by Anthony Fongaro - photos via Leuxs - 08/07/2023
Toyota and Lexus are known for hybrids, but their EVs have only come out in the last year or so. Why? They’ve publicly said that they don’t want to make electric vehicles. After finding the trend, Lexus brought out an EV. Based on a Toyota, this is the Lexus RZ450e with the Luxury trim. I had heard that the range was a little disappointing but it was a luxurious vehicle. Let’s find out if that’s true, starting with the exterior.
Lexus is known for their massive grilles but decided the RZ doesn’t need one. Of course not, it’s electric! Instead, they covered up most of it with paint-matching trim. Headlights are very angular with black trim underneath them. To the side, I like the silhouette. It does give off some Jaguar I-Pace vibes with the sloping rear end. This was painted in Ether, otherwise known as blue, and rocked some great 20-inch wheels. Getting to the rear, things get interesting. First off, there are two fins that help with aerodynamics. One problem: no windshield wiper! Didn’t help when I drove in the rain. Otherwise, you have a lightbar with LEXUS spelled out along with RX450e and Direct4 (their AWD system).
To use the transmission, there is a rotary wheel that you press down to get into reverse and drive. The beeps are a little loud but not the most annoying in an EV. I love Lexus’ head-up display and steering wheel. There's a little button with some squares which can show you what the unmarked buttons do. You’ll also see paddle shifters which help with the regenerative braking. Rear seats get heated seats, but the sloping roof does eat into space. What I didn’t appreciate is the small rear window with no wiper blade. This is a bad EV trend and something I hope goes away.
Powering the RZ450e are dual motors that produce 308 horsepower/228 Kw and 320 lb-ft/435 Nm. Those dual motors mean this has AWD, dubbed Direct4. It gets the RZ from 0-60 MPH in 4.6 seconds. It might not be as powerful or quick as the competition, but it has more than enough power. There are a few driving modes including Eco, Normal, and Sport. Eco dulls the throttle too much, so I kept the RZ in Normal. This is a Lexus, so the emphasis is on being quiet and comfortable. I have to say, the RZ was very quiet, comfortable, and very easy to drive.
When you’re on the move, you’ll notice that this doesn’t have one-pedal driving. Instead, you pull on the shifters to get the highest amount of regen. While I love one-pedal driving, for some people, it isn’t necessary. Lexus gave the RZ its full safety suite of features including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, 360-degree camera, and lane departure assistance. There’s also a cross-traffic alert and it detected cars before I could!
Now for the problem of the RZ. It’s inefficient and the range is not up to par at all. First off, the battery size is 63.4 kWh. The range is around 200 miles with the climate control off, but 155 miles with the climate control on. I had a bit of range anxiety, especially since the RZ only received around 2.5-2.8 miles/kWh. I wasn't close to the claimed 200 miles, and definitely had less than 155 miles of range. Remember when I said you’ll be using the ventilated seats a lot? Since it takes over 40 minutes at a rapid charger, you’ll be sitting for quite a while. By far and away, this is my biggest complaint.
Starting at $64,000, the RZ450e Luxury comes with a plethora of standard equipment. Some of it includes the head-up display, Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system, full safety suite, and 14-inch infotainment system. With a few options including the panorama roof for $500 and Cold Area Package for $200, this vehicle had a sticker of around $67,100. There are not a lot of options and the pricing feels in line with the competition.
Can I recommend the Lexus RZ450e? If you have range anxiety or nowhere to charge, absolutely not. Anytime I saw the range drop when it was 85 degrees out, I was not a happy camper. If you can charge it at home, I would group it with other vehicles such as the new Audi Q8-e tron. That has almost double the mileage and plenty of tech. Still, if you want or need a comfortable EV and can live with that range, this is a great vehicle. Lexus’ first attempt at an EV gives me hope that, with time, they can create better vehicles with larger batteries and more range. Keep at it, Lexus.
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