This car drives us mad... Lexus RZ450e Long Term Report | Electrifying

[@davidkeller1040]

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.

[@robertwarren20]

Well said. I completely agree!

[@Lanser1964]

7 months since you posted and I am being offered a new 450e as a company car but with a Ioniq 5 as an alternative, range is only thing putting me off even though I dont do many long drives are you still satisfied with the 450e? Maybe @edwardharris1022 could comment too as he has both

[@chavitavb]

You said it well! Good thing they repriced by offering a base model lol.

[@stephenodonohue9876]

Love the Suede joke Tom (perfect timing).

[@adelamid635]

I have had it for 7 months and 7000 miles in Los Angeles, getting 4 miles per KW regularly and over 200 miles range is no problem! and I am going heavy on speed and acceleration

[@MBergyman]

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!

[@alternatereality7713]

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.

[@MBergyman]

@@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.

[@onskee]

​ @alternatereality7713 Same here. Just got a < 1yo with 2500 miles for just under $40k.

[@shroomyesc]

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

[@judebrown4103]

I came here to say just that, glad I'm not the only Toyota cynic!

[@richardjohnson7900]

I get that impression too, how does one of the biggest auto brands mess up this badly when it comes to EV's

[@i6power30]

Toyota is getting lazy with innovation simple as that.

[@jamesmccormack3229]

Totally agree, was just about to write the same thing.

[@GGData]

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.

[@robertwarren20]

After watching this video, I just have to make some comments. First, I'd like to address the efficiency issue mentioned. I've owned this car since Dec'23 and am averaging 2.9 miles/Kw. If I use the average cost of gas in my area and look at what the electric company is charging me per kw, I calculate that I'm getting 99.4 MPG. Also on the range issue, I too was concerned about the 196 miles of range and initially did not consider the car because of this. When I found out Lexus offers the Lexus Reserve program which will give a free loaner car for up to 30 days over a three year period, that was the deciding factor. Having said that, if you don't have access to a level 2 charger at home and another gas or hybrid car, I wouldn't recommend buying any electric car yet. Gas/hybrid cars are still easier to use on long trips. When solid state batteries get here (hopefully in 2027) all that will change. About 98% of my driving is around town and I typically charge it maybe once a week. It is quiet, fast, comfortable, effecient, reliable, loaded with tech and fun to drive.

[@rogerwilliams7234]

Good piece. Thanks Tom!

[@anthonystevens8683]

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.

[@joey-pn3xe]

This car was built to tick a box. Toyota has said they’re not interested in EV’s

[@badboy250984]

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.

[@maximusasauluk7359]

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.

[@Altoseb]

@@maximusasauluk7359lol!!

[@tommytune2294]

Great review, but what about this not having a rear wiper and glove box?

[@nakfan]

Excellent review 👍 I think you put the finger down with great precision on some of the problems of this car…

[@edwardharris1022]

We have one of these and an Ioniq5. I agree it's equal parts amazing and annoying. We knew the range was a bit limited in advance but we rarely drive over 30-40 miles a day and charge at home. We live in a warm climate so get over 200 miles of range displayed. Efficiency is only about 10% worse than the RWD only Ioniq which is only 204 BHP vs 313 BHP on the Lexus. The most surprisingly annoying thing for me is the road noise. Something I did not expect from a Lexus. It is significantly louder than the Ioniq. The Mark Levinson stereo is amazing, but it's competing with a lot of background noise. The app is pretty useless. 100% agree on the charging flap and the hyper-sensitive collision detection that keeps hitting the brakes. Ride is sooo much better than the Ioniq5 which is very hard. Not as much room width wise in the back seat as the Ioniq, despite being a bigger car...about 9 cm on the shoulders and 5cm on the hips. HUD surround reflects on the windscreen too.... Seats are wonderful, screen is great, good to drive. So much to love but does have some big flaws.

[@miniwang4208]

God this Tom guy is brilliant!! Would love to see him more often.

[@kteam4u]

Is it possible to get a back up battery to switch out when the other one is charging? Is there a portable charging station you can take with you?

