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Lotus Exige vs Lexus RC

What's the difference?

VS
Lotus Exige
Lotus Exige

2017 price

Lexus RC
Lexus RC

$49,490 - $121,888

2020 price

Summary

2017 Lotus Exige
2020 Lexus RC
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Supercharged V6, 3.5L

V6, 3.5L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
10.1L/100km (combined)

9.4L/100km (combined)
Seating
2

4
Dislikes
  • Sheer impracticality
  • Heavy steering (at low speeds)
  • Getting in and out of it

  • Infuriating multimedia system
  • Token second row of seats
  • Not very fuel efficient
2017 Lotus Exige Summary

Driving naked is ill-advised, and possibly illegal, but taking a spin in the Lotus Exige 350 Sport is as close as you'd ever want to get. It's not so much that you feel you've left your clothes at home, but that the car has shed its accoutrements, and indeed its very flesh, leaving you with a kind of skeletal vehicle; just bare bones and muscle.

What this punishingly hard and fiercely focused machine does to your bones and flesh is best described as extreme chiropractry - in particular the stress of ingress and egress - but fortunately it makes up for the moans, bangs and bruises by fizzing your adrenal glands in a big way.

The question is whether the fun is worth the suffering, and the  $138,782.85 price tag.

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2020 Lexus RC Summary

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.

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Deep dive comparison

2017 Lotus Exige 2020 Lexus RC

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