This car drives us mad... Lexus RZ450e Long Term Report | Electrifying
#lexus RZ450e #lexuselectric #electriccars
Lexus RZ450e Long Term Report: www.electrifying.com/long-ter...
After running a Toyota bZ4X for three months, Tom has had an upgrade to the Lexus version. The RZ450e has the same battery and front motor, but the rear motor is more powerful. The looks are different and it's less of a rufty-tufty off-roader too. But some of the Toyota's flaws have been carried over, it seems, as Tom wonders where all his electricity is going.
Being a Lexus, the RZ is beautifully built and has lots of interesting technology. You also know it will work all of the time and that the dealer will be nice to you. That’s enough to convince a lot of people - especially those who have been driving rivals previously and spent time waiting for recovery truck, or been handed the keys to their £70,000 car in a tent and been told to use Google to see how it works. It really happens.
The claimed range is 252 miles, but in three months of running the Lexus, Tom has never seen a number beginning with a two. Except when it’s gone down to twenty, which is does often. And when it’s gone down to just two, which has happened a couple of times….
That’s the real issue with this car. It has 65kWh of usable battery capacity, which means the efficiency is 2.5 miles per kWh. That’s at least 1 mile per kWh less than cars we have tried in the real world with similar size and performance. That means Tom is charging more often and it’s costing a lot more too. If you went back to the old days, it’s like having a car which does 23mpg rather than 33.
Which means Tom is a little torn. Does he love or hate his ‘leccy Lexus?
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With Toyota's history of anti-EV lobbying i wouldnt be surprised if they made subpar products intentionally so they could go "see? No-one wants evs" when they dont sell
I came here to say just that, glad I'm not the only Toyota cynic!
I get that impression too, how does one of the biggest auto brands mess up this badly when it comes to EV's
Toyota is getting lazy with innovation simple as that.
Totally agree, was just about to write the same thing.
Please point at sources and examples where Toyota lobbies against EVs, and prove your point, not just copying pasting nonsense. By the way, watch the entire video. Regarding the comment about the innovation. Please at least aim for monkey-level intelligence.
Love the Suede joke Tom (perfect timing).
This car was built to tick a box. Toyota has said they’re not interested in EV’s
We all thought with Toyota hybrid tech, they can easily build a nice and efficient EV. They in fact build the worse EV ever out of all brands. Yeah, like you said they only doing it for box ticking and no bother trying.
The old farts at Toyota can't compute new technology. That and the questionable stance of Japan/Japanese people on climate change contributed to that poor decision.
I purchased an Rz450e in January, live in Ohio, USA. In mixed temperatures and urban/highway driving, I have averaged 3.8 miles/Kwh since delivery. I use the regen paddles religiously for coasting and regen braking- find that it helps keep you focused on the road ahead, much like a manual shift car that you are trying to maximize mpg from. Rather enjoy that aspect, but might not be for everyone. I also favor the radiant heaters over the central climate control, found that I need leather shoes and good socks to keep my feet from getting cold. Bought the Lexus pop-in roof shades which help a lot above 75 degrees to reduce A/C load. Drive ECO mode in the city and relaxed country driving, Normal mode for our highways for the superior passing and maneuvering. Best car that I have ever owned, hands down. I think that the Toyota engineers actually designed a fine car IF you want to learn the nuances and are willing to adapt your settings and interactions with the machine to maximize performance and efficiency. If you want to “set it and forget it” and want maximum convenience, you will most likely be disappointed in efficiency/range. I also believe that the EV space is too new to value longevity and the few cars with enough miles (say>100k miles)to judge battery health are limited to Tesla models and the early ones at that with questionable build quality. I do think the RZ is conservatively designed to last 10 years as a quality car, but of course only time will tell and technology could always leapfrog everything. My 2 pence worth- no offense intended but I think there are very much 2 sides to the RZ story. In the U.S. the capitalized lease cost gets discounted from $64k to $46k so the MSRP is not only not realistic but actually misleading- Lexus should just reprice to a more realistic level to help people judge the true value proposition. Happy motoring to all.
Not easily swayed, by suede. Fabulous! Unlike the car, with inferior range and battery tech! As many have said before me, just a "tick box" exercise. Avoid.
"i dont know how they got it so wrong" at this point it has to be intentional, malicious compliance " we need an EV, so we made an EV" instead of "how can we make a good electric lexus"
Ooh it really isn't just me then...tell you what if Toyota/Lexus built a super duper economical EV tomorrow I still wouldn't buy it with all they've done to slow down the uptake of EVs.
2.5kwh....!! Nearly the same as a Ford F150 BEV.... Totally dreadful.
It's abysmal
“… is there a big group of pixies, smelting aluminium in the boot when I’m not looking?” Has got to be one of the best efficiency questions, probably the best.
British humour at its best
I'm absolutely stunned that the crappy and cheap feeling charging flap made it passed the Lexus quality assurance. Both Toyota and Lexus are in danger of slipping on their best USP (i.e. reliability and build quality), shame...
Good piece. Thanks Tom!