[@nannyoggsally]

"I'm easily suade" is the best pun I heard today 😂 Thank you! Love it!

[@dcvariousvids8082]

“… 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.

[@maximusasauluk7359]

British humour at its best

[@richardjohnson7900]

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.

[@Electrifyingcom]

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

[@i6power30]

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.

[@richardjohnson7900]

@@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%

[@richardjohnson7900]

@@i6power30 I disagree about them being ugly but beauty is in the eye of the beholder! 😉

[@granfersteve3815]

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. 😕😕

[@Mike-qu6fp]

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.

[@AliBros]

How is it compared to the Leaf though?

[@alternatereality7713]

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.

[@mlann2333]

How do you open the door if the battery is dead ?

[@Electrifyingcom]

It's got a little emergency lever on the outside. On the inside, you pull the handle twice. Massive over engineering!

[@mlann2333]

@@Electrifyingcom oh dear.. why would anyone bother with all this over complexity

[@michaelfields8981]

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.

[@charleshewitt6180]

Built to lease. In the US, currently 7500 federal rebate, plus 11,000 Lexus rebate (that's right, 18,500 in rebates) - AND you can apply it to a 3 year lease. And so long as you don't drive 200+ miles a day, it's perfect. After all, you definitely need a home level 2 charger to make any EV make sense. So plugging it in two or three times a week makes no difference. Definitely don't recommend buying, but definitely leasing.

[@avdp9095]

Take the RZ300E, better range, good charging, good pricing and as well build. Actually a far better bev than most media wants us to believe.

[@supra800]

Dose the driving experience like the Mercedes EQE SUV?

[@Noah_E]

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.

[@mikadavies660]

2.5kwh....!! Nearly the same as a Ford F150 BEV.... Totally dreadful.

[@toyotaprius79]

It's abysmal

[@gustavopedrosa81]

IR panels are also available in the BMW ix

[@tallandhairy]

easily suede, best side away comment ever made in the history of car reviews

[@epoxy1710]

I own two of them, loves them.

[@stevecooksley]

Need to renew my lease car in six months time (currently have an EQC) and this comes out over £100pm cheaper. It's definitely on my shortlist - which will never include an Audi or a Tesla.

[@bellshooter]

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 ...

[@PJRye]

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.

[@zenortheartof]

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.

[@iAxianguy]

LOL... Love your humor 😊👍

[@burgerbirger2221]

It doesn't have proper pre heating of the battery, only some sort of heat pump which is starting up while charging. So you're not seeing 150kw.

[@robsmith1a]

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.

[@specialkcitizen6263]

Honest review

[@BMWHP2]

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.

[@Richcovephoto]

I enjoyed your review thank you… I did test drive one of these. I didn’t by it because of the lack of range and all the bings and bongs! All of them are completely waste of time, I don’t need them to drive a car. They make cars so called safer which at some level I disagree with, the emergency braking is dangerous.. I ended up buying a new Lexus ES hybrid.. no bings and bongs still has the dangerous braking but 50mpg and 475 miles when I fill it up! Much better than 120miles per charge! I will avoid electric cars until they get near the 475-450 miles I get from my hybrid.. Also someone needs to let the insurance industry know that new cars have all this pointless driver aids! So no need to put everyone’s premiums up! UK being ripped off again. A bit like more electric cars = electric industry putting prices up. Also no road tax on electric cars oh hang on all electric cars owners will pay £190 a year road tax! And if it cost over £40000 you can add another £410 Enough said!

[@willielarsson9651]

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.

[@i6power30]

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.

[@Electrifyingcom]

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.

[@i6power30]

@@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.

[@SWR112]

Really that charge door looks amazingly cheap.

[@mellymoo_eats]

I'm going to wait for either the second gen or third generation RZ until they sort out problems.

[@Mobile_Dom]

"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"

[@judebrown4103]

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.

[@davidgillham6847]

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...

[@AfonsodaMataSlam]

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 ?

