The new electric Lexus RZ 450e with 313 hp and 400 km of autonomy already has a price in Europe : from 73,300 euros

The  Lexus RZ 450e  is the brand's new  electric SUV  . Unlike the Lexus UX300e, Lexus' first electric car  ,  it is not an electric version of a conventional model, it is an electric car developed from the ground up to be electric.

It is a luxury SUV, 4.80 m long and equipped with two engines which allows it to announce a power of 313 CV. And this rival of the  BMW iX3  is already on sale in France,  from 73,000 euros  (1,400 euros less than the BMW iX3).

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The Lexus RZ450e is a 4.80m coupe SUV  based on the  e-TNGA platform  designed to exclusively accommodate electric models. This is the same platform used by the Toyota bZ4-X and  Subaru Solterra  .

It is however not a clone of the Toyota, since it has its own design and a much higher power (the Toyota is satisfied with 218 CV, while the Lexus exceeds 300 CV).

313 hp and an aviation type flywheel

Equipped with two engines, the front engine develops 150 kW (204 hp) and the rear, 80 kW (109 hp) for a total power of 313 hp. These also make up  Direct4 all-wheel drive  (introduced with the  Lexus LF-Z Electrified  ).

The Direct4 system enables torque vectoring between the axles which, according to the brand, “promotes predictive driving that is faithful to the driver's intentions”. The RZ 450e accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and has a top speed of 160 km/h.

As for the battery, it has a capacity of 71.4 kW, which gives it a  range "of more than 400 km  in the WLTP cycle", according to the brand, and an average consumption of  18 kWh/100 km  . The battery is also guaranteed for 10 years and 90%, that is to say that after 10 years, or 240,000 km, the battery will retain 90% of its capacity.

On board, the most striking element is undoubtedly the  steering wheel, which imitates the controls of an airplane  (these are like the “horns”, as the pilots call them). Lexus explains that thanks to the absence of a mechanical connection between the wheels and the steering wheel, the engineers were able to calibrate the variable reduction ratio according to the speed.

Thus, in a 300° rotation of the steering wheel from lock to lock, the wheels would turn from lock to lock without our having to remove our hands from the horns, unlike Tesla's system. This aviation-type steering wheel is only available  as an option in Spain  with the Luxury finish  for 2,400 euros  .

It also has, as standard equipment, the "always on" cloud browser, with real-time information on traffic, accidents and road conditions. It incorporates, in addition to the touch screen, a  voice command  that responds to  “Hey Lexus” commands  . And of course, it is compatible with  Apple CarPlay  and  Android Auto  .

Lexus RZ450e price

In France, the new Lexus RZ will have a choice of three trim levels:  Business, Executive and Luxury  . Prices  for the Lexus RZ 450e start at 73,300 euros  and end at 88,400 euros for the Luxury One Motion Grip finish with two-tone bodywork. The first deliveries will be made from November 2022.