Anyone Planning on Getting a RZ 450e EV?
03-11-23, 01:51 PM
#17
03-13-23, 06:29 PM
#18
Driving impressions are out - Thomas from the Autogefühl channel gets into good detail regarding the yoke steering vs the classic steering wheel. Compares both here. Shame the RZ has a low range...
03-13-23, 08:50 PM
#19
Here’s another review from Kirk K.
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ATLHeel350 (03-25-23)
03-21-23, 07:09 AM
#21
Intermediate
03-21-23, 07:40 PM
#22
It's Metro Vancouver. Everyone wants an EV with our gas prices here.
FWIW, when I put my deposit down last year, the dealer said I was 100+ on the wait list at the dealership. I suspect, however, that a lot of people have put down multiple deposits on every upcoming EV out there and that list may go fast.
Dealer tells me they will have a test drive unit in "a couple of weeks", so I can make my final decision then.
FWIW, when I put my deposit down last year, the dealer said I was 100+ on the wait list at the dealership. I suspect, however, that a lot of people have put down multiple deposits on every upcoming EV out there and that list may go fast.
Dealer tells me they will have a test drive unit in "a couple of weeks", so I can make my final decision then.
03-22-23, 05:09 PM
#23
It's Metro Vancouver. Everyone wants an EV with our gas prices here.
FWIW, when I put my deposit down last year, the dealer said I was 100+ on the wait list at the dealership. I suspect, however, that a lot of people have put down multiple deposits on every upcoming EV out there and that list may go fast.
Dealer tells me they will have a test drive unit in "a couple of weeks", so I can make my final decision then.
FWIW, when I put my deposit down last year, the dealer said I was 100+ on the wait list at the dealership. I suspect, however, that a lot of people have put down multiple deposits on every upcoming EV out there and that list may go fast.
Dealer tells me they will have a test drive unit in "a couple of weeks", so I can make my final decision then.
Very cool looking car
The following 3 users liked this post by Kelvin2020:
03-24-23, 08:44 PM
#24
That interior is sharp looking
04-02-23, 10:12 PM
#26
Does the RZ run on RFT?
Does the RZ lack a glovebox like the bZ4X?
Local dealer is asking $10K markup on a $62K car which is less insane than the $20k markup that the Toyota dealer was asking for on a $42k car when the bZ4X was just out. But still the RZ will be pushing $80k with TTL.
Hard pass for me with the markup, and that pretty much seals it because of limited supply. Without markup, it would still be a hard pass if it uses RFT. Otherwise, it might be worth considering if I like it on a test drive.
I fear we will see a big spike in oil prices as we have made another policy error. I just bought another ICE car thinking gas prices were under control.
Does the RZ lack a glovebox like the bZ4X?
Local dealer is asking $10K markup on a $62K car which is less insane than the $20k markup that the Toyota dealer was asking for on a $42k car when the bZ4X was just out. But still the RZ will be pushing $80k with TTL.
Hard pass for me with the markup, and that pretty much seals it because of limited supply. Without markup, it would still be a hard pass if it uses RFT. Otherwise, it might be worth considering if I like it on a test drive.
I fear we will see a big spike in oil prices as we have made another policy error. I just bought another ICE car thinking gas prices were under control.
Last edited by anoop; 04-02-23 at 10:18 PM.
04-03-23, 12:29 PM
#27
We've gotten two RZ's here at our local dealer, one already sold, the other one is a loaner/fleet vehicle. Got to drive it around extensively. Pretty neat. Lots of torque = lots of felt acceleration, but it's really not all that quick. Biggest complaint is the lack of range.
04-03-23, 05:05 PM
#28
In my opinion, automakers are using EVs to reset at a higher price point. When they get the needed scale, EVs should cost less with fewer parts and less labor. We all need to drive EVs at some point. My goal is to get an EV for the daily and keep the ICE sports car. But, I am not excited about a whole different price structure for everyday cars. The RZ is nice, but I would pass too.
04-06-23, 05:27 PM
#29
Finally took the same RZ demo for a spin as Kelvin above. Anoop, the RZ doesn't run RFT. OEM tires are some Bridgestone Turanza EV-specific model which I didn't look too closely. More on these later.
First impressions are that it looks better in the flesh compared to pictures. Not a fan of the palomino ultrasuede colour, but they do feel nice and the seats are very comfy and supportive. Nice balance between the flatter semi-aniline leathers in my RX and the snug F-Sport seats of similar vintage. Rest of the interior feels very similar to the loaner NX I had recently, with slightly nicer feeling switchgear in the controls. Maybe there is a difference between Japan-built and Cambridge-built after all.
Electrochromic roof is a cool trick, but give me a damn opening pano roof anytime. The trend of glass roofs that don't open needs to die. Kinda synonymous to being stuck in a prison where you can only look out but not feel the fresh air.
Drive itself is really great. Silky smooth of course - feels like an amped up EV-only drive mode in my RX. No drama in the acceleration. Steering paddles that toggle the regen modes should be standard in every EV. Heavy regen/One-pedal mode (or near OPD in Lexus's case) is great for certain drives; but being able to coast at the flick of the paddle makes a lot of sense for when the driving conditions warrant it. Choice is a good thing.
Moving back to my RX (hybrid), I'm reminded that as great as the RZ is, it still has roots in the smaller NX-sized platform. The RX feels more serene, except for when the ICE kicks in of course. Definite more sound deadening in the RX; the RZ, while quiet, does have a bit more road noise, which I believe can be partly attributed to those OEM tires. Driving dynamics is not even close. The RZ cuts through the sweeping corners with no drama, kind of reminding me of my old E90; while my RX would feel like wallowing if I push the throttle too much. The low CoG of the batteries are awesome.
