Lexus RC and RC F: Coupé d’état

The much touted two-door version of the Lexus IS saloon, the RC, and its heavily tuned high-performance sibling, the RC F, have been launched in the UAE.

Sporting the same sharp-edged design language as the rest of the Lexus line-up, the RC looks suitably aggressive, with the wilder RC F taking it a few notches up.

Thankfully, it packs enough and more grunt under its bonnet to do justice to the belligerent looks in the form of a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 tuned by Yamaha.

Although this is the same engine that powers the IS F saloon, the Lexus boffins have managed to squeeze out more power in the RC F, which gets 471bhp, an increase of 54 horses.

The RC F also features a torque vectoring differential to ensure stability.

Meanwhile the lesser RC coupé sports a 3.5-litre V6 that’s good for 314bhp and 377Nm of torque.

Both the models are fitted with an eight-speed torque vectoring automatic gearbox, and come with an array of impressive standard safety features such as eight airbags, pre-collision system, dynamic cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert and impact-absorbing structures in the pillars and the roof headlining.

Most impressive, though, is the pricing, with the RC F starting at Dh310,000 and the RC at a too-good-to-believe Dh180,000.

This story first appeared on wheels in November 2014