What's the difference?
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.
One must maintain several affections in one's life, I think that's fair. I don't mean that in the life-partner sense, that would get me blamed for marriage breakdowns. But then, as a motoring journalist, you do sometimes wonder if your recommendations send a few relationships over the edge.
What I mean is, having a few interests keeps life interesting. In this context, I'm thinking of two things that move me. Special Editions (of pretty much anything, except superhero movies) and VW vans. I can't stress enough how much I - and, as it turns out, just about every other road user - love a Volkswagen van.
Put these two excellent things together and you have the Volkswagen Multivan Cruise, a special edition that somehow commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Kombi. I don't care how, I'm just intrigued by its existence and, by the grace of The Great Editor, I spent a week behind the wheel and a good chunk of that time exploring the interior of the Multivan Cruise.
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.
Seventy-four grand is a lot of money for a seven-seater van but it's not the same as a similarly seated SUV. You can do a whole lot more in a Multivan and you can get yourself a VW badge into the bargain. There's something about that badge and the history of VW vans, though, that makes it popular. But it's got the chops to back up its history - it feels great to drive and easy to live with. It's also easy to use and phenomenally easy to get in and out of.
My wife and I genuinely found ourselves looking at each other and saying, "Yeah, we could have one of these." Obviously we came to our senses pretty quickly (we are not van people) but, if we had to have a van, the Multivan would go straight to the top of the list.