2021 Lexus RC 350 AWD Review: First Drive

My first drive of the 2021 Lexus RC 350 does not come at an ideal time.

There’s no snow, despite it being December in Canada. Nothing was rushed, and everything in the RC functioned without a single issue. There were even some of the very best roads I’d drive all year.

No, the main hurdle facing the Lexus RC 350 was that I was driving it directly before the heavily-revised 2021 IS sport sedan that day. The RC was a two-door amuse-bouche, and a particularly unique one in this Black Line Special Edition form. Limited to just 350 units, it’s rarer than the sensational LC flagship.

A recent facelift more closely aligned the RC’s looks with big brother, but the family connection is largely aesthetic. The RC 350 AWD holds all the standard Lexus values buyers have come to expect the last few decades—unimpeachable build quality, pampering luxury, a comfortable ride—but in the indulgent coupe segment, it lacks the frisson of excitement to truly take on the leaders.

So what limited edition goodies turn a regular 350 F Sport into a Black Line? As the name implies, there’s a smattering of darker exterior bits, most noticeably the black 19-inch wheels and darkened exhaust tips. The body comes in either Ultra White or the pictured Cloudburst Gray, sticking to a monochromatic theme. The 2019 facelift really cleaned up the RC’s busy nose—even the huge grille feels appropriate these days—and overall the car has pretty classic coupe proportions. Like a boat’s bow sitting slightly proud, the RC’s front axle ride height looks a touch high, though.

Crack open the door and the story is the same inside the RC, with most everything you see grayscale. Contrast stitching on the seats elevate the visual appeal, and in typical Lexus fashion, they’re incredibly comfortable, plus heated and ventilated. Lexus Nuluxe material is even a convincing stand-in for real dead bovine. The adjustable steering wheel has a good size and feel, with a piece of open-pore ash along its top quadrant. It’s a tactile pleasure when the roads get twisty.

American Black Line buyers also get a two-piece Zero Haliburton luggage set in—you guessed it—black.

As you’d expect of any Lexus, the RC’s interior feels like it’ll last only slightly less than forever. There are no squeaks or rattles on the move, nor by prodding any of the trim pieces. The CD player does date it though, and the tiny buttons for audio controls don’t do anybody any favors. Same goes with the temperature adjustment arrows: dials might not look as cool, but they could be operated more easily at speed. The rest of the layout is pretty straightforward, and there are ample redundant controls on the steering wheel. The tiller is heated, though it takes its time getting warm. An excellent Mark Levinson sound system is unmatched in the class in its clarity and power.

This being a modern Lexus, you know what’s coming next: the infotainment is still bad. Only operable through the trackpad between the seats, it’s clumsy and unintuitive, and requires silky-smooth tarmac if you (or your passenger) expect to cleanly navigate its menus. Lexus is slowly reverting back to touchscreens, but it seems like the RC will stick with this setup until a new generation arrives. It’s multiple steps behind every other coupe in the class.

Firing up the familiar 3.5-liter V6, I aim the RC’s pointy nose towards a part of the map that more closely resembles a seismograph. The six-pot sounds great, even when you kill the sound synthesizer and let it sing au naturel. A six-speed automatic still handles shifting duties, slurring the gears together by default and noticeably picking up the pace in sportier driving modes. It rarely missteps, and you can take up conductor duties via the central shifter or the wheel-mounted paddles if you’d rather do it yourself. I’d go with the latter, though: for reasons I can’t understand, Lexus’ manual mode is forward-upshift, backward-downshift. It’s unnatural, like a dog walking on its hind legs.

With 311 horsepower on tap, you’d expect the RC to be pretty speedy. It never quite gets there: you need to pile on the revs to gain access to the whole corral. Torque is just 280 lb-ft, around 100 less than a BMW M440i, and it arrives on the back half of the tach. The results then are merely quick-ish, and the comparative lack of ratios in the ‘box means the RC is also thirstier than the competition, scoring just 22 mpg combined (10.8 L/100 km).

The RC rides with typical Lexus grace. It’s a firmer ride than an ES of course, but even in Sport and Sport+ the two-door’s suspension remains compliant across uneven cottage-country roads. The steering is light regardless of mode, and you feel the RC’s ample curb weight when you point it towards a corner. It also feels less structurally stiff than the revised IS; not wobbly by any means, needing just a fraction more time to settle its masses going over bumps. Hustle it down a road and the RC 350 will never put a foot wrong, but it also won’t offer you a lot of angles of attack.

The full Lexus Safety System+ suite is present here, including a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and auto high beams. For 2021 Lexus has also made blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert standard across the board. They’re useful, though it’s important to point out the RC’s natural sight lines are quite good for a coupe.

There’s some genuine goodness hidden within the 2021 Lexus RC. Like the IS, it has a peach of a V6, the last naturally-aspirated motor in a sea of forced-induction mills. Unfortunately, what it gains in singing voice and responsiveness it trades in firepower. It’s a closer match for the entry-level four-cylinder turbo engines of the competition. Some sort of stepping stone between this and the V8 RC F would alleviate the issue.

In 350 AWD form, the RC is just a little too buttoned-up for its own good, though. The all-paw system prioritizes stability over sportiness. It’s quick A-to-B transportation, but lacks the depth of personality to make the trip truly memorable.

As tested, the 2021 Lexus RC 350 AWD rang up slightly shy of $60,000 (or $65,845 CAD), including destination. That puts it right in line with the M440i ($59,495) and Mercedes-AMG C43 ($59,995), while the Audi S5 starts at just $53,545. You’ll need to check some boxes to match the Lexus’ specs, especially the safety assists, but all three of the Germans are more powerful and more fun to drive. And isn’t that the point of a coupe?

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