaker’s suite of advanced driver-assist safety technologies expands to pedestrian detection for the auto emergency braking system, haptic steering-wheel feedback for the lane departure warning system, steering assist and high beam assist as well as simplified switchgear for the adaptive cruise control.

The RC line-up now starts from ,400 before on-road costs.
The RC line-up now starts from ,400 before on-road costs.

Inside, a 10.3-inch central display replaces the previous 7.0-inch unit, while the multimedia system has been upgraded to the latest software and the touch-pad controller is larger than before.

Variants fitted with the adaptive variable suspension now have access to a custom driving mode, allowing drivers to adjust powertrain, chassis and air-conditioning settings to their individual tastes.

The entry-level RC200t variants have been renamed to RC300, reflecting Lexus’ new nomenclature for the 180kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine under their bonnet.

Inside, a 10.3-inch central display replaces the previous 7.0-inch unit.
Inside, a 10.3-inch central display replaces the previous 7.0-inch unit.

A revision of the 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine in the mid-range RC350 variants has resulted in a 3.2 per cent improvement in fuel economy, to 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres, and a 2.3 per cent drop in carbon dioxide emissions, to 212 grams per km.

However, power output has taken a 1kW hit, to 232kW, while peak torque has lifted by 2Nm, to 380Nm.

The 5.0-litre atmo V8 petrol engine in the RC F variants continues to punch out 351kW/530Nm, but a ā€˜Drive Start Control’ system has been added ā€œto ensure smooth starts and optimal rapid acceleration when the driver is using the shift leverā€, according to marque.

Specifically, it manages power and torque delivery to enhance dynamics but is inactive when the driver opts to switch off traction control.

The RC F Carbon also picks up a new matte finish for its 20-spoke alloy wheels.

All RC variants exclusively send drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with torque converter.

'Zinnia Yellow' – first seen on the recently released LC sportscar – has been added to the colour palette, while 'Titanium' replaces 'Sonic Silver'. Premium paint continues be a $1500 option.

Justin Hilliard
Head of Editorial
Justin’s dad chose to miss his birth because he wanted to watch Peter Brock hopefully win Bathurst, so it figures Justin grew up to have a car obsession, too – and don’t worry, his dad did turn up in time after some stern words from his mum. That said, despite loving cars and writing, Justin chose to pursue career paths that didn’t lend themselves to automotive journalism, before eventually ending up working as a computer technician. But that car itch just couldn’t be scratched by his chipped Volkswagen Golf R (Mk7), so he finally decided to give into the inevitable and study a Master of Journalism at the same time. And even with the long odds, Justin was lucky enough to land a full-time job as a motoring journalist soon after graduating and the rest, as they say, is history. These days, Justin happily finds himself working at CarsGuide during the biggest period of change yet for the automotive industry, which is perhaps the most exciting part of all. In case you’re wondering, Justin begrudgingly sold the Golf R (sans chip) and still has plans to buy his dream car, an E46 BMW M3 coupe (manual, of course), but he is in desperate need of a second car space – or maybe a third.
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