The Lexus RZ receives upgrades early in its generational time, making it sportier and more fun. Could this new Lexus electric SUV be the right EV for you?
Lexus spices up its lone EV with the debut of the RZ550e F Sport, boasting 402 horsepower, faux manual shifting, and the long-awaited steer-by-wire system. The European update also brings improved battery range and faster charging, though U.S. availability remains unconfirmed.
We’ll have to review the European version for now, at least until we learn whether the upgraded Lexus RZ550e Sport will arrive in America.
Did you know about the RZ?
For the most part, the RZ is a rather unremarkable choice among electric SUVs. It seems like this EV isn’t talked about much and doesn’t seem to be a foundational model for the Lexus brand, but that’s about to change. The RZ has been on the market since 2023, but it’s flown under the radar as a vehicle that does little more than check a box or two for the brand. This new model, debuting in 2025, has more power and a few upgraded features to make it more interesting.
What makes the new RZ special?
The latest addition to the Lexus RZ lineup is a new RZ550e model that receives F Sport badging to make it sportier and more fun. This new model rides on a dual-motor AWD platform that is good for 402 horsepower, which is a significant power increase over the current RZ450e, which only makes 308 horsepower. If you choose the RZ550e without the F Sport designation, you’ll have 376 horsepower to send this SUV down the road in a hurry. There’s a single motor version of this new trim, which generates 221 horsepower compared to the 201-horsepower RZ300e.
A Steer-By-Wire system
Lexus has toyed around with a steer-by-wire system in the past, but the system was extremely overly responsive, which made it hard to control the nuances of turning on city streets. The feature wasn’t offered for previous models, but its pat of the new RZ lineup, but Lexus engineers have refined it to increase the range of motion to reflect a more natural feeling during driving.
A manual electric SUV?
Most electric vehicles have single-speed transmissions, which might feel a little strange to some drivers. The new RZ lineup has a new feature called “Interactive Manual Drive.” This feature mimics an eight-speed manual transmission, which might be a little bit of overkill. This means you can use paddle shifters to change gears and enjoy the feeling of driving a manual vehicle. Despite the computer-based shifting system, the RZ doesn’t actually have a manual transmission. This electric SUV doesn’t sound like a gas engine when being shifted but amplifies the natural sounds of an EV.
Increased driving range
The new Lexus RZ lineup has a larger battery pack than before. This new battery is 69.3-kWh compared to the 64.3-kWh of the previous battery pack. This new setup adds 100 km of range on the WLTP cycle, which means it should have 53 additional miles of range on the EPA cycle. The RZ needs more range, considering the current models can only drive between 196 and 266 miles on a full charge. This new battery setup should also charge faster, thanks to the new 22-kW onboard charger that has replaced the 6.6-kW unit.
To aid this electric SUV with increased efficiency, Lexus added an e-axle setup and water cooling for the battery and motor temperature management. This should improve the battery performance and allow the RZ550e to deliver improved driving range consistently.
Lightweight wheels
The new RZ550e F Sport has a new set of lightweight 20-inch wheels and a two-tone paint job that uses black as one of the colors. The wheels help reduce the weight somewhat, and the paint looks great, especially when you get one of your favorite colors to go with the black.
In addition to the changes that make this new Lexus electric SUV fun and active, it can tow more than the old model. The tow rating is now more than 3,300 pounds, which makes this new Lexus EV a little more useful than the previous version.
When should the RZ550e arrived in America?
There isn’t any official word yet, but you should expect the new Lexus RZ to be offered in the United States for the 2026 model year. First, it’s being launched in Europe and will likely come to America later. For now, the RZ is assembled in Japan but will need to be assembled in America for Lexus customers to benefit the most.
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