NEW ELECTRIC LEXUS RZ 450e 2023
Meet the 2023 Lexus RZ 450e the first Toyota electric car to be featured in the new Black Panther Wakanda Forever movie.
The RZ 450e rides on the same e-TNGA platform that underpins the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, but in true Lexus fashion, it aims to elevate the level of comfort and luxury offered by those two. The RZ looks like a typical Lexus SUV it just happens to be electric.
It has an hourglass-shaped grille, squinty headlights and proportions that are quite similar to those of the recently redesigned NX, but it’s slightly longer, lower and wider overall. With this model, Lexus is clearly taking on the Tesla Model Y with its new premium EV crossover.
The RZ’s range
The RZ 450e features two electric motors, one on each axle, that are powered by a 71.4-kWh battery pack. Lexus says the RZ’s front motor will make 201 horsepower and the rear motor will produce 107 hp. That’s a major step up from the bZ4X and Solterra, which use twin 107-hp motors in their all-wheel-drive configurations.
As for range, Lexus says the RZ will go 225 miles on a single charge, as long as you opt for the smaller 18-inch wheels. The larger 20s will likely sap more range and bring that figure down a touch. If 225 miles on a single charge seems like a middling figure in 2022, you’d be right. There are half a dozen other EV crossovers from the likes of Ford, Kia, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tesla, Volkswagen and Audi that will cover more ground than this Lexus. However, as our real-world EV range tests have proven time and again, EVs often go farther than their EPA estimates suggest, so maybe the RZ 450e will be an overachiever.
The RZ’s interior
The RZ’s cabin is almost a carbon copy of the NX’s, featuring the same instrument cluster and 14-inch infotainment screen. The biggest difference between the two crossovers will come at some unspecified date later this year, and it’s the RZ’s new optional steering wheel.
This yoke will have a much higher steering speed, made possible by a steer-by-wire system. Essentially, smaller inputs will result in bigger movements from the front tires, hopefully eliminating the hand-over-hand flailing we’ve experienced in the new Model S. However, this is the second time an automaker has literally tried to reinvent the wheel, and we can only hope Lexus’ solution is better executed than Tesla’s in real life.
