2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport finishes last in Car and Driver Comparison

When the Lexus IS 350 F Sport beat the Audi S4 and BMW 335i in two important comparison tests about 18 months ago, we reported the news. Let’s face it, when BMW loses a comparison test in cars of this type it is news. Well, BMW lost again, but this time it is the Audi S5 that beats the pack, and it was not even close.

Car and Driver didn’t invite the BMW 435i back to this comparison because it had already lost to the Audi S5 coupe. This new comparison compared the Audi S5 to the Cadillac ATS 3.6 and Lexus RC 350 F Sport. Fans of the new RC 350 may be disappointed to hear this, but Car and Driver’s subjective (opinion-based) analysis seems spot-on. The objective facts are also against the RC 350. It has the lowest power to weight ratio in the pack, the slowest 0-60 MPH time, slowest quarter mile time, and the rest of the news is pretty much along those lines.

This does not mean that the RC 350 F Sport doesn’t have a lot going for it. Car and Driver found the RC 350 F Sport to have a “Quiet and composed ride.” The testers also had good things to say about the styling noting the RC 350 “Earns a front row from parking attendants.”

Some interesting facts from the testing are; that the heaviest car in the entire segment won the contest, all the cars tested had the same fuel economy, and the Car and Driver winner was again a German car costing better than 10% more than the second runner up. That sounds familiar.

*Car and Driver May 2015 Print Edition is referenced. Pages 82-91