This post was originally published on Autocar
Lexus enters fast-filling premium electric SUV club with jazzed-up Toyota bZ4X
With so many cars spuriously purporting to be sporty or have racing genes, it’s refreshing when the presentation for a new one hardly even mentions athleticism. The Lexus RZ is the firm’s flagship electric car, and instead it ought to offer “confidence, control and comfort”, says Lexus.Mind you, it still has up to 309bhp and will out-accelerate quite a few hot hatches.The RZ was Lexus’ first steps into getting serious about EVs. It had the Lexus UX 300e for a while, but that was never quite a heavy hitter.Whereas this car is and goes toe-to-toe with the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Nissan Ariya and Hyundai Ioniq 5.The RZ shares its e-TNGA platform – which is bespoke to EVs – with the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra.A cheaper two-wheel drive mode (badged 300e) joined the range in 2024 to address issues concerning range and price.