The RC is Lexus’s swing at a sporty coupe and fills the automaker’s trophy case with race wins on a regular basis. As a road-going car, the RC drives more sedately than it looks, but it brings a good deal of tech and a nice interior to make up for that shortfall.
2024 Lexus RC Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2024 Lexus RC
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2024 Lexus RC
Lexus made no significant changes to the RC for the 2024 model year.
Design
The RC takes Lexus’s styling language to the max, with striking angles, a large grille, and, somehow, curves at the same time. A long, sloping hood blends into the car’s rounded greenhouse before finishing neatly with a cropped rear end and spoiler for some variants. Though Lexus makes a higher-performance RC F, the basic car comes standard with 18-inch wheels, which can look a bit puny against its imposing body lines. The available 19-inch wheels fill the gaps much better, and the F has sportier wheel options.
Powertrain
The most basic 2024 RC 300 comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque with rear-wheel drive (RWD). Adding all-wheel drive (AWD) brings a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 260 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. The RC 350 boosts the V6 engine’s output to 311 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, whether you choose RWD or AWD. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard on RWD models, while AWD models use a six-speed automatic.
Though it looks like a hardcore coupe, the RC is much better serving as a leisurely touring car than it is carving canyons. Lexus offers an F Sport suspension package that gives the RC tidier handling, but it can also sour the ride quality on rougher roads.
Interior
The four-passenger RC has a back seat, but it’s much better when reserved as a package shelf or temporary kid transport space. Synthetic leather comes standard, along with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and power front seats. Higher trims step up to genuine leather, and some models add heating and ventilation for the front seats. Memory seats and a heated steering wheel are also available.
Technology
The RC finally got Lexus’s new infotainment system for the 2023 model year, and it runs well on the standard 8-inch display. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM radio, 10 speakers, voice commands, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and two USB ports are also standard. A 10.3-inch touchscreen is available, and some models can be upgraded with a Mark Levinson stereo.
Safety
Though the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has tested the RC, the model has not undergone complete crash tests and did not qualify for a Top Safety Pick award. Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and traffic-sign recognition.
Pricing and Release Date
As of this writing, pricing for the base 2024 Lexus RC 300 RWD starts at $45,920, and adding the F Sport package brings the price to $50,450. The RC 350 starts at $48,850, and the RC 350 F Sport at $53,470.