I checked out a Subaru Solterra, which is essentially the same thing, and was astounded by how bad it was. It is within 1% of almost every dimension for a Forester, but the Forester is so much better packaged and sorted. Heck, the Solterra doesn't even have a glove box orr rear wiper. My Forester XT has 94k miles and will likely be replaced with a RAV4 Prime, because they obviously don't want to build competitive EVs.
"I'm easily suade" is the best pun I heard today 😂 Thank you! Love it!
Another geeat review from Tom!!!
Well done Tom, not all that glitters is gold. A great spot on the sun tan, I nearly destroyed my keyboard. Not to self, pause the video if having a quick drink. A great balanced review and thanks for sharing.
God this Tom guy is brilliant!! Would love to see him more often.
Isn't the Bz4x from Toyota also slated for it's range inefficiency ? In which case as you say they need to do better especially as our winters are much longer than our summers. 😕😕
Honest review
"easily Suede" instant click on like haha
I own two of them, loves them.
IR panels are also available in the BMW ix
I'm not easily suede, because I have dust mite allergy, so it's leather or nothing, I need to know if leather is an option in every car review.
Compliance vehicle. They didn’t even try.
It is the same shite like the BZ4X. It is only made to tick the green credit checkbox so that they can make their hybrids.
I like some aspects of the look and I have seen some great lease deals but as an EV it appears to be very poor. Some people have suggested Toyota have made it poor on purpose. Is it a compliance vehicle for the USA?
I think it's a beautiful looking car and test drove it a few months ago. I currently have a Lexus UX300e but I know what he is talking about regarding the range and efficiency, I love driving our UX300 but the range/efficiency is pathetic and it ruins the driving experience because it creates massive range anxiety. You'll be able to get the RZ for next to nothing soon because it simply won't sell at the list price. I think they'll struggle to sell even at a heavily discounted price, unless of course the buyer is an EV novice, as I was when I got the UX300e.
Strangely enough Richard, I've just swapped into a UX300e. It feels much older but the efficiency is much better. I prefer it all round really. TB
I actually think Lexus are ugliest of all cars, especially the new infotainment screen that looks so cheaply put together with bulky corners and lacking harmony.
@@Electrifyingcom Maybe the efficiency has been improved since they changed the battery, I have the older, smaller battery - about 54kWh and that gives me about 130-140miles in the real world but on paper should be 196 (have never come close to that and always drive in eco). The new battery is supposed to have increase the range by up to 40%
@@i6power30 I disagree about them being ugly but beauty is in the eye of the beholder! 😉
I'm glad you guys are all poo-pooing this car in reviews - it is really dropping the used prices on these. I am seeing plenty of people on the RZ forums saying they get low to mid 3's mi/kWh, which is exactly where my Chevy Bolt EV is when I'm running climate control. This car is a WAY nicer car than most other EVs on the market, and the performance of it meets my needs. If I am given an option to pay 30k for a used Kia/Hyundai, or 30k for a used Lexus, I know which I am choosing. Please keep driving the prices of these down so I can get a SWEET deal!
That's what I did - there are plenty of early lease returns that are pretty much new (I got my "used" Luxury trim with 300 miles on odometer and at around $40k.) Bz4X are going for around $30k and after test driving them both I feel $10k well spent.
@@alternatereality7713 BZ4x has never been attractive to me, but the Lexus looks good and the interior NVH is a priority for me. I'm also looking at EV6 GT for the performance, but they are drastically different types of cars, albeit at similar price points. I'll be keeping an eye on both on the forums for the next year or so and then make my choice.
Really that charge door looks amazingly cheap.
The car looks amazing, but the range is a deal breaker for me. I drive a bmw ix3 and range anxiety is not too bad, but this car's range would stress me out on long journeys.
Afternoon mate it's a Toyota bz4x
And Subaru Solterra. Different flavors of the same vehicle like GM uses the same platforms for Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac.
Yes, it's a bz4x sold for the price of a Lexus.
And a Porsche is a VW.
Bloody pixies!
The efficiency is such a pity because it looks so good otherwise. The current luke warm EV market in the UK may well play into Toyota's hands though. Too many EVs have disappointing real world winter range at present and charging still confuses people who aren't part of the EV bubble. I think hybrids still have a few more years of strong sales ahead.
How is it compared to the Leaf though?
I've moved up from 2012 Leaf to 2023 RZ 450e and the difference is astounding. After driving RZ for past month I took out Leaf for a spin and at first Leaf felt like a toy car - twitchy and bouncy. After couple miles I re-acclimatized but at 3 times the range and all the accoutrements of Lexus there is no going back.
We thought Toyota would nail EVs because they had so much experience doing hybrid powertrains but maybe they optimised those too much in the direction of maximising profit. Now that efficiency is more important they find themselves in a local minimum which is hard to get out of.
How do you open the door if the battery is dead ?
It's got a little emergency lever on the outside. On the inside, you pull the handle twice. Massive over engineering!
