LEXUS is certainly getting its money’s worth out of its new 8AR-FTS 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In the last six months, it’s popped up under the bonnet of no less than four cars in the company’s line-up.

The NX small SUV, the larger RX SUV, the IS and GS sedans have all benefited from this small but clever engine’s light weight, 185kW and 350Nm goodness – but the engine perhaps makes the most amount of sense in the sleek and suave RC coupe.

You can hardly call the current RC line-up undergunned the silken 225kW 3.5-litre V6 RC350 and the rip-snorting 5.0-litre 351kW RC F are very capable rigs in their own right. The 200t, however, adds an extra dimension to the now three-variant range.

Of some concern, though, is the relatively narrow price branding of the 200t with the 350 range, with just $3000 separating the lines across the board. Is the 200t good enough to entice people to part with their cash, or will it be overlooked in favour of its six-pot big brother?

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