Lexus RC350 vs Chevrolet Corvette

What's the difference?

If you’re a buyer that thinks with their head, the RC 350 F Sport is the obvious choice when compared to its direct rivals.

After all, it looks great (at least to these eyes), feels luxurious in more ways than one, and is unrivalled when considering value-for-money.

But, if you think with your heart instead, it’s clear it is isn’t on the same level dynamically and therefore doesn’t feel as sporty to drive as its name suggests.

So, don’t let its sports car classification fool you, the RC 350 F Sport is more of a grand tourer, or a comfortable cruiser, to be precise, and an underrated one at that.

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is truly a supercar offering outstanding dynamics for a lot less money being asked by European rivals - just make sure it's not your only car for those times when you're in a hurry.

Looking at the RC 350 F Sport, it’s hard to imagine how it became so anonymous on the road, whether you love it or hate it.

Up front, its striking design simply cannot be ignored, with its unique mesh 'Spindle' grille insert demanding attention.

Either side of it are the LED headlights and boomerang-style daytime running lights, which, again, cannot be missed.

Around the side, the RC 350 F Sport has all the hallmarks of a classic coupe, including a swoopy roofline, and looks all the better for it.

The 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in a mixed set of Bridgestone Potenza tyres are particularly arresting thanks to their sporty 10-spoke design.

That said, the rear end is arguably the RC 350 F Sport’s best angle, at least universally, thanks to its crisp LED tail-lights and chunky bootlid.

The bumper below is also a looker, even with its fake side air intakes, while its diffuser insert is flanked by a pair of chrome exhaust tailpipes.

Inside, the RC 350 F Sport isn’t quite as good, with most of our criticism directed at the 10.3-inch central display, which is powered by an average multimedia system made worse by an incredibly fiddly touchpad controller. The physical shortcut buttons on hand are but small mercies.

Thankfully, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support is now standard, so a better user interface is literally in your pocket… but you still don’t have a touchscreen to work with.

The RC 350 F Sport’s button-controlled 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster is much better, even if it’s more like a multi-function display due to its limited functionality.

While the centre stack and console designs are undoubtedly showing their age, there’s no doubting this is a premium model thanks to the selection of high-quality materials used throughout the cabin.

In our test vehicle, black leather-accented upholstery with (very cool) 'Tuscan Sun' yellow accents, piping and stitching covers the sports steering wheel, gear selector, sports seats, armrests, door inserts, knee rests and the instrument cluster. So, almost every touch-point.

Pleasingly, soft-touch plastics are used for the upper and middle dashboard as well as the door shoulders, with hard plastics only found on the lower dashboard, door bins and rear seat divider.

As per other Lexus models, the RC 350 F Sport has nice rose-gold accents on its steering wheel, gear selector, front air vents and centre console, while specific Naguri aluminium trim adorns its dashboard and door inserts. And there are also steel pedals.

We’re talking about the closest thing to a real-life Hot Wheels car here. See, while Ferraris look elegant to me like expensive jewellery, Lambourghinis like cheese graters and McLaren’s look like slippery alien spacecraft, the Corvette Z06 looks exactly like an American supercar should - an unapologetic, ludicrous beast. And I love that. 

Dialing up the wild is that enormous carbon wing and front splitter with dive planes thanks to the Z07 package. Just a word of warning, though, the front splitter and dive planes stick out not just visually, but in the sense that I walked into them often and my ankles still have the scars.

I can’t recall the last time I drove a car with carbon-fibre wheels either - these are the biggest rims fitted to a Corvette and they’re wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ultra performance tyres (275/30ZR20 front and 345/25ZR21 rear) that they look like oil drums on their sides.

The best angle? The rear - straight on. Those headlights. 

Wait, no, it’s from above - so you can see the V8 through the glass hatch.

Or it could be front-on looking like a giant shovel.. 

OK, there are no bad angles.. 

The Corvette Z06 is long at 4734mm end-to-end, broad at 2024mm wide and its height is a both a sitting-on-the-road-low and numerically pleasing 1234mm.

The plainness of the cabin might be a let down to some people after all the exterior wildness. Ferraris and Lambourghis offer extravagant and exotic interiors, but the Corvette’s innards are almost completely void of flare. 

The media screen is small (8.0 inches), switches and controls for windows and air vents are basic, and the huge dividing ‘wall’ between the pilot and passenger might be a bit much for some.

That ‘wall’ is dotted with buttons and while it may look very 'fighter jet cockpit', they’re just climate control switches. Sitting in the passenger seat is a lonely place with no screen visibility nor easy access to controls - I'd actually call this out as a bit of a fail compared to the interiors from Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini with their screen-filled cabins offering co-pilots something to do.

Yes, it feels a bit premium with the Nappa leather and the sports seats, but it could feel more special.

All of this plainness, however, is saved from boredom by the glass window behind the seats allowing you to peer into the engine bay at the V8 like at a reptile enclosure at the zoo.

Hope you’re not expecting the RC350 F Sport to be the first word in practicality, because it’s not.

