2024 Lexus RC adds a color, a wheel, and $100 to the price
The 2024 Lexus RC is out, and as has been the case since its refresh, the revisions are meager. Grecian Water departs the exterior paint menu, Cloudburst Gray joining the color palette for non-F Sport trims, but only after climbing up to an RC 350. In fact, Lexus makes it quite the game of Go Fish to figure out which of the 10 total colors can be had on which car. Want your RC 300 RWD or RC 350 RWD in Atomic Silver, Flare Yellow, Ultra White, Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0? Not gonna happen, pick another trim. Want your F Sport trim in Eminent White Pearl or Cloudburst Gray? Not gonna happen, pick another trim.
Back to the changes, the F Sport trims add a 19-inch, 10-spoke Enkei wheel with a dark gray metallic finish as a no-cost option, and the flagship RC F Track Edition can now be had in Caviar, Cloudburst Gray, or Ultra White. In 2023, the RC F Track Edition could only be had in the color Incognito, that hue no longer available. The Track Edition won’t be available much longer either, 2024 said to be its last year.
The prices changes are equally meager — a $100 increase across the board. MSRPs for the coming year after the $1,095 destination fee are:
RC 300: $45,920
RC 300 F SPORT: $50,540
RC 300 AWD: $48,610
RC 300 AWD F SPORT: $52,830
RC 350: $48,850
RC 350 F SPORT: $53,470
RC 350 AWD: $51,015
RC 350 AWD F SPORT: $55,195
RC F: $68,295
RC F Track Edition: $101,170
The RC 300 RWD is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, shifting through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The AWD version swaps for a 3.5-liter V6 making 260 hp and 236 lb-ft, shifting through a six-speed automatic. The RC 350 sticks with the V6 no matter the driven axle, the mill tuned to 311 hp and 280 lb-ft. The RC F moves up to a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 making 472 hp and 395 lb-ft, the gearbox and eight-speed auto.
If you’re wondering why you rarely see an RC on the road, it’s because since 2017, Lexus has only once sold more than 4,000 units in a year; that was in 2019, the first year of the refreshed car. But the coupe one writer called “a Japanese Camaro” couldn’t make the right impression on buyers — kind of like the Camaro, for different reasons. The car’s got the goods, though, when paired with the right team and driver. Vasser Sullivan Racing just won this year’s IMSA GTD Pro class in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that runs by the same rules as FIA GT3. Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat used their Lexus to beat AMG, Aston Martin, Chevrolet (admittedly, a carryover Corvette built to old rules), and Porsche, not a bad collection of scalps for the trophy cabinet.