@@Electrifyingcom oh dear.. why would anyone bother with all this over complexity
easily suede, best side away comment ever made in the history of car reviews
Let me guess… it cost £50,000 has a range of 100 miles and looks like shit
Try again, it’s £60K - £68K!
@@stuartgreen7203 really!!! FFS… That’s mad
I'm going to wait for either the second gen or third generation RZ until they sort out problems.
Why insist on using regen mode? It's not like you are getting any more energy back compared to blended regen when you use brake pedal gently.
I really like regen. You often don't have to move your foot over to the brake pedal at all, and in an emergency stop situation that fraction of a second extra deceleration is probably worth a few feet saved on the stopping distance.
@@Electrifyingcom True for emergency stop situation. But for daily driving, I find it harder on my right foot in regen mode because it requires even more dexderity on the how much pressure you put on the accelerator pedal in order maintain constant speed while cruising. Slight mis-calibration will make you and passenger feel car sick. Sure you can use driver assist features so you don't need to constantly pressure with foot, but for sure 5 - 10 minute trips, it's just another chore to having to turn on cruise control feature, and the moment you brake or change lane, it cancels itself, you have to re-enable it. You are constantly thinking am I in regen mode? am I using cruise control? It just feels more work than simply switching the pedal when you want to slowdown, and speed up. You don't have to think.
I have the premium version, not the Takumi, but get 3.1 to 3.8 miles per KW/h in normal mode. Not the best, but certainly not as bad as some of the reviews
I've been driving "Luxury" trim in L.A. and after 2000 miles my average is 3 KW/mile in normal mode. I do turn off AC when it is not hot and it has not been hot lately - still spring weather.
That flimsy charging port cover is beyond disappointing. It’s unacceptable, as is the rubber door trim. How does Lexus parade themselves as a “premium” brand when clearly they’re just smoke and mirrors trying to gouge consumers with prices that are totally out of line with the quality of the product. Sad!
Wow that consumption is horrendous, a deal breaker. My old ZS EV gets 3.6 averaged over last 3 years, better on a run. Great review ...
And my MG4 gets about 4.4. Toyota's busy trying to convince us EVs aren't any good, but only convincing us that Toyotas aren't any good.
Why hasn't Citroën made its CX5 electric yet? I would snub every other german and japanese gonk for an ëCX5 Or better yet a new 2CV
C5X, the CX5 is a Mazda. Confusing I know
Lol yes@@shroomyesc
Where’s the bing bong song? 🎶 😂😂😂😂
Nice warm day. 14c. Lololol
This, together with the Toyota bZ4QpX8Zj, is amongst the worst named of all cars, and makes me feel slightly less awkward about my (otherwise lovely, but appallingly named) Smart #1 :D
As a Lexus RC300 hybrid owner, the RZ450e seems pretty awful, wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.
Toyota is telling the media about their "revolutionair" new battery tech for over a decade now. Just like nucleair fusion . . . .we will have that over 10 years, . . . . . And that is what it will always be with Toyota, in 10 years. Toyota CEO claims that EV's are a dead-end street, not enough material for batteries, for not even 1% of all cars in the world. According to Toyota, H2 is the future . . . . Toyota lost its marbles.
Toyota ev sucks. Lexus is just a fancy badge. It is a toyota, period.
The age of Lexus is long gone.
is200 was the end of aspiring to own a Lexus. Once the boy racers got a hold of them the brand was ruined imo.
Oh Tom, I'm easily "SUEDE" too
At least Lexus has retained the (completely non-functional on an EV) maw-of-the-beast front grill work. How avant-garde must one be to think that it is attractive?
_Easily suede_
That charging port cover would P me off - so very cheap and nasty/
Easily suede.
What were they thinking with that charge port lid…!?! I hate the grills that the Toyota brands have been sticking on the nose. Naw… I'll pass on it. I can't imagine that anyone except Lexus fanbois would want it.
Will never be any good until the range increases, unfortunately
How can a car company who actively lobbies against electric cars make a decent one. No thanks.
The tone and verbiage he's using to describe this car is exactly what I'd expect to hear from a mate about a girlfriend that he hasn't realized he needs to break up with yet.
It will be a flop and is too expensive for what it offers…. Way off the mark in my opinion. Sad to see. Good review thanks.
Toyota don't want you to buy an EV, that's why their pure EVs are all terrible.
What a clever strategy.
For the money it does not make any sense buying this new, even on a lease I would only be interested at leaf money.
Pun-fest! Well done...!!
no ones buying ev in used car market because battery failure expensive costs
Terrible puns. Would have bought one otherwise.
its ripp off price
Ha! You need therapy? I’d recommend seeing Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. 😂
Was this car built in China .
Toyota evs only worth paying £2k
Brakes are nice? Please, Toyota doesn’t care about EV.
Not gonna lie, it’s awful.
Can you guys give us the efficiency figures in kWh/100km so all of us on the rest of the world understand what you're talking about and keep watching ?
Divide 62 by miles per kWh. 2 miles per kWh is approximately 31 kWh/100km 3 miles per kWh is approximately 21 kWh/100km