What the Lexus lacks
in outright grunt,
it makes up for in
pleasing aural appeal- as long as you
remember to press the
hidden ‘ASC’ button
slightly wider. But that 2850mm-long wheelbase hints at
Nissan’s FM platform which, after featuring in the 350Z,
is due for a pension card.
At 1784kg the Red Sport’s steel-heavy structure and
standard options list mean it’s 20kg heavier than a GT-R
and the portliest here. Thankfully, this is countered by a
plasma-sprayed, twin-turbocharged, direct injected 3.0-
litre V6 seething with 298kW and 475Nm.
These sort of fangs make the Lexus RC350 whimper
in its outlandish looking shell. Its dual-injected 3.5-
litre atmo V6 boasts more displacement, but seems
relatively grunt-less when 233kW and 378Nm lugs 1680
kilograms around. It’s also our cheapest. By shunning
fancy Japanese wood trim, and active safety features, the
RC can be had for $76,951 in F Sport trim. But a samurai
sharp price isn’t the only reason we picked this F Sport.
It scores exclusive ‘dynamic rear steering’, an LSD, and
variable-gear electric steering.
The Lexus plays the outcast again at the drag strip.
While the Infiniti and BMW pack V8-worthy twist, the
F Sport’s torque-to-weight ratio of a regular hot hatch
equals a 6.4-second sprint to 100km/h and the slowest
quarter mile. It’ll break traction, but the 350 doesn’t
get moving until 4000rpm. Besides this, what’s more
frustrating is how little the RC revs for such an oversquare
engine. Its 6600rpm redline is well short of its turbo
competition, and the eight-speed auto won’t let you
reach it, upshifting at 6200rpm – even in manual mode.
But its problems pale next to the Infiniti, which tries to
squeeze all that firepower through relatively thin 245mm
rears. Infiniti doesn’t make a 0-100km/h claim, maybe
because the powertrain seems to have a mind of its own.
With traction control on the seven-speed auto upshifts
well before a 7000rpm redline to save the rear tyres from
atomising, but with all systems off it can’t handle more
than 50 per cent throttle. You have to baby it off the line,
meaning the Infiniti’s grunt doesn’t count for much until
Autobahn-worthy speeds.
Speaking of, the 440i is the only car to near its claimed
time. Conjuring launch control requires sports mode
and a 2500rpm two-step, good enough for a 5.1sec sprint
to 100km/h. It’s grippy enough to do the times without
traction control, but an LSD would help. The eight-speed
also rushes its first few shifts to relish the engine’s low-
down torque, but the six loves to spin past the indicated
7000rpm redline in higher ratios.
Things don’t improve on sodden, Victoria twisties for
the Infiniti. Its suspension absorbs nothing and transmits
everything. Potholes feel like they’re going to punch into
the cabin and the chassis chatters over rough stuff like
a pre-facelift Toyota 86, only with a longer wheelbase.
The Lexus is the most eventful. Its bellowing rumble coalesces
with rich intake noise as soon as your foot kisses the firewall
104 january 2018 motormag.com.au