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What's the difference?
For those merely gazing up to the lofty, ivory-tipped towers of high society, it would be easy to think that the mere ownership of a plush, premium vehicle, like the Lexus LC 500h for example, is a reward in and of itself.
The truth, though, is that Australia's premium manufacturers then sweeten the ownership pot even further, often inviting new owners into a secret club filled with tickets to exclusive events, seats at the fanciest of dining tables and concierge-style car maintenance, to name but a few of the perks on offer.
Lexus, though, sits atop the pile when it comes to offering ownership perks to its owners, and now more than ever, with the brand's existing Encore Club today welcoming a new and more-exclusive tier, called Encore Platinum.
We'll circle back to all of this under our 'Ownership' sub heading, but the short answer is that anyone who has bought a RC F, GS F, LX, LS or LC, like this 500h, since January 1 this year is automatically signed up, and is in line for some serious goodies.
Perhaps the most pressing question, though, is will it be the new ownership program that lures customers into a LC 500h? Or can the luxurious Lexus performance coupe stand on its own four wheels?
Let's find out.
If it wasn’t for this review appearing on your screen right now, would you have even remembered the Lexus RC was a thing?
At the time of writing, the RC is actually the fifth most popular model in its sports car segment. Yep, only the two-door versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class, and BMW 4 Series and Z4 sell better.
So, why is the RC seemingly invisible? But more importantly, does it deserve to be? Let’s test the RC 350 F Sport to find out.
A truly fuel-efficient performance car, who’d have thought? There are some obvious trade-offs for trying to exist in two seperate worlds, but the Lexus LC 500h largely handles its dual roles with aplomb.
If you’re a buyer that thinks with their head, the RC 350 F Sport is the obvious choice when compared to its direct rivals.
After all, it looks great (at least to these eyes), feels luxurious in more ways than one, and is unrivalled when considering value-for-money.
But, if you think with your heart instead, it’s clear it is isn’t on the same level dynamically and therefore doesn’t feel as sporty to drive as its name suggests.
So, don’t let its sports car classification fool you, the RC 350 F Sport is more of a grand tourer, or a comfortable cruiser, to be precise, and an underrated one at that.
It's a little curious, the LC 500h. For mine, it's stunning from a distance. All gleaming alloys and bulging rear arches and sharp snout angled downward like its caught the scent of its prey.
But weirdly, it can start to look a little less impressive the closer you get to it - a little swollen and vague in its lines. It's very likely it's eye-of-the-beholder stuff (fellow CarsGuide scribe Richard Berry adores it from every angle, for example).
Inside, the front of the cabin is a busy but stylish space, with multiple textures layered on top of each other to produce a premium-feeling, sporty space. The low-feeling dash juts out, giving the front passengers an ensconced, cockpit feel.
Everything is predictably leather-wrapped and lovely, and while it's not as streamlined as, say, an Audi interior, it's not without a genuine sense of Japanese charm in the cabin.
Looking at the RC 350 F Sport, it’s hard to imagine how it became so anonymous on the road, whether you love it or hate it.
Up front, its striking design simply cannot be ignored, with its unique mesh 'Spindle' grille insert demanding attention.
Either side of it are the LED headlights and boomerang-style daytime running lights, which, again, cannot be missed.
Around the side, the RC 350 F Sport has all the hallmarks of a classic coupe, including a swoopy roofline, and looks all the better for it.
The 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in a mixed set of Bridgestone Potenza tyres are particularly arresting thanks to their sporty 10-spoke design.
That said, the rear end is arguably the RC 350 F Sport’s best angle, at least universally, thanks to its crisp LED tail-lights and chunky bootlid.
The bumper below is also a looker, even with its fake side air intakes, while its diffuser insert is flanked by a pair of chrome exhaust tailpipes.
Inside, the RC 350 F Sport isn’t quite as good, with most of our criticism directed at the 10.3-inch central display, which is powered by an average multimedia system made worse by an incredibly fiddly touchpad controller. The physical shortcut buttons on hand are but small mercies.
Thankfully, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support is now standard, so a better user interface is literally in your pocket… but you still don’t have a touchscreen to work with.
The RC 350 F Sport’s button-controlled 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster is much better, even if it’s more like a multi-function display due to its limited functionality.
While the centre stack and console designs are undoubtedly showing their age, there’s no doubting this is a premium model thanks to the selection of high-quality materials used throughout the cabin.
