Lexus Will Plant 2-liter Turbo Four Into RC Coupe

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

Lexus will take the turbocharged four cylinder from the NX 200t and plant it in its RC coupe, the automaker announced today.

The RC 200t, which will make 245 metric horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, has only been announced officially for sale in Europe — for now. It joins the RX 200t, NX 200t and IS 200t in the Lexus lineup as the fourth model to sport the engine on the Old Continent.

Parent-company Toyota has quickly adopted the turbo four as its preferred replacement for its aging V-6 in other cars, including the Camry.

The turbocharged RC may arrive in the United States at some point, but Lexus is tight-lipped about that possibility.

In Europe, the turbocharged, direct-injected engine will only drive the rear wheels and will be exclusively paired to its 8-speed automatic transmission. According to the automaker, it’ll propel the coupe up to 62 mph in 7.5 seconds, while managing roughly 33 mpg in average fuel consumption.

The model will join the recently announced hybrid RC 300h, which isn’t offered in the States either.

Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Jul 31, 2015

    I think I have only seen one or two RC models so far. This tells me they're not desirable to the general public, who would rather buy 50,000 RX models or an ES. A luxury RWD coupe, in 2015!? Be still my landau heart. But I'm not a fan of these little tiny engines in a Lexus. That's not appropriate. Please continue to offer 3.5+ liters and cylinder count of 6 or more.

    • See 1 previous
    • BDT BDT on Jul 31, 2015

      The cylinder count is irrelevant, so long as it makes good power (no), and is smooth and refined (we'll see).

  • Stuki Stuki on Jul 31, 2015

    ZZZZZZZ Way to differentiate yourself in the market, Mr. Lexus...

  • Wmba Wmba on Jul 31, 2015

    I wonder what will constitute sales success in Europe? Lexus sales over there are miniscule in the first place. Perhaps after selling a couple hundred, they'll bring it to the US to compete with the the 428i. Then Lexus 241 hp can go head to head with BMW 241 hp and reveal the protein deficiency of Japanese oats. Looks like almost a 2 second difference 0 to 60 mph. It's not like an NX200t can keep an X3 in sight. But the interior will be fluffier and have better pleather than BMW's.

  • Jacob Jacob on Aug 04, 2015

    Another car with a 2 liter turbo engine? How exciting. zzzzzzz

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