The Lexus RZ electric 450e Luxury is an irresistible buy, here's why

Lexus does not seem to have much luck with its all-electric products here.

The Lexus UX300e - the firm's first battery-electric model that we drove back in May 2021 - notably came here with a CHAdeMO charging socket instead of the typical Type 2 CCS socket, which meant that owners here would have a difficult time finding compatible fast chargers.

This new RZ450e, thankfully, does not have as critical a fault.

But with an asking price of $402,800 and a battery capacity of 71.4kWh, it does look uncompetitive when squared against rivals such as the $382,888 Mercedes-Benz EQC, which gets a larger 80kWh battery and a 402bhp output, or the $342,888 BMW iX3, which also comes with an 80kWh battery although total output here is a weaker 282bhp (all prices as of 27 May 2023).

But these numbers don't tell the full story.

Effortless movement

To start, the Lexus RZ is a sheer delight to drive.

With 308bhp and 435Nm of torque to deploy, the car makes light work of its 2,125kg weight, which in turn, makes your everyday drives just effortless.

Drive around town and you'll find Lexus' Pre-Collision System a nifty little feature, warning you of vehicles or motorcyclists that might be crossing your path at intersections, and notifying you of their location via the 14-inch central display.

On the go, the steering and pedal weights are also well judged, so this SUV feels very natural to drive. Set the car into its 'Sport' mode, and it will even gladly offer that jackrabbit responsiveness that electric cars are so well known for.

It's a welcome touch of course, although here I think the steering wheel ought to offer a bit more responsiveness as opposed to just an increase in weight.

Head for an open road and you'll find another reason why the RZ is such a breeze to drive: The steering wheel-mounted paddles.

These facilitate switching between the four available levels of regenerative braking, and transitions between these different levels are done so smoothly that repeated switching between them will hardly stir passengers.

Peerless refinement

And this Lexus RZ will additionally cosset you and your passengers all through your journey. The cabin of the RZ, aided by the use of acoustic glass, is quiet, even when compared to other electric vehicles. The ride here is soft enough so that you can carry significant speed even over larger humps on the road.

But more impressive still is the fact that even hard acceleration and braking is met with minimal body squat or dive, a feat you don't get in many heavy SUVs, let alone one with this soft a ride.

And there's one additional classy touch that I thoroughly appreciate: Lexus has tuned the artificial cabin sounds of its Active Sound Control system to only play at a clearly audible volume during hard acceleration, so it never becomes grating on the ears.

Going beyond the drive, the cabin of the RZ is also a mighty comfortable place to sit in. Lexus' traditionally plush carpets have now met their match with the Ultrasuede fabrics used on the seats in this RZ. Always soft to the touch, they additionally don't trap heat when you've been in the car the whole day.

The layouts of the various sub-menus of the 14-inch infotainment system will need some getting used to, but thankfully it's still easy to navigate, and with frequent use the unit will even float some of your most frequently accessed controls right into a quick access menu so they become more accessible.

Having said that, the round controls from which you'll adjust the air-conditioning temperature feel gluey to twist. A touch more haptic feedback as you scroll through the half-degree stops here will definitely be appreciated.

Seamless transportation

After three days of driving the RZ, it returned an average energy consumption of 5.0km/kWh. At that rate, you should be able to hit a range of close to 350km, which should be enough so that charging does not become too much of an interference to your weekly schedule.

Having said that, it is still only on par with the expected range we saw from the older and more powerful Mercedes-Benz EQC.

But for all the on-road manners, cabin insulation, and how easy it can make your daily commute to work, this RZ should still be an irresistible buy. Don't let its numbers fool you.

ALSO READ: Borneo Motors Singapore launches all-electric Lexus RZ

This article was first published in sgCarMart