Measuring 4700mm long (with a 2730mm wheelbase), 1840mm wide and 1395mm tall, the RC350 F Sport is a decently sized coupe, but that doesn’t mean it’s spacious. Hell, it’s hard to get into it the first place, let alone out.

We are of course referencing the token second row, which is cramped at best. In fact, behind my 184cm (6.0ft) driving position, there is no toe-room nor headroom. Yep, if you’re around my height or taller, get used to burying your chin into your chest.

Thankfully, legroom is better but still limited to less than two centimetres, while foot space is compromised by the unusually tall transmission tunnel. And in case you were wondering, even the first row is on the tighter side.

Beyond the central air vents, you’d think rear occupants would be cheered up with cupholders, a fold-down armrest and USB ports at the very least. Well, they don’t get any of that, with a couple of coat hooks the only amenities on offer.

And don’t forget that being a four-seater, there are only two seats in the second row, so this is definitely not a ‘family car.' That said, there are two ISOFIX and two top-tether anchorage points for child seats, so you can theoretically take a couple of younglings with you on a trip.

In-cabin storage options are very limited, with the glove box small in size and mostly taken up by the manual, while the central bin is useable but somewhat occupied by two USB-A ports, a 12V power outlet, and an auxiliary input.

And whatever you do, only bring up to two drinks with you, as beside the pair of cupholders next to the gear selector, there is no other place to officially store extras. Yep, the front door bins are only good for storing very short and narrow items.

The boot is a different story, with a decent 374L of cargo capacity, and it can be expanded by stowing the 60/40 split-fold rear bench, an action that can annoyingly only be performed in-cabin via the manual release latches.

That said, the boot’s tall load lip makes unloading bulkier items a little trickier, while getting them onboard in the first place is complicated by its wide but short aperture. At least there are four tie-down points on hand to secure loose loads?

Supercars don’t tend to be built with practicality as a priority but this two-door, two-seat beastie is spacious enough even for me at 185cm tall with plenty of room in the footwell and loads of elbow-, knee-, and headroom. 

Cabin storage is limited to a glove box, door pockets, two cupholders, and a wireless phone charger on the bulkhead behind the seats.

As you can see from the images there’s a boot at the rear which will fit smaller bags and a small boot in the front.

I did the school run in the Corvette a few times (I know, lucky kid) and I can tell you a bass guitar in its case and a school bag, plus my own large handbag make for a cramped cabin. A Kia Carnival the Corvette ain’t, but it’s not trying to be one and compared to its rivals it does well for practicality.

Almost never does a car with a list price of almost $400K get full marks, but here we are and I’ll tell you why. The Corvette Z06 in its standard form lists for $336,000 and this is outstanding value compared to its supercar rivals such as the Ferrari F8 Tributo for $484,888, or a McLaren 750S for $585,800 or even an entry-grade Lamborghini Huracan, the EVO, for $383,187. 

Australia gets the top 3LZ trim, with the local standard features list for the Corvette Z06 including Nappa leather upholstery, GT2 bucket seats, a 12-inch digital instrument display, a 14-speaker Bose sound system, red seat belts, wireless phone charging, carbon-fibre and suede microfibre trimmed steering wheel, a media system with sat-nav plus wireless Apple CarsPlay and Android Auto, power seats, heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control,  heated and ventilated seats and a head-up display.

Our test car was fitted with plenty of options including the Z07 Performance Package that brings carbon-fibre everything. We’re talking the enormous carbon-fibre rear wing and aero kit with side skirts and a front splitter with dive planes –and there are the carbon-fibre wheels (20-inch at the front and 21-inch at the rear). 

The Z07 package also brings a more hardcore suspension tune and carbon ceramic brakes for ridiculously good stopping power.

The Z06 has the most powerful V8 engine in the Corvette range, too, and we'll get to that soon.

The RC 350 is motivated by a lusty 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine that produces 232kW of power at 6600rpm and 380Nm of torque from 4800-4900rpm.

For reference, the RC 300 uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder unit that develops 180kW at 5800rpm and 350Nm from 1650-4400rpm.

Either way, these outputs are exclusively sent to the rear wheels via a well-sorted eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission with paddle-shifters.

This combination helps the RC350 sprint from a standstill to 100km/h in about 6.1 seconds while on the way to its electronically limited top speed of 230km/h.

The 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 in the Z06 makes 475kW and 595Nm. That’s a lot more power than the Corvette Stingray’s V8, which produces 369kW. The GT3 racecar version of the Z06 uses a derived version of the 5.5-litre V8, and actually it shares 70 per cent of the engineering components. 

Revving to a high 8600rpm the Z06’s V8 lets out a high-pitched scream when pushed hard, much like a Ferrari because like many Ferraris the Z06 has a flatplane crank V8 - actually it’s one of the largest flatplane V8s to go into a production car.  

Corvettes are now mid-engined cars and the Z06 has an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that changes gears quicker than I can blink, sending all that mumbo straight to the rear wheels.

Acceleration comes hard, fast and loud with the Z06 able to boot itself from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds. That beautifully linear acceleration with no turbos will pull you all the way towards its top speed of 313km/h.

The RC350’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR 81/02) is 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres, while its carbon-dioxide emissions are 212 grams per kilometre, but both claims are a little keen.

