Lexus RZ long-term test

The car Lexus RZ 450e+ Takumi Run by Chris Haining, sub-editor

Why it’s here To find out whether Lexus's premium electric car combatant offers the right blend of efficiency, luxury and performance to succeed in a crowded market

Needs to Cope with a long motorway commute as well seeming at home in the countryside, and be easy to live with day to day

Mileage 11,316 List price £69,095 Target Price £66,025 Price as tested £69,095 Dealer price now £50,985 Private price now £45,320 Official range 251 miles Test range 170-190 miles Running costs (excluding depreciation) Electricity £950

12 May 2024 – Train in vain

At the time of writing, an annual season ticket to take me from my nearest station (Mistley, Essex) to What Car?'s headquarters in Twickenham, works out at more than £700 per month. Meanwhile, a Lexus RZ 450e Takumi like mine costs £450 per month, via our free New Car Deals service.

Granted, that excludes the 15% deposit you have to put down first, but taking the deal means you get an entire car to use whenever you want, on any road you want to explore. And, of course,  you can park it right outside where you live, rather than walking half a mile to catch a train.

Yes, I always looked forward to boarding the Lexus, whereas standing on a drizzly platform awaiting a crowded commuter service is a chore that I was pleased to side-step. But to fully meet my needs, the RZ also needed to prove itself the perfect companion for rural exploration.

Fortunately, it felt particularly at home in the countryside. The RZ is an electric SUV with four-wheel drive, so I didn't have to feel guilty about polluting the green and pleasant land, and it always felt secure and planted on wintry country roads. It coped very well with the slippery, mulchy coating that covers my local lanes from November through to March, and when the weather (finally) warmed up a bit in April, it proved pretty handy in drier conditions, too. For such a bulky car, it's impressively agile in corners, without much in the way of body lean, plus its huge wheels and fat tyres mean there's loads of grip. It's been more fun to drive than I ever expected, and certainly leagues ahead of the BYD Atto 3 I ran previously. 

That's not to say that it wasn't suited to motorways, though. In fact, one of my RZ's uncanny skills is how well it absorbed road surface imperfections at high speed, despite having huge 20in wheels wrapped with ribbon-like tyres. And it was exceptionally quiet – all the better to enjoy the Mark Levinson sound system that Takumi trim brings. Even the active cruise control and lane-keeping assistance won my approval; they're among the few such systems that haven't been so intrusive that I've left them switched off.

In fact, were my commute a little less epic than my regular 234-mile odyssey, the RZ would have been a perfect fit. However, as I mentioned in a previous report, it just didn't have the stamina to go that distance without needing a stop to recharge. Despite an official 251-mile range, it never beat 200 miles in my hands. Lexus says it's working on a software update to help on this front, and I hope that comes to pass; the limited range is a very frustrating fly in the RZ's ointment. 

Another bluebottle that might make you think twice about choosing an RZ is the Toyota bZ4X. This electric family SUV just so happens to be closely related to the RZ; beyond their styling (inside and out), the two cars share dimensions and much of their mechanical package. And that means the bZ4X is also an extremely competent machine – despite being a lot less expensive.

In range-topping Vision trim, with four-wheel drive, it comes in at £51,410 (or £48,119 via our New Car Deals service). That's £17,685 less than my RZ costs, although my car is several notches up when it comes to interior quality and performance (the RZ has 313bhp to the bZ4X's 215bhp).

Here's how I choose to think of it: driving the RZ is like upgrading to first class when buying a plane ticket; you're still making the same journey, in the same aircraft, but you're paying for a more luxurious experience. The RZ's extra plushness certainly makes the bZ4X look distinctly Premium Economy by comparison. Incidentally, the rail season ticket I mentioned earlier rises to £1105 per month if you opt for first class: enough to cover a 48-month PCP contract on the RZ, including deposit, with a fair chunk left over for electricity.

The RZ isn't cheap, then, but it makes a lot more financial sense than upgrading to first class on a train or plane, not least because the RZ is your own personal transport to sing along to the radio or make telephone calls in without annoying fellow travellers. You also get to wash it on your drive.

Every time I did that, I was reminded of how much I like the way it looks, and that's no doubt helped by my car's Sonic Copper and Black two-tone colour scheme. There's no doubt it has huge showroom appeal. And if you allow somebody else to shoulder the initial bite of depreciation, it looks good on the used car forecourt, too.

Overall, if you can charge at home, and your round trips are typically less than 200 miles, the RZ could be just the ticket as a luxury commuter. With a small boost to its real-world range, it would be the default choice for me.

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