Infotainment itself is typical recent-Lexus vintage. Responsive enough; and the new 360 cameras are several steps above my 5-yr old 360 setup. Too many naggy bings and bongs though. Front cross-traffic awareness feature can be useful, but it bongs way too much turning into a normal intersection. Unless it just didn't like the way I drive. Heh. The Mark Levinson sound in the demo car is great, but I think the one in my RX is slightly clearer. Could need to break in the new speakers. Could only compare with a flac over bluetooth since my USB key is USB-A and I could only find USB-C ports in the demo car.
A few potential dealbreakers. The visibility out the tiny rear window is absolutely atrocious. Might be why they didn't bother with a rear wiper as you can barely see out either way. Storage is, uh.. what storage? Little missus pretty much wrote off trading the RX for the RZ right there. No glovebox. Tiny door pockets that don't expand like the RX. Missing the nice little coin holder on the side of the steering. Central console storage, which is basically the only covered storage in the entire cabin, feels like it's half the size of my RX. Edit: also missing, the expandable cup holders that are a staple of the other Lexus's. My tall water bottle I always keep with me will not stay in this one...
Didn't get to really test out the efficiency of the EV drivetrain. Car had lifetime average of 27.4 kWh/100km on the display, but being a demo car, who knows how it had been driven beforehand. Driving with the trip info on the display, it was bouncing between 10-15 kWh/100km average for me but that's mainly city driving with some hills thrown in.
In the end, would I get the car? Still unsure. If the Executive trim was at least 10k cheaper, I would be thinking a lot longer and harder about picking it up as a second/daily driver. I have a feeling the upcoming RX PHEV would suit my needs better. None of the current BEVs available here interest me enough to trade my RX in for; and the only ones I would like as a second car are a bit out of budget. Sigh.
First impressions are that it looks better in the flesh compared to pictures. Not a fan of the palomino ultrasuede colour, but they do feel nice and the seats are very comfy and supportive. Nice balance between the flatter semi-aniline leathers in my RX and the snug F-Sport seats of similar vintage. Rest of the interior feels very similar to the loaner NX I had recently, with slightly nicer feeling switchgear in the controls. Maybe there is a difference between Japan-built and Cambridge-built after all.
Electrochromic roof is a cool trick, but give me a damn opening pano roof anytime. The trend of glass roofs that don't open needs to die. Kinda synonymous to being stuck in a prison where you can only look out but not feel the fresh air.
Drive itself is really great. Silky smooth of course - feels like an amped up EV-only drive mode in my RX. No drama in the acceleration. Steering paddles that toggle the regen modes should be standard in every EV. Heavy regen/One-pedal mode (or near OPD in Lexus's case) is great for certain drives; but being able to coast at the flick of the paddle makes a lot of sense for when the driving conditions warrant it. Choice is a good thing.
Moving back to my RX (hybrid), I'm reminded that as great as the RZ is, it still has roots in the smaller NX-sized platform. The RX feels more serene, except for when the ICE kicks in of course. Definite more sound deadening in the RX; the RZ, while quiet, does have a bit more road noise, which I believe can be partly attributed to those OEM tires. Driving dynamics is not even close. The RZ cuts through the sweeping corners with no drama, kind of reminding me of my old E90; while my RX would feel like wallowing if I push the throttle too much. The low CoG of the batteries are awesome.
Infotainment itself is typical recent-Lexus vintage. Responsive enough; and the new 360 cameras are several steps above my 5-yr old 360 setup. Too many naggy bings and bongs though. Front cross-traffic awareness feature can be useful, but it bongs way too much turning into a normal intersection. Unless it just didn't like the way I drive. Heh. The Mark Levinson sound in the demo car is great, but I think the one in my RX is slightly clearer. Could need to break in the new speakers. Could only compare with a flac over bluetooth since my USB key is USB-A and I could only find USB-C ports in the demo car.
A few potential dealbreakers. The visibility out the tiny rear window is absolutely atrocious. Might be why they didn't bother with a rear wiper as you can barely see out either way. Storage is, uh.. what storage? Little missus pretty much wrote off trading the RX for the RZ right there. No glovebox. Tiny door pockets that don't expand like the RX. Missing the nice little coin holder on the side of the steering. Central console storage, which is basically the only covered storage in the entire cabin, feels like it's half the size of my RX. Edit: also missing, the expandable cup holders that are a staple of the other Lexus's. My tall water bottle I always keep with me will not stay in this one...
Didn't get to really test out the efficiency of the EV drivetrain. Car had lifetime average of 27.4 kWh/100km on the display, but being a demo car, who knows how it had been driven beforehand. Driving with the trip info on the display, it was bouncing between 10-15 kWh/100km average for me but that's mainly city driving with some hills thrown in.
In the end, would I get the car? Still unsure. If the Executive trim was at least 10k cheaper, I would be thinking a lot longer and harder about picking it up as a second/daily driver. I have a feeling the upcoming RX PHEV would suit my needs better. None of the current BEVs available here interest me enough to trade my RX in for; and the only ones I would like as a second car are a bit out of budget. Sigh.
Last edited by kolokmee; 04-06-23 at 05:44 PM.
04-06-23, 05:53 PM
#30
NX is built in both Canada and Japan so that by itself doesn’t affect quality of switchgear.
Totally agree that moonroof should open (at least tilt) if it’s there so it can be opened to let out heat, offgassing.
Totally agree that moonroof should open (at least tilt) if it’s there so it can be opened to let out heat, offgassing.
Last edited by anoop; 04-06-23 at 09:14 PM.