In our test vehicle, black leather-accented upholstery with (very cool) 'Tuscan Sun' yellow accents, piping and stitching covers the sports steering wheel, gear selector, sports seats, armrests, door inserts, knee rests and the instrument cluster. So, almost every touch-point.
Pleasingly, soft-touch plastics are used for the upper and middle dashboard as well as the door shoulders, with hard plastics only found on the lower dashboard, door bins and rear seat divider.
As per other Lexus models, the RC 350 F Sport has nice rose-gold accents on its steering wheel, gear selector, front air vents and centre console, while specific Naguri aluminium trim adorns its dashboard and door inserts. And there are also steel pedals.
It's not really. Especially in the backseats, which would make more sense if they were painted on. I'm no giant, but even my 175cm-tall head was pushed into the ceiling, and while there’s ample shoulder space for two adults, you’re unlikely to be able to convince two to get back there.
Lexus has included something called the "Easy Access" function for 2020, which sees the front seats slide forward automatically to help with accessing the rear seats, and they do lower the Cirque du Soleil antics required to get back there, but this realistically not a car for carrying more than two adults, save an emergency. There are two ISOFIX attachment points in the rear, so child seats can be locked in there.
That's not necessarily a drawback, though. This is a two-door sporty coupe, after all, and elsewhere, the sizeable dimensions (4770mm length x 1920mm width x 1345mm height) provide plenty of space for up-front riders.
You'll also find hidden cupholders, bottle holders in the doors, and all the power and connection points you need.
A word on the tech, though. The LC 500h is crying out for a touch screen, though the brand's traditional mousepad system is improving.
Hope you’re not expecting the RC350 F Sport to be the first word in practicality, because it’s not.
Measuring 4700mm long (with a 2730mm wheelbase), 1840mm wide and 1395mm tall, the RC350 F Sport is a decently sized coupe, but that doesn’t mean it’s spacious. Hell, it’s hard to get into it the first place, let alone out.
We are of course referencing the token second row, which is cramped at best. In fact, behind my 184cm (6.0ft) driving position, there is no toe-room nor headroom. Yep, if you’re around my height or taller, get used to burying your chin into your chest.
Thankfully, legroom is better but still limited to less than two centimetres, while foot space is compromised by the unusually tall transmission tunnel. And in case you were wondering, even the first row is on the tighter side.
Beyond the central air vents, you’d think rear occupants would be cheered up with cupholders, a fold-down armrest and USB ports at the very least. Well, they don’t get any of that, with a couple of coat hooks the only amenities on offer.
And don’t forget that being a four-seater, there are only two seats in the second row, so this is definitely not a ‘family car.' That said, there are two ISOFIX and two top-tether anchorage points for child seats, so you can theoretically take a couple of younglings with you on a trip.
In-cabin storage options are very limited, with the glove box small in size and mostly taken up by the manual, while the central bin is useable but somewhat occupied by two USB-A ports, a 12V power outlet, and an auxiliary input.
And whatever you do, only bring up to two drinks with you, as beside the pair of cupholders next to the gear selector, there is no other place to officially store extras. Yep, the front door bins are only good for storing very short and narrow items.
The boot is a different story, with a decent 374L of cargo capacity, and it can be expanded by stowing the 60/40 split-fold rear bench, an action that can annoyingly only be performed in-cabin via the manual release latches.
That said, the boot’s tall load lip makes unloading bulkier items a little trickier, while getting them onboard in the first place is complicated by its wide but short aperture. At least there are four tie-down points on hand to secure loose loads?
Value is all about perspective, of course, and viewed the right way, the $195k sticker price of the Lexus LC 500h does provide a certain amount of value.
Yes, it's a lot of money. But Lexus' flagship coupe doesn't just get a performance-focused hybrid setup (pairing with a thumping V6 engine), but also just about every high-end feature the brand has in its deep bag of tricks.
It starts outside with giant 21-inch alloys, a glass roof with a sun blind, LED headlights with cornering lights, hidden door handles, keyless entry, and rain-sensing wipers.
Inside, you'll find leather-accented seats, a colour head-up display, a 10.3-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, another 8.0-inch screen in the driver's binnacle, a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, DAB+, satellite navigation system with live traffic, and a killer 13-speaker, 918-watt Mark Levinson stereo.
Priced from $78,636 plus on-road costs, the RC 350 F Sport commands $3000 and $8000 premiums over its lower-output RC300 and lower-spec Luxury siblings.
