Fresh from going on sale in Malaysia, we now have a full gallery of the Lexus RZ450e. The electric SUV was present during the media test drive of the LBX last week – its first appearance since being previewed at the Toyota Beyond Zero showcase event in February.
As a refresher, the RZ450e is available in a single Luxury variant, priced at RM429,888 on-the-road without insurance. This includes a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and an eight-year, unlimited-mileage battery warranty, with two years of extra coverage optional.
For that kind of money, you get Direct4 all-wheel drive thanks to dual motors – the one at the front makes 204 PS (150 kW) and 266 Nm of torque, while the rear motor churns out 109 PS (80 kW) and 169 Nm. Together, they produce a total output of 313 PS (230 kW), enabling the RZ450e to get from zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds on its way to a top speed of 160 km/h.
The car is also fitted with a 71.4 kWh battery that delivers a WLTP-rated range of up to 440 km, as well as support for up to 150 kW of DC fast charging power, topping up the battery from 10 to 80% in around 30 minutes. The RZ450e can also accept up to 11 kW of AC charging, taking 6.5 hours for a full charge.
Built on the electric Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), the RZ is related to the Toyota bZ4X (and the Subaru Solterra), albeit with much more power. It’s slightly bigger, however – measuring 4,805 mm long, 1,895 mm wide and 1,635 mm tall, the Lexus is 115 mm longer, 35 mm wider and 15 mm lower than the Toyota, although the 2,850 mm wheelbase is identical. In terms of the competition, the RZ is sized somewhere between the BMW iX3 (4,734 mm long) and iX (4,953 mm long).
Further differentiating the RZ from the bZ4X is the sharp design that is said to be inspired by a cheetah – something that’s borne out by the low nose, muscular front and rear haunches and a distinctive window line kink fore of the gloss black C-pillars. With no front grille necessary, Lexus has evolved its trademark spindle grille into a three-dimensional “spindle body”, a shape that is emphasised by the black bumper corners and slim LED headlights with eyebrow-style daytime running lights.
Moving to the back, the RZ features full-width LED taillights with the “Lexus” script, as well as jutting rear roof edge extensions that contribute to the car’s low drag coefficient of 0.28. The Luxury model rides on 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels and comes in six exterior colours – Aether Metallic (shown here), Sonic Copper, Graphite Black Glass Flake, Sonic Quartz and Sonic Iridium. No two-tone option here.
Inside, the RZ is decidedly more conventional than the bZ4X, with the rather small (and low-res) seven-inch digital instrument display sitting behind the steering wheel instead of being positioned above it. It’s still compromised, mind, lacking a front boot or even a glove box.
Dominating proceedings is a 14-inch infotainment display, running Lexus’ latest Tazuna touchscreen-only interface and coming with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The floating central tunnel houses the rotary gear selector and Qi wireless charger, while the level of regenerative braking can be adjusted using the steering wheel paddles. Speaking of which, there’s no newfangled steering yoke being offered here, the Luxury still being fitted with a round ‘wheel.
Elsewhere, the cabin features sustainable grey Ultrasuede upholstery and Tsuyasumi decor with a woodgrain-like finish. The boot measures a capacious 522 litres and can be expanded to 1,451 litres by folding the 60:40-split rear seats – which, by the way, feature a two-stage recline feature.
Standard kit includes keyless entry, push-button start, a digital rear-view mirror, a head-up display, eight-way power-adjustable front seats with heating and driver’s side memory and lumbar adjustment, triple-zone climate control with Lexus Climate Concierge and Panasonic’s nanoe X ioniser, a 13-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system, active noise cancellation, a 360-degree camera system, park assist and a hands-free powered tailgate.
Safety-wise, the RZ comes with seven airbags and the latest Lexus Safety System+ driver assists. The latter include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive high beam. A door opening warning is also fitted, using the electronic door latch to prevent occupants from opening a door into traffic.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Where’s the yoke steering wheel?
Overpriced!