2023 Lexus RZ 450e Review: First Drive

Now, this all electric crossover shows up on the scene with numbers that are a little lower than some of the other SUVs out there and were driving it to see how close those numbers translates the real world and also, if they really matter at all, how about We go for a drive Music, so lets start with those all important numbers. Shall we, the RZ, kicks off things with a 71.4 kilowatt hour battery pack, 64 kilowatt hours of which are usable? At the front we have 150 kilowatt motor and at the rear, axle theres an 80 kilowatt motor so combined the RZ puts out 313 horsepower. Hence the 450 designation on the back, which uh makes this reasonably powerful in the realm of luxury EVS. There are much quicker ones, but also thats plenty useful for everyday driving foreign Music. So lets see how 313 horsepower feels when we need to merge pretty good. Now I can understand why people might be a little concerned when were driving this new Lexus that, oh, maybe its going to feel a lot like the Toyota, in this case 4X Im here, to tell you that this definitely feels like a different Beast entirely. For starters, the Lexus does have a more refined, smooth ride to its suspension. I mean we are in a very nice part of France, but nonetheless, its very quiet, very smooth. The sight lines are really good. Ive got a decent view out of this rear view, mirror theres, no digital rear view, mirror at least on this trim, because this is the base which is the premium.

So like a lot of EVS, the RZ feels pretty light on its feet. All things considered, it really hides its weight well, at least during everyday driving. I will say that if youre really pushing it and driving in a way, thats, probably more spirited than most drivers ever will deal with, then. Yes, it does feel a little heavy and sharper corners, but honestly, I think whats really nice about the RZ. Is this consistent feeling of just its a very clean direct, feel you get into this car and its instant instantly familiar uh thats, at least the case with this, which has a regular steering wheel? However, Lexus also has its one motion: grip, steering setup here, yes, OMG, which is its yoke style apparatus and lexuss own words, and while I dont have any video to show you of that with me driving, I can say that it does take a couple minutes to Get used to because it does have a much reduced range of motion, but once youre on the road, its kind of surprising how easily you get used to that yolk style grip in underground parking lots, for example, its much easier to maneuver one real great Advantage with The lmg is that the cameras down here that track drivers eyes to make sure theyre paying attention to the road can be mounted in a much clearer way so that it always has the driver in view one other kind of nice bonus that you wouldnt really immediately.

Think of with a yoke style setup is that it does make the cabin feel a little more spacious, because you dont have that top part of the wheel. So its really easy to see your dials, of course, but yeah it does add to a sense of airiness. So talking about airiness, I have to say that the rzs cabin is quite roomy and just like most Lexus models. Immaculately finished, so this tester right here is missing. The electrochromatic roof, which is very cool and at the Press of a single button, goes from frosted over to transparent, but even without that, its just a really nice space to spend time in so Lexus has these large swaths of soft touch in the door panels. Its got this minimalist Dash, but luckily it hasnt gone Ultra minimal and just you know, a few standard shapes and then a big honking touchscreen right in the center it. It does have a big honking touch screen, but this is 14 inches and its really crisp and clean, and there still are these – you know magical things known as physical controls down below it. Through these winding roads, the RZ has a really planted solid, feel theres, not a ton of steering feedback but thats to be expected in modern SUVs and crossovers, not just EVs, and there is torque distribution and so sorry variable torque distribution. It does make for a pretty tidy handling car and, as I said earlier, uh Trucking this around corners.

The RZ DRZ holds its own, its no sports car and youre not going to confuse it with one but then again, thats not really what people buying cars in this class are looking for. Like many EVS on the market, the RZ does have variable levels of regenerative. Braking so thats handled with the little paddles just behind the wheel or in the case of the OMG tiny little buttons using the paddles, does add a little bit of regenerative braking, but even on its highest settings. The RZ is not a one pedal car and it wont come to a stop on its own and, to be honest, it still feels pretty weak in terms of regen braking. If you leave it on the lightest, setting theres practically not uh Lexus wont give an exact timing for when OMG is coming to USA or Canada for that matter, but were under the impression it will be fairly soon and for those people who are worried about steer By wire and potential for failures, Lexus Engineers did confirm with us that there are multiple redundancies in place. So if power disappears, the car still does have a physical steering connection. If we so in terms of tech, the RZ has this 14 inch touchscreen and has an eight inch digital instrument cluster. The instrument cluster is pretty clean, easy to read. There is just one exception that we find a little odd. There is no remaining battery charge display. So it does have a typical gas gauge or charge gauge in this case, but if you want an exact percentage, uh well thats, just not going to happen Music, foreign one thing we havent covered is range, and I know that as a sticking point for a lot Of people shopping for EVS and Ill be honest with you.

The RZ is not great in that regard. So if you get these standard model on 18 inch wheels. Youre looking at 220 miles on a charge, opt for those 20 inch Alloys which do look really good. Maybe not better than the 18s, but but good uh that bumps down to 196 miles, so that is lower than most every competitor out there. But it is important to point out that those EPA numbers come from the RZ driving in its regular mode. So if you go to range mode that does optimize the rz4 well increased range as you might have guessed. So what happens when you put the RZ in range mode? Well, for starters, direct 4 all wheel, drive doesnt really do much in that mode. Youre, relying on mostly just that rear motor, also top speed is limited to 100 kilometers an hour or 62 miles per hour. There are some very cool features in this car. Beyond that trick, roof or the funky OMG steering apparatus. There is what Lexus is calling Shadow illumination, which uh kind of reminds me of old Night Lights as a kid. So what happens at night is that theres, some cool little Shadows, that project on the sides of the door, its um, a more subtle take on the ambient lighting Trend, thats going around these days and yeah its very on brand for Lexus theres. Also, a new radiant heating feature which actually includes some heating elements, just under the dashboard here, just above the driver and passengers legs, and what that does is nope heats up the air right where youre going to feel it a lot quicker.

Lexus says this is much more efficient than trying to heat the entire cabin up in cold temperatures, and we will say that it is very effective. Luckily, when you touch it, there is a safety feature which means youre not going to burn yourself. Music. Oh look: theres a copper RZ, its a pretty fantastic color, so its really sad that Lexus is not bringing it so how much does lexuss first TV cost the entry level model I was driving goes for 59, 650 in America, including destination. So long as you like the black paint or caviar and likes to speak, the luxury trim is an extra 5500. Adding things like the mark. Levinson sound system, magic classroom and other goodies buyers in America also gain access to the new Lexus Reserve program, which provides up to 30th days of free Lexus car rentals over the first three years of ownership. Canada splits the Eevee up into three trims with pricing from 67 155 to 83 155 in both countries. The pricing lines up with the likes of the Genesis, gv60 and Cadillac lyric, both of which offer more power and range and, in the Caddys case, more space too. Lexus IS understandably, very proud of the rz450e because it successfully translates the Brands ethos to the all electric era, sure its not the quickest, nor is it the most fancy and yeah.