In terms of rivals, the RC 350 F Sport significantly undercuts the best-selling Mercedes-Benz C 300 Coupe ($89,000) but is about on par with the Audi A5 40 TFSI Sport Coupe ($78,900).
Standard equipment not already mentioned in the RC 350 F Sport includes rain-sensing wipers, power-folding side mirrors, satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio, an 835W Mark Levinson sound system (with 17 speakers), keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, power-adjustable front seats with heating and cooling, a power-adjustable steering column and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
Yep, it’s loaded, which is very good news. What isn’t, though, is its foot-operated park brake. Sure, the RC is six years old, but electric park brakes were well and truly a thing in 2014, so it’s quite an annoying quirk.
The RC 350 F Sport only has two options: a $2500 power-operated sunroof and $1500 premium paintwork, both of which were fitted to our test vehicle, with the latter taking the form of 'Graphite Black.'
The LC 500h is powered by a hybrid setup that combines a 3.5-litre V6 engine with a 650-volt "Lexus Hybrid Drive" system and a lithium-ion battery. That setup delivers 264kW of power, and somewhere north of 350Nm in torque when the engine and motor outputs combine.
That power is sent to the rear wheels via a CVT automatic, and will produce a sprint to 100km/h of around 5.0 seconds.
According to Lexus, 10 clear improvements were made the way the 2020 LC 500h drives, including a new transmission tune, more structural bracing added for rigidity, new suspension components and spring rates, and altered stabiliser bars.
Has it made a difference? Read on.
The RC 350 is motivated by a lusty 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine that produces 232kW of power at 6600rpm and 380Nm of torque from 4800-4900rpm.
For reference, the RC 300 uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder unit that develops 180kW at 5800rpm and 350Nm from 1650-4400rpm.
Either way, these outputs are exclusively sent to the rear wheels via a well-sorted eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission with paddle-shifters.
This combination helps the RC350 sprint from a standstill to 100km/h in about 6.1 seconds while on the way to its electronically limited top speed of 230km/h.
Lexus says the LC 500h will sip 6.8 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle - very impressive for what is ostensibly a performance coupe - and emit 152g/km.
The LC 500h is equipped with an 82-litre fuel tank.
The RC350’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR 81/02) is 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres, while its carbon-dioxide emissions are 212 grams per kilometre, but both claims are a little keen.
In our real-world testing, we averaged 12.2L/100km, which is far cry from the above, given our result came from 180km of driving that was heavily skewed towards highway stints over city traffic.
For reference, the RC 350’s 66L fuel tank takes 95 RON premium petrol at minimum.
There’s something very strange about hitting the start button in what is ostensibly a sports car, and being greeted not by the bark of an exhaust, but by the gentle whirring on the car’s electronics coming to life.
But then, the Lexus LC500h is not your average performance car.
It essentially trades the out-and-out grunt of its V8-powered sibling (which produces a monstrous 351kW and 540Nm) for a kind of best-of-both-worlds approach that pairs the punch of the V6 engine with the fuel efficiency of a hybrid powertrain.
If that sounds like an compromised approach to pure performance, you're right. But reframe the way you look at the LC 500h and it all starts to make a bit more sense.
Remember, this isn't a track-attack weapon, but a potent on-road bruiser, and the flow of power on offer always feels ample, and you never want for too much more off-the-line pace on public roads.
Among the biggest selling points of the LC 500h is the sheer distance between its various personalities. Engage Eco, or even Normal, drive modes, and it’s a quiet, mostly very comfortable (though it can be unsettled by bigger bumps) kilometre-eater, but engage Sport or Sport Plus and it rightly transforms into something significantly angrier.
It might not be the absolute sharpest tool in the performance car shed, but the LC 500h does bristle nicely when those modes are engaged, the hybrid factor seemingly replaced by a satisfyingly meaty exhaust note and an accelerator that’s suddenly far more sensitive to the touch.
The steering feel is nice and the inputs direct, but there is something about the car’s 1980kg weight that doesn’t inspire the deepest of confidence, at least not on the rain-slicked roads we were travelling along .
A pure performance coupe? Perhaps not. But a sporty, stylish and, when you want it to be, comfortable cruiser with the ability to turn the volume up when you come across a twisting road? Bingo.
The RC350 F Sport is actually pretty good to drive – so long as you understand what it’s about.
Think of it more as a comfortable cruiser than a sports car and you’ll forgive it for some of its shortcomings. Yep, it is that relaxing to drive.