[@SimonCoates]

Divide 62 by miles per kWh. 2 miles per kWh is approximately 31 kWh/100km 3 miles per kWh is approximately 21 kWh/100km

[@kteam4u]

So so disappointed they didn’t make a gas fueled option

[@NomadicViper360]

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

[@alternatereality7713]

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.

[@rolan2dr]

Compliance vehicle. They didn’t even try.

[@paddy8046]

"easily Suede" instant click on like haha

[@toyotaprius79]

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

[@shroomyesc]

C5X, the CX5 is a Mazda. Confusing I know

[@toyotaprius79]

Lol yes​@@shroomyesc

[@DB25k]

Just can understand why Toyota missed what the market wanted, or need when designing this car..

[@scottbailey5869]

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!

[@torrhthc4103]

Toyota ev sucks. Lexus is just a fancy badge. It is a toyota, period.

[@hermesliteratus882]

The age of Lexus is long gone.

[@mlann2333]

is200 was the end of aspiring to own a Lexus. Once the boy racers got a hold of them the brand was ruined imo.

[@jprates]

Emergency braking sensitivity is adjustable.

[@MrGMawson2438]

Afternoon mate it's a Toyota bz4x

[@Noah_E]

And Subaru Solterra. Different flavors of the same vehicle like GM uses the same platforms for Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac.

[@hermesliteratus882]

Yes, it's a bz4x sold for the price of a Lexus.

[@epoxy1710]

And a Porsche is a VW.

[@tonybarton3746]

Where’s the bing bong song? 🎶 😂😂😂😂

[@Roobubba]

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

[@steved7085]

As a Lexus RC300 hybrid owner, the RZ450e seems pretty awful, wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

[@kalebdaark100]

Bloody pixies!

[@Nam3Iess]

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.

[@Matthersch77]

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.

[@aedwards9408]

Will never be any good until the range increases, unfortunately

[@davidcorbett644]

Nice warm day. 14c. Lololol

[@hellcat1988]

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.

[@omelborpon3159]

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?

[@Yanquetino]

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.

[@t288msd]

How can a car company who actively lobbies against electric cars make a decent one. No thanks.

[@davelenderson]

Oh Tom, I'm easily "SUEDE" too

[@specialkcitizen6263]

That charging port cover would P me off - so very cheap and nasty/

[@pullformore]

Toyota don't want you to buy an EV, that's why their pure EVs are all terrible.

[@hermesliteratus882]

What a clever strategy.

[@DavidHorsell]

For the money it does not make any sense buying this new, even on a lease I would only be interested at leaf money.

[@cnut4563a]

Easily suede.

[@isaiahkatambo4683]

Ha! You need therapy? I’d recommend seeing Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. 😂

[@nicomonkeyboy]

_Easily suede_

[@allanchapman6250]

Was this car built in China .

[@carlishiggins]

no ones buying ev in used car market because battery failure expensive costs

[@stuffilike3320]

Terrible puns. Would have bought one otherwise.

[@carlishiggins]

its ripp off price

[@BobTheBlue]

Let me guess… it cost £50,000 has a range of 100 miles and looks like shit

[@stuartgreen7203]

Try again, it’s £60K - £68K!

[@BobTheBlue]

@@stuartgreen7203 really!!! FFS… That’s mad

[@scotteladd2537]

Brakes are nice? Please, Toyota doesn’t care about EV.

[@examinerian]

Pun-fest! Well done...!!

[@EVRealFacts]

"i need therapy" So will EV owners when Arnold Clark explains the fact you've lost 75% of your investment in 3 years as there is almost no interest in buying EVs second hand.

[@NatashaHayes-dg6fp]

Davis Betty Davis Jeffrey Robinson Jeffrey

[@carlishiggins]

Toyota evs only worth paying £2k

[@iamricardomarques]

Not gonna lie, it’s awful.

[@TrustMeIKnowEverything]

Bro you can switch off all those bong and especially the emergency braking. You cant take all of this off

[@aikafuwa7177]

This stupid thing is missing the glove box and fugly and to top it off extremely limited range. WTF?!!?