2002 Lexus Sc430, Hardtop Convertible, Loaded, Navigation, Mint! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Lexus RC 200t Quick Spin

Cars like the BMW 4 Series, Cadillac ATS coupe, and Audi A5 exist not as volume cars, but as aspirational products designed to draw in the young and the young at heart. The humble four-cylinder turbo, offered in each car listed above, provides an accessible point of entry for lifestyle buyers that want the statement of a sporty coupe without the eagerness, fuel inefficiency, or cost of a big six-cylinder engine. Now, Lexus is throwing its hat in the ring with a turbocharged version of its polarizing RC coupe. We took the new RC 200t out for a day on the winding roads of the Pines to Palms Highway near Palm Springs, CA, and found that while Lexus' new engine will draw new customers, they probably won't like what they find. Driving Notes The RC joins the IS, GS, and NX as members of Lexus' four-cylinder turbo clan. There's 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque on offer here, numbers that compare favorably with the BMW 428i (240 hp and 260 lb-ft) and Audi A5 (220 hp and 258 lb-ft). None of that matters, though, because the turbocharged RC is easily the slowest car in its class. You'll struggle to keep pace with stuff like the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. The RC 200t somehow takes 7.3 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour. That's a second slower than the A5, and over half a second slower than the 4 Series or Cadillac ATS. You can't drive a car that looks as wild as this and take that long to get to 60. Blame it on the RC's 3,737-pound weight. Lexus only saved 11 pounds by switching out a 3.5-liter V6 for the 2.0-liter turbo. The BMW and Cadillac both weigh well under 3,500 pounds. Even the RC's four-door fraternal twin, the IS 200t, is 150 pounds lighter (and only takes 6.9 seconds to get to 60). The RC needs a diet, plain and simple. If Lexus truly wants to compete against the Germans and Cadillac, a snappier transmission is in order. Like the GS we talked about yesterday, the Aisin eight-speed is fine on upshifts – it's still not as fast as the 4 Series' ZF eight-speed auto – but it suffers when it's time to change down. Around town, it's less of a problem, but on the twisty mountain roads outside of Palm Springs and on the freeways, the RC's gearbox kept tripping over itself. We'd love to see what the 2.0-liter turbo engine could do in a lighter car, because it's a real charmer. The broad 1,650-to-4,400-rpm torque peak gives drivers a lot of space to play, although the RC does feel flat-footed as you crest 5,000 rpm.

Lexus ends partnership with Weinstein Co. and 'Project Runway'

Lexus has been a long-time sponsor of fashion reality competition show Project Runway, providing a car to the contest's winner and sponsoring at least one specific "challenge" per season. Only last week, a Lexus NX 200t was featured and used as inspiration for the remaining group of fashion designers. This would seem to be the last season that will happen, however, as Lexus has ended its partnership with the show's production company, Weinstein Co., after sexual harassment allegations leveled at Harvey Weinstein. "Lexus has chosen to terminate its agreement with The Weinstein Company that saw the luxury automaker working with the film studio on certain film and television projects," a company spokesperson wrote in a statement to Reuters. Last week, Lexus indicated it was "evaluating" its relationship with Weinstein Company. One would imagine this delay was the result of that week's episode featuring Lexus substantially more than usual. Related Video:

A replacement for the Lexus CT 200h is due to arrive in 2021

On the hunt for a reasonably priced gas-electric hybrid-powered compact, but want something a little nicer than the oddity that is the Toyota Prius? You probably remembered that Lexus made the CT 200h. That's made, as in the Prius platform mate was discontinued in 2017. But word on the street is that Lexus is working on a replacement, according to Autocar in the UK. The outlet spoke to Lexus Europe's head honcho, Pascal Ruch, at the Geneva Motor Show recently, who shed some light on the matter. According to the report, a new CT 200h is set to arrive sometime in 2021 and will be built on Toyota's latest TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) modular platform. TNGA these days underpins a majority of Toyota's current models, from the new Camry, to the new Corolla, the current Prius, and even the new RAV4 and Highlander. But what isn't so clear is whether the CT 200h will keep its hatchback body style. A few years ago, we even heard the CT 200h could be replaced by a hybrid crossover. But nothing's confirmed. The original CT 200h used Toyota's old "New MC Platform." When new at the time, it underpinned many models from the third-generation Toyota Prius and Prius V, to the last Scion tC, Scion xB, the outgoing Toyota Corolla, the previous Toyota RAV4, and many other JDM-specification Toyota models. The CT 200h also pretty much utilized the same 1.8-liter 2ZR-FXE inline-four and electric motor hybrid powertrain as the Prius. It also produced the same total 134 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque. Despite being discontinued in the U.S. two years ago, Lexus continued with the CT 200h in Europe, where it sold, but modestly. And despite not being too hot of a seller here stateside as well, Lexus is adamant about keeping it in the portfolio as the automaker continues to push for more fuel-efficient hybrid models. Over the long-term, Lexus plan hopes to boost its global market share of hybrids to 50%. "Europe has a great strategic importance for Lexus because it's seen as a leading region for technology and design," Ruch told Autocar in its interview. "Our hybrid sales are highest in Europe, China and Japan will electrify [internal combustion engines] and the wider U.S.