While the F Sport’s suspension (independent double-wishbone front and multi-link rear axles with adaptive dampers) does have a sports tune, it still serves up a comfortable ride on most surfaces.
Naturally you can play with the five drive modes (Eco, Normal, S, S+ and Custom) on hand to increase its stiffness and therefore improve handling, but the difference between soft and ‘hard’ is negligible, so don’t bother.
Either way, the F Sport does have a noticeable habit of picking up sharper road edges, such as nasty potholes, and it's particularly prevalent at the rear. That said, it doesn’t detract from its luxuriousness all that much.
Where the sportiness really comes to the fore, though, is via the F Sport’s electric power steering system, which has a variable ratio.
As well-weighted as this set-up is as standard, you’ll find it hard to forget how sharp it is on turn-in. Among several factors at play, the obvious one is the F Sport’s rear-wheel steering system, which is better executed than most.
This technology turns the front wheels in the opposite direction to the rears at lower speeds but in the same orientation at higher velocities.
The result of the former? A mid-size coupe that feels like it has a short wheelbase, with the improved manoeuvrability especially noticeable in car parks. Conversely, the latter lends itself to greater stability when you need it.
And it’s a good thing it is the way it is, because the RC 350 F Sport has a kerb weight of 1740kg, which is not exactly sports-car light. This heft is a felt when cornering hard, even though body control is pretty strong overall.
Handling performance is also enhanced by the rear Torsen limited-slip differential, which helps improve grip upon corner exit, at which point the RC 350 gets to show off its straight-line abilities.
The V6 engine is buttery-smooth, but you really need to stick the boot in to fully enjoy it, with it only really starting to come alive when engine speeds are above 3000rpm.
That said, it’s easy to appreciate this character trait around town, where the RC 350 is truly unfazed. Take it onto the open road, though, and acceleration is more than pleasing.
The automatic transmission is a great dancing partner here, serving up delightfully smooth gear changes. It’s also surprisingly responsive, perhaps too responsive, as it can be quite fussy in city traffic, shuffling up and down ratios in quick succession.
Biggest gripe, however, is the digitally enhanced sound the RC 350 produces. Sitting inside, the noise being pumped in is satisfying, but you can’t help but acknowledge the aural deception at play.
The Lexus LC 500h is yet to be ANCAP tested (the price would likely prove a sticking point), but the Japanese brand has fine form in attracting top marks, and there's certainly no shortage of safety features on offer here.
There's a total eight airbags and a reversing camera and parking sensors, as well as a host of high-tech kit like AEB, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, active cruiser control and a bonnet that will sense pedestrian and pop up before impact in an attempt to minimise injury.
Neither ANCAP nor Euro NCAP have issued a safety rating for the RC range, although the mechanically related IS line-up received the maximum five stars in 2016.
Advanced driver-assist systems in the RC 350 include autonomous emergency braking (with pedestrian detection), lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, a (low-resolution) reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors. Yep, the only major thing missing here is steering assist.
Other standard safety equipment includes eight airbags (dual front, side, curtain and knee), anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), brake assist (BA) and the usual electronic stability and traction control systems.
So, to ownership. Let's start with the basics first, before we move onto the new Encore Platinum benefits.
The LC 500h is covered by a four-year/100,000km warranty, and servicing (capped for three years at $595 a pop) is required every 15,000km.
You will know already the Lexus's stellar Encore ownership program includes handy features like valet (pick-up and drop-off) servicing, but the new Encore Platinum level for owners of its more exclusive models unlocks some seriously cool stuff.
One is a new On Demand service, which allows owners to book a different style of car when heading off on a holiday or business trip. So, say you own the LC 500h, but want to take the family to the snow and need a seven-seat 4WD like the RX L, then Lexus will lend you one at no charge, which you can keep for eight days.
The loans are available in your state or somewhere else in Australia if you're travelling, with your car waiting for you at Qantas Valet for you when you arrive.
The One Demand service is available on four occasions over your first three years of ownership (which is also the length of the Encore Platinum membership).
The Platinum level also provides eight examples of free valet parking at select shopping centres, as well as hotel and restaurant benefits, and invitations to Lexus' drive days around the country.
As with all Lexus models in Australia, the RC 350 comes with a four-year/100,000km warranty and four years of roadside assistance. Both offers are a year behind that of fellow premium brands Mercedes-Benz and Genesis.
The RC 350’s service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. A three-year/45,000km capped-price servicing plan is available, costing $495 per visit, which is not too bad at all.