Test drive Lexus RC300h F-Sport, environmental awareness

Personal mobility with an eco-friendly touch is becoming increasingly widespread. One of the manufacturers with the most experience is Toyota, as well as its luxury subsidiary Lexus.

This week in Highmotor’s road test section we have with us one of the most unusual vehicles on the market, the Lexus RC300h luxury hybrid coupé.

Exterior design

The RC is a coupé just over 4.7 metres long, launched in 2014, although it did not reach our country until mid-2015. This coupé is built on the platform of the third generation of the Lexus IS, also using certain components from its bigger sibling, the Lexus GS.

With a clearly premium approach, like the rest of the brand’s vehicles, this Lexus arrives on the market to compete, in its own way, in the mid-size premium coupé segment, going up against models such as the Audi A5, the BMW 4 Series, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé or the Infiniti Q60 Coupé.

Its design is clearly Lexus, with lines that draw on the latest trends of the Japanese brand. Its front end is very aggressive, all the more so when you consider that our unit is fitted with the F-Sport trim, which enhances the look with a sportier approach in both aesthetic and dynamic terms.

The RC300h thus features the well-known large trapezoidal grille with an internal rhomboid pattern and a large logo in the centre, which also houses the number plate. At the ends we find two mouldings that simulate the presence of two air intakes, although in reality they are simply that, decorative mouldings. A chrome-finished trim along the lower edge deepens the premium feel of the whole.

The very sharp light clusters are split into two sections, the lower one arrow-shaped and housing both the daytime running lights and the indicators. The upper section therefore handles the dipped and main beam functions, also LED on our unit.

Voluminous yet with dynamic lines, its design is very well executed
The side profile embraces dynamism, with fluid and attractive lines. The bodywork on this unit is finished in an extremely attractive pearl white with, moreover, flawless paintwork. The rising shoulder line, together with pronounced wheel arches, a very steep roofline drop and a fairly small glazed area, results in a powerful and robust look.

The rear is possibly the most harmonious element of the whole. It is designed so that the view is extremely muscular from any angle, highlighted by elongated LED light clusters that carry the brand’s light signature through to the rear.

A small spoiler integrated into the design of the small boot lid tops off a rear end where the bumper is very bulky, featuring small decorative mouldings and a simulated diffuser in black that integrates two trapezoidal exhaust outlets which, moreover, are real and functional.

Interior design

The interior of the Lexus RC is an ode to build quality. Design and beauty, being subjective elements, may be more or less appealing depending on each customer’s taste, but it is undeniable that the build quality of the RC’s cabin matches that of any of its rivals, even surpassing models such as the C-Class in some respects.

The RC’s interior is one of the best executed in its segment
The dashboard is designed on a kind of double level, with a very wide centre console that extends between both seats, bringing together virtually all the controls. Almost all the materials within reach are padded, whether we are talking about plastics or leather, the latter present on the seats, steering wheel, gear lever knob, doors and the sides of the centre console. The decorative brushed aluminium mouldings enhance the sporty character of the whole, also concealing on the doors an LED strip with ambient lighting functions.

The sensation of comfort and insulation is present from the very moment we close the doors. A good example of the “care” with which this vehicle is made is the soft fabric on the pillars and roof, gently padded and also extending to the sun visors – a Mercedes C-Class has plastic sun visors – or the buckle that holds the seatbelt on the side of the seat, with two magnets to keep it in position. The instrument hood is lined with an extraordinarily soft padded leather, another detail of the attention to detail in this Lexus.

The driving position can be very sporty thanks to the wide adjustment – electric and with memory – both in height and in fore-aft position of the seat and steering wheel, the seats also featuring heating and ventilation in three levels. The drawback is the space available in the rear seats, rather tight, and fairly awkward access to them.

The F-Sport variant incorporates specific elements such as a steering wheel with perforated leather, the same treatment also applied to the gear lever leather, pedals with aluminium covers and, above all, a digital instrument display with a sensational look, adding an elegant touch with a physical central ring capable of moving within the instrument cluster.

The RC’s load capacity is below average, with a boot that offers 340 litres with a very regular surface and shape, although the loading aperture is somewhat small. The rear seatbacks can be folded down, so the capacity can be extended to take larger items.

Driving dynamics

The RC300h is a coupé that, as we have already mentioned, is built on the platform of the Lexus IS, in the same way that the Audi A5 uses the platform of the Audi A4 or the BMW 4 Series uses the platform of its four-door sibling, the 3 Series. With a length of 4.71 metres, its width is set at 1.85 metres and its height at 1.39 metres. The wheelbase is 2.73 metres.

Mechanically, this large Lexus coupé uses the same hybrid system found in other models from both Lexus – IS, GS and NX300h – and Toyota, with the layout used by the RAV4 Hybrid that we tested a few months ago. It consists of a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, mounted longitudinally, capable of running on the Atkinson cycle, producing 178 CV.

To this engine is added an electric motor of 143 CV, for a combined total of 223 CV. Paired with an e-CVT automatic transmission with planetary gears that sends power to the rear axle, the RC300h can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, reaching an electronically limited top speed of 190 km/h.

This hybrid coupé homologates an average consumption of 4.9 litres per 100 km, although in this F-Sport version that figure rises to 5.1 litres/100 km, with CO2 emissions of 116 g/km. It is therefore the most frugal of its rivals, while also being the slowest of all its models of similar power and layout.

Thanks to a 66-litre tank and an actual mixed-use consumption of 6-6.5 litres, the RC300h enjoys a long range, allowing long journeys without worrying about the fuel tank. In town its average consumption hovers around 6.5 litres, while on country roads it drops to 5.5 litres. On fast roads consumption stands at 6 litres. Our unit recorded, according to the on-board computer, an average consumption of 6.3 litres/100 km over just over 800 km across all types of road.

At a weight of 1,800 kilograms, the RC300h is a distinctly heavy car. Its suspension layout, with MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear, is combined with an electronically controlled damping system, AVS, and the RC offers superb composure on fast roads and conventional country roads, while always maintaining great comfort. When the road twists excessively, its mass makes itself felt, offering noble but somewhat clumsy behaviour.

This coupé offers different driving modes, ranging from ECO to Sport+, modifying the response of the accelerator, the automatic gearbox management, the steering assistance and the appearance of the instrument display. In the sportier modes a sound synthesiser called ASC is also activated, which projects a deep tone through the speakers, switchable and adjustable at will.

Range and versions: how much does the unit you see cost?

The Lexus RC is available in our country with only two mechanical options: the aforementioned hybrid version and the ultra-high-performance version called RC F, equipped with a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 producing 478 CV. In other markets other petrol engines with 4 or 6 cylinders can be fitted.

The range of this coupé starts in our country at €45,900, corresponding to the Executive version. Above this is the variant tested here, the F-Sport, with a starting price of €55,700, which rises to €58,200 if you opt for the most fully equipped version, called Luxury.

The equipment is extensive in any trim, although the RC has some “holes” in its specification that can be described as “inexplicable” in a luxury coupé. Thus, from the entry variant we find, for example, LED headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control or cruise control, but, for instance, a rain sensor is not available.

The F-Sport variant adds 19-inch alloy wheels, electronically adaptive suspension and electrochromic rear-view mirrors, among other things. Finally, the Luxury version includes the glass sunroof or the Mark & Levinson premium sound system with 17 speakers.

Our unit was fitted, as optional equipment, with metallic paint (€1,100), bringing the final total to a hefty €57,800, nearly 10 million of the old pesetas, for a coupé with hybrid mechanics and an image in which exoticism and exclusivity are guaranteed.