Handling

You see, the ATS Coupe V6 is a fantastic handler. The steering rack, even though it’s electrically boosted, is direct and actually manages to maintain some feel, which is often a difficult task when dealing with electric power steering racks.

So, the ATS, even with the added weight of the V6, will switch directions at a second’s notice, and it makes tackling the twisties that much more enticing.

The Lexus’s steering, on the other hand, is in a different time zone. It’s slower, maintains much too large an off-centre dead zone and provides almost no feel whatsoever. I’m serious when I say that the confidence I had in the car beneath me took a big, big hit with the RC 350 because I just never got the feel for what it would take to even come within 3/10ths of its limitations. That’s disconcerting.

It’s not like the steering is finger-light at low speeds, either; it takes a surprising amount of elbow grease to maneuver around car parks and the like. It’s a strange dichotomy.

Brendan says:

Simply put, the ATS blows the RC out of the water. I’ve just driven the hottest version of the Lexus, the RC F, and while it was a fun and interesting machine with a few flaws, I already know that the ATS-V is going to eat it alive based on the dynamic differences between these two.

Chevrolet is positioning their Alpha-platform Camaro (same underpinnings as the ATS) with the V6 as the performance option, so if you want a really nicely equipped pony car with available all-wheel drive, take a look at the ATS. It’s a backroads brawler in a tux, eager to up the revs and snort down this damp spaghetti noodle of tarmac as quick as you want to go. Grip is high, but confidence is higher. Excellent car, though I’d be having a little more fun with the rear-drive turbo version, which actually has piles more torque (295 lb-ft).

The RC can be hustled, but it isn’t made to do so. Curiously, I recall the four-door IS feeling a bit more lively than this coupe version. You don’t expect a Lexus to have razor-sharp steering feel, but then you might expect a bit more spirit given the fiercely grimacing exterior. All show and no go, I’m afraid, although the V6 makes a great noise and is no slouch at passing.

No, if Cadillac benchmarked the previous-generation E46-chassis BMW 3 Series for driving feel, then Lexus has photocopied the current-gen 3 for sales figures. Let’s switch to a different kind of performance yardstick: for older buyers (you know, the ones who actually have money), the RC is smoother, more comfortable and less frenetic. It’s a cruiser to Caddy’s carver, and I’ll go ahead and suggest that most shoppers in this segment aren’t looking to set lap times.

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