LEXUS RZ 450e

HANDY MOTIVATION; LIGHT-ON FOR INNOVATION

- DYLAN CAMPBELL

STARTING at $123,000, the S Lexus RZ is built on the same all-new, dedicated electric vehicle (EV) platform as the incoming Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra. It's not the first electric Lexus, that honour going to the UX300e compact SUV. But after years of sitting on the EV sidelines, when the world's biggest car manufacturer Toyota enters the new-age EV race, you pay attention.

We've been waiting to see, too, how the Japanese interpret this new EV thing. We've seen how the Americans, Britons, Germans and South Koreans imagine the electric vehicle of the future. How might the Japanese, a powerhouse nation of automotive design and engineering, move the EV game forward? What fresh thinking might they bring? To find out, we headed to Adelaide to drive the new Lexus RZ which has just landed in Australia. Only 500 are coming initially, and Lexus said 150 are already sold.

The RZ measures 4910mm long, 1895mm wide and 1635mm high, making it almost as big as Lexus's RX large SUV. Aerodynamics matter a lot in the world of EVs and so the RZ's drag coefficient of 0.28Cd hardly has us falling off our chair. A Tesla Model Y, while admittedly almost egg-shaped, is 0.23Cd.

The line-up comprises two RZ 450e variants - the $123,000 Luxury and $135,000 Sport Luxury.

Both are powered by the same 230kW/435Nm, dual-motor, all-wheeldrive electric powertrain. There's a single 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery option granting about 400 kilometres of WLTP range. The Sport and Sport Luxury are packed to the brim with standard equipment. There's a giant, 14.0-inch central touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, LED lighting galore, eightway adjustable powered front seats, electric rear tailgate and, in the Sport's case, vegan upholstery - although we wouldn't recommend eating it.