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The Lexus RC 200t: A strikingly handsome coupé

Every now and then a car comes along that makes you rethink your views. So if you have scoffed at Japanese car design in the past, there is a good chance that the Lexus RC 200t may have a hand in changing that.  

A mix of sharp edges, soft curves and muscular contours, it’s a bold design style that could have gone horribly wrong but hasn’t. The Lexus RC 200t is in fact a striking looking car with an unusual and distinctive air.  

This coupé is a real looker, its impressive silhouette is sure to turn many a head. Viewed from any angle, the profile of the two-door RC 200t is dramatic and self-assured. 

Its exterior presents everything a sporty coupé should: flared arches and air ducts, a razor-sharp spindle grille, a sculptured rear with distinctive boot and lamp fins, all of which are combined with the trademark coupé sloping roofline.  

Sporting an efficient two-litre turbo engine, the more affordable RC 200t is the entry point to Lexus’ two-model RC line-up – its costlier RC 350F-Sport sibling boasting a powerful V6 engine.  

The coupé’s cabin

Some cabins embrace the driver; others leave them feeling somewhat marooned. Happily, the RC 200t’s polished and roomy cabin fits the former. 

Bragging plush power leather seating that is both comfortable and supportive, the coupé’s intuitive tech also positively impacts cabin dynamics as well as the
driving experience.   
 

It may be the entry-level model but the sporty coupé comes with an impressive list of standard features that buyers would normally be dipping into their wallets to pay extra for. 

In essence, everything is standard including colour information display, cruise control, heated front seating, electric sunroof, Satnav, control cabin illumination, front and rear LED lights and park distance control with rear camera, to name but a few.  

Jarring the overall clean styling of the dashboard, the hard, boxy, plastic bit interrupts the styling flow of the centre consol and is thus not as easy on the eye as the rest of the interior’s stylish offerings.  

This luxury coupé comes with some quirky bits too, like the foot-operated park brake. Maybe it’s a tad old school, but I rather like it. 

The foot brake eases my sense of disquiet about the absence of a handbrake. Rather a foot brake that allows for a modicum of stopping backup, than today’s trendy electronic button that doesn’t. Visualise this: Brakes fail. No hand brake. No foot brake. Guess I don’t have to spell out the outcome. Just saying.

So the foot brake gets a thumbs-up. The other quirky feature, the RC 200t’s touchpad, not so much. Used to operate the infotainment, it’s a bit of a bugger to operate on the move.  

Like many other coupés, the RC 200t is really a 2+2 rather than a full-blown four-seater. Surprisingly, though, legroom and headroom for a smaller sized adult in the rear is more than adequate – for shorter journeys that is. It could be a push for long jaunts. 

Nor is rear accessibility difficult (often the case with coupés), the front seat automatically sliding forward to accommodate entry and exit.  

And this sporty coupé doesn’t suffer the problem of compromised rear vision, a common coupé predicament due to the sloped roof styling. 

The driving experience

This is a car that loves to cruise; one that is easy and thoroughly enjoyable to drive, the quiet cabin adding to a polished driving experience. 

Yes, it has a firmer ride with good road feedback as sporty cars are apt to have, but neither ride quality nor comfort is compromised in this premium coupé.  

Aerodynamics that includes the flared air ducts that control air directed around the side of the coupé’s contoured body and aero fins like that on the boot lid, together with the firm multi-link front-suspension and double wishbone rear suspension and stiff chassis – 15% stiffer than the Lexus GS – assist in the car being grippy on the road.   

The coupé exhibits refined handling and steering capabilities and tightened steering, depending on speed not mode. 

While agile and planted through sweeping curves, true agility was less easy to assess – the route lacked in the really twisty bits.  

Three driving modes – eco, normal, and, for a more enthusiastic driving experience, sport mode – allow for throttle response and engine performance to be adjusted.

And while power delivery via the 8-speed automatic gearbox is seamless, the RC 200t’s paddle shifters are best employed in manual rather than automatic mode, where automatic gearing appears to take precedence over shifting. 

At 1675kg, the RC 200t is no lightweight, yet the two-litre turbo engine still manages to power the coupé at a lively pace with some grace and fluidity. But while it’s no slouch, it’s also no fireball.   

That said, the efficient turbocharged petrol engine is packed with cutting-edge technology that ensures thermal efficiency, optimum response with smooth power delivery and no visible turbo lag. 

A smaller powertrain also comes with the added benefit of fuel efficiency – the engine is able to operate on both the fuel-saving Atkinson cycle and the conventional Otto cycle.  

There has been no compromise on safety either. The coupé boasts eight airbags, vehicle stability control, traction control and tyre pressure monitor among the safety features.   

This is a car with an impressive build and ride quality, one that is also effortless to drive. How important the RC 200t’s slight lack of pace actually is given what the entire package offers could be irrelevant, especially if you feel you are going fast – which you do.   

This strikingly handsome coupé offers much of what aspirational buyers are looking for: a head-turning sporty machine that is quick, comfortable, and a joy to drive all the time, not just some of the time. 

One that comes with a host of standard features that buyers of cars in this segment would normally have to cough up a fair chunk of change for, but won’t have to if they decide to make this machine their own. 

This article originally appeared in the 14 July edition of finweek. Buy and download the magazine here. 

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