Lexus RZ - Electric motor, drive and performance

While the Lexus RZ looks sharp, the driving experience is geared towards comfort rather than sportiness, and that’s to the car’s benefit.

What is the Lexus RZ like to drive?

In town

At low speeds the RZ is quiet and refined, while light steering makes it a doddle to manoeuvre. Front and rear sensors and a reversing camera help with parking, which is handy, because there’s a relatively long bonnet that dips down ahead of you, and the rear windows are narrow.

Lexus offers four levels of energy recovery that are selectable via a pair of paddles behind the steering wheel. The weakest setting turns it off completely, so only the physical brakes do any stopping, while the most extreme offers strong resistance, but not enough for one-pedal driving. It’s useful having the paddles so that you can adjust the settings on the fly without taking your eyes off the road and delve into the central touchscreen like a Volvo EX40.

On A- and B-roads

Unlike many rivals, the RZ 300e lacks the punchy acceleration that electric SUVs are commonly known for. It still has a decent throttle response and the car keeps pace with traffic without any trouble, but the power tails off sooner than in other EVs. At least that means the front tyres aren’t overwhelmed by excessive torque, and even in slippery conditions, there are no signs that the car loses grip.

If you want that addictive surge, then the more powerful RZ 450e can cater for your needs, although it still doesn’t feel as urgent as some EVs, such as the EX40.

Having the battery in the floor between the axles helps keep the RZ’s centre of gravity low, so body lean is kept in check in corners. The steering is light and weights up at speed, but the suspension does tend to bobble a little over rough surfaces as it attempts to control the car’s mass while dealing with imperfections. It’s not a deal breaker, though.

Take a quick glance at the tyres on the RZ, and you might assume an error has been made, because different sizes are used at both ends of the car, with 235-section rubber for the front axle and 255-section tyres on the rear. 

It seems odd for a front-wheel-drive car to have fatter rear tyres, but the RZ’s rear track is also wider by 15mm, and the difference is designed to boost the car’s handling. Interestingly, the platform-sharing Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra have the same tyre sizes at each corner.

On the motorway

Refinement at higher speeds is great, with tyre noise being the biggest bugbear, although things are still reasonably quiet. The car tends to shimmy over bigger bumps, but overall, the RZ is comfortable.

0-62mph acceleration and top speed

Power for the RZ 300e comes from a single electric motor that makes 201bhp and is mounted on the car’s front axle. This gives the Lexus a 0-62mph time of eight seconds exactly, while the model’s top speed is limited to 99mph.

Upgrade to the four-wheel-drive RZ 450e, and the front-mounted motor is augmented by an additional 108bhp motor at the rear, while the total system output is rated at 309bhp. The extra traction of this model means it can sprint from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, which is more in keeping with electric SUV rivals. As with the 300e, this car’s top speed is also limited to 99mph.