In our real-world testing, we averaged 12.2L/100km, which is far cry from the above, given our result came from 180km of driving that was heavily skewed towards highway stints over city traffic.

For reference, the RC 350’s 66L fuel tank takes 95 RON premium petrol at minimum.

As with practicality, fuel efficiency isn’t the Corvette’s priority and after driving it daily for a week in the suburbs, city and a few dashes out to more open country roads the Z06 was using an average of 23.8L/100km, according to the trip computer.

Luckily the fuel tank is pretty big at 70 litres and with an official combined fuel consumption of just under 16L/100km you have a range of 438km… in theory.

The RC350 F Sport is actually pretty good to drive – so long as you understand what it’s about.

Think of it more as a comfortable cruiser than a sports car and you’ll forgive it for some of its shortcomings. Yep, it is that relaxing to drive.

While the F Sport’s suspension (independent double-wishbone front and multi-link rear axles with adaptive dampers) does have a sports tune, it still serves up a comfortable ride on most surfaces.

Naturally you can play with the five drive modes (Eco, Normal, S, S+ and Custom) on hand to increase its stiffness and therefore improve handling, but the difference between soft and ‘hard’ is negligible, so don’t bother.

Either way, the F Sport does have a noticeable habit of picking up sharper road edges, such as nasty potholes, and it's particularly prevalent at the rear. That said, it doesn’t detract from its luxuriousness all that much.

Where the sportiness really comes to the fore, though, is via the F Sport’s electric power steering system, which has a variable ratio.

As well-weighted as this set-up is as standard, you’ll find it hard to forget how sharp it is on turn-in. Among several factors at play, the obvious one is the F Sport’s rear-wheel steering system, which is better executed than most.

This technology turns the front wheels in the opposite direction to the rears at lower speeds but in the same orientation at higher velocities.

The result of the former? A mid-size coupe that feels like it has a short wheelbase, with the improved manoeuvrability especially noticeable in car parks. Conversely, the latter lends itself to greater stability when you need it.

And it’s a good thing it is the way it is, because the RC 350 F Sport has a kerb weight of 1740kg, which is not exactly sports-car light. This heft is a felt when cornering hard, even though body control is pretty strong overall.

Handling performance is also enhanced by the rear Torsen limited-slip differential, which helps improve grip upon corner exit, at which point the RC 350 gets to show off its straight-line abilities.

The V6 engine is buttery-smooth, but you really need to stick the boot in to fully enjoy it, with it only really starting to come alive when engine speeds are above 3000rpm.

That said, it’s easy to appreciate this character trait around town, where the RC 350 is truly unfazed. Take it onto the open road, though, and acceleration is more than pleasing.

The automatic transmission is a great dancing partner here, serving up delightfully smooth gear changes. It’s also surprisingly responsive, perhaps too responsive, as it can be quite fussy in city traffic, shuffling up and down ratios in quick succession.

Biggest gripe, however, is the digitally enhanced sound the RC 350 produces. Sitting inside, the noise being pumped in is satisfying, but you can’t help but acknowledge the aural deception at play.

What the Corvette Z06 is like to drive really depends where you drive it. Our suburb has a ridiculous number of speed humps, which are like the Corvette Z06’s Kryptonite thanks to its very limited ground clearance and a carbon front splitter that almost skims the road at the best of times.

This made the Z06 one of the slowest fast cars I’ve ever piloted. My son would beg me to drive him to school in it, but the journey would take twice as long as we slowly eased over each hump while holding our breath. A lift system does raise the front of the vehicle but even then, don't breathe out.

The width and poor visibility made inching down narrow streets of parked cars a stressful exercise, too.

The Corvette Z06 is almost too much of a racecar to live with and then you let it free on an open country road and its purpose is clear - it runs like you wouldn’t believe and screams in delight all the way, while clamping itself to the road with sticky tyres, perfectly set up suspension and proper downforce.

Steering feels mainlined though to your nervous system, the pedals under your feel like your actual feet, and it all feels like a dream until you wake up again when you reach the city limits and round abouts, and traffic and yes, speed humps.

The Corvette Z06 clearly is a car that needs to be joined by other cars in your driveway, ones that don’t even notice speed humps.

Along with four airbags, the Corvette Z06 has AEB, forward collision alert, lane-keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, auto high beam headlights and adaptive cruise control.

An ANCAP safety rating doesn't exist for any member of the Corvette and will likely never due to low volume.

As with all Lexus models in Australia, the RC 350 comes with a four-year/100,000km warranty and four years of roadside assistance. Both offers are a year behind that of fellow premium brands Mercedes-Benz and Genesis.

The RC 350’s service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. A three-year/45,000km capped-price servicing plan is available, costing $495 per visit, which is not too bad at all.

GMSV covers the Corvette with a three-year/100,000km warranty which is short by current standards where carmakers typically offer a duration of five years/unlimited kilometres.

One of the appealing sides to the Corvette is that it’s made by a down-to-Earth American car company and a longer warranty offering peace of mind would seem more appropriate.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 12,000km, with capped-price servicing sadly unavailable.