After Toyota presented the bZ4X, it was only a matter of time before we saw Lexus’ version of the EV, and now we finally have it. Called RZ 450e, the first dedicated battery-electric vehicle from Toyota’s luxury division (remember the UX 300e?) has something that will set the alarm at Nissan’s headquarters: the Direct4 AWD system.
The way Lexus described it, it seems very similar to what Nissan intends to offer with the e-4ORCE solution it has developed for the Ariya. Lexus did not show a motorized server tray with Direct4 serving noodles without spilling sauce. However, the company said it can control its “front-to-rear drive force ratio distribution between 100:0 and 0:100.” That means that it can keep the body steady while gaining speed, which should enhance the feeling of direct acceleration.
When the RZ 450e turns, Lexus puts more emphasis on the front wheels (from 50:50 to 75:25) to improve handling. When it exits a corner, that relation is inverted, and the rear wheels get more power (from 50:50 to 20:80) to give it a more dynamic behavior while still monitoring vehicle pitch.
While the bZ4X is 4.69 meters (184.7 inches) long, 1.86 m (73.2 in) wide, 1.65 m (65 in) tall (counting its antenna), and has a wheelbase of 2.86 m (112.6 in), the Lexus RZ 450e is a longer vehicle.
The electric Lexus SUV is 4.81 m (189 in) long. Do not let that fool you into thinking it is a different EV: that’s all related to front and rear overhangs. The wheelbase on the RZ 450e is even slightly shorter: 2.85 m (112.2 in), while the height (1.64 m, or 64.4 in) and the width (1.90 m, or 74.6 in) are pretty close to those presented by the bZ4X. Credit those differences to the flexibility the e-TNGA offers.
Both EVs have the same battery pack, with 71.4 kWh of capacity. Lexus did not disclose the warranty for this component, but there is no reason for it to be inferior to what Toyota offers for the bZ4X: 90% of its capacity after ten years or 240,000 km (150,000 mi). If the battery pack falls below that limit, the car owner gets a new one without hassle.
Curiously, the RZ 450e has a much lower estimated range: 225 miles (362 km), while Toyota said the bZ4X would achieve 311 mi (500 km) of range when it was first presented. Later, the Japanese carmaker revised this number and said the FWD bZ4X would achieve an EPA range of 252 mi (406 km).
Considering the RZ 450e will come with Direct4 as standard, there we have an explanation for the relatively low range. The front motor offers 150 kW (201 hp), and the rear motor presents 80 kW (107 hp).
Just like Toyota with the bZ4X, Lexus will give the RZ 450e a steering yoke. However, that will only happen with the units equipped with the steer-by-wire system it plans to offer “at a future date” in the U.S. Unlike the Tesla Model S Plaid, it will only turn 150 degrees, which will prevent “hand-over-hand operation.” Lexus says it will significantly reduce the driver’s workload, which is coherent with its high-end proposition.
The RZ 450e makes more sense for Lexus than the bZ4X makes for Toyota. The luxury division has the target of becoming an electric-only brand until 2035. The sooner it starts, the better, which will be the end of 2022, when it will begin delivering the first units of its electric SUV.
Google News