The Electric RX Isn't Quite The EV Of Your Dreams | 2023 Lexus RZ 450e First Drive Review 

Brian went from Alex's protégé to his doppelgänger.

That gauge cluster is comically small and terrible. Classic Toyota.

As someone who owns an RX450h and a Tesla Model Y, there is no way I'd get the RZ. Much rather have my Model Y!

not bad for toyotas first EV but competition like tesla, hyundai, etc have mastered EV.

This is one fine Lexus. What it could use is an extended wheelbase version with 3 rows and a longer battery.

The big news about this car is the drive by wire implementation and just how well Lexus did it. This is the one I want to see you drive. The other news is the radiant heating. I don't geek out over range. I still want to know the primary way the car acts and I think this is the best Lexus SUV on the market in terms of how it drives and feel. Or at least it sounds that way after a bunch of driving impressions I've watched. I'd avoid the 20 inch tires. Too big and take away range while the 18s have more ride comfort. Otherwise, it's a nice car. If you need range, then this isn't your car. But if you don't, then this should be driven and I think some are too hung up on numbers. Cars are way more than their numbers.

4:35 the spec insert says 7kW AC Charger and say 6.6kWh Charger down below the DC. Is there any Wh limit on charger??

need a charging and range test based on what we've seen with the bZ4x

I use one pedal drive in my Mustang Mach E and I love it!! Not offering it is a deal breaker for me. I also turn off all fake noises

I would love in a future show or podcast to have a chart that shows the value of the kw to $$ for each vehicle and which ones are the best buy. Even though a brand slaps it's name on it is it really better than another that has the same kw capacity? We used to pay for the quality of the engine, now that there no engine.....what are we really paying for? Would make an interesting discussion.

Hello Alex. In Norway we have got a upgraded models both for bz4x and rz450e now in 2024. In Norway you can have 11 Kw if you want for both bz4x and RZ, but in the new way of pricing electricity in Norway it's more costly to use an 11 Kw charger instead of 6 Kw. But I don't understand why someone would like other than 18" wheels with all the advantages 18"give you. In Norway the the price difference from the cheapest RZ Comfort to the Executive model is quite small, and there you will have all the equipment needed includet laminated glass around and extra insulation in the doors, sides and the floor. And it's a quite silent car. The wltp range of 440 km is enough for much people, and like the battery industry are until we will have solid state it's more invironmently friendly not to use too big batteries. And most people are buying Lexus because of the service level, the warranty at 10 years /200.000 km both for Toyota and Lexus. We have never needed others than normal service and maintanence. Together with good second hand prices, relatively good riding comfort, safety and high service level, the reliability is the main reasen for us buying these brands. In a car with right safety level for my family I would rather have yesterday's screens that not vather me, than a lot of electronics making fuss and steeling my time and money. Everything with these brands that we need have showed that it's proven.

What a dang shame they don't do a long range version.

I love true one pedal driving, but I always turn it off in my Polestar 2 for the highway portion of my commute. It's far more efficient. I just wish it had paddles for regen control. Going into the menus in the main screen four times every day isn't ideal.

Why add a second person on your channel? Didn’t think you needed one tbh. Find it a little unorganized, sometimes it seemed like you cut each other out. Not sure I like the new setup.

This car is more luxurious than many of the other ev in considering. I think it's enough range for me as I have access to chargers. Golf bags, and roller bags... all the stuff I care about.

Looks like the only thing Lexus keeps working on and making it pointier and a lot more over hang. Mainly NOSE some back end....idk not for me for sure... Overall great job Alex, as always!

Looks all around are pleasing to me. Interior is perfectly fine. It’ the lackluster range and charging that spoils this as a viable solution. There are so many other cars, EVs included, that have done it better. I just can’t see why anyone would choose this car, the BZ, nor the solterra.

Alex, I don't get your continued comments about the "crash structure" being the reason that these manufacturers not offering a frunk. Porsche, Audi (R8), Lamborghini, Ferrari, Acura (NSX) and other mid-engined cars all offer a full frunk as they are mid- or rear-engined. Yes those are sports cars and unlikely to be hauling retaining wall blocks, but they still face the same exact issue (trunk with unknown contents in the crash zone). Do they just reinforce the area more? Or simply say "screw it, it passed the test when empty"?

A little over 300hp is enough as reviews have shown that the high-spec GV60 doesn't really put down all that power too well. No problem with the lack of a frunk, as well, but the absence of a glovebox is just ridiculous. The dismal range and charging speeds hurts a lot too. And what's the logic behind the digital driver's display that seems to have been lifted straight from a Corolla when the RAV4 and Highlander could be had with something more appropriate for a luxury brand?

Why does the thumbnail show a yoke steering wheel, but in the review there is a traditional steering wheel?

I'll take a Genesis GV60 please.

Underwhelming... Also, does Toyota employ any designers or stylists?

Alex and Brian, Would it be fair to say this RZ does not quite offer everything, everywhere all at once? 😉

Good point on home charging. A NEMA 14-30 provides all I need and just need to charge twice a week. I also have a NEMA 14-50 but never really need 40A charging.

I will definitely be utilizing higher AC L2 charging speeds at my house- but that is because of the situation in which I live. No garage, and a high theft area. I have installed cameras because my fear is that someone will run up and just steal the J1772 cord in order to scrap the wire, and get a carton of cigarettes or a case of cheap beer. Now for some real information that might help someone else in the same situation. My situation will be utilizing a temporary plug-in. This increases the electrical installation cost. I have been an electrician for 30 years, so here goes what I think and what the code says. NEC states that all outside receptacles, including garages, must be GFCI protected. AC L2 EV chargers max out at 40a or 9.6 kwh in this configuration. This is because of the 50 amp rating for the receptacle. NEC says that any load which is operated for more than 3 hours is considered a continuous load. Continuous loads must have the whole circuit ampacity increased by 125%. Therefore a 50 amp receptacle is only good for 40 amps continuous. The same goes with wire- but I would suggest that very few electricians are going to advise larger than #6 wiring. In hotter climates, I would advise #4, or reducing the charge rate one step during hot weather. Electrical current, amps, produces heat, and ambient temperature affects any exposed circuit. The result is not always a breaker that trips over time, but degradation of the wiring insulation leading to a big fail eventually. The receptacles used are not designed to be plugged and unplugged regularly. I will have to do that. If you need to for your application, then definitely know your own equipment- and replace those receptacles with a Bryant or Hubbel brand yearly. To be sure the terminals on the receptacle are tight- use a flat head screwdriver that fits as securely as possible in the slot, and instead of holding that screwdriver in your fist, shaft pointing up like a thumb, center the shaft between your middle fingers. If the screwdriver slips while you are tightening, this will keep you from poking your eye out. Also, 50 amp GFCI breakers are expensive, Siemens just doubled their pricing to $250. Best wishes everyone!! EV’s for LIFE!!!

Utterly uninspiring vehicle. I own a Lexus and won’t be buying another. Why would you spend additional money when the non luxury car market has all the amenities a reasonable person would need?

How about comparing it to the German cars like eqb's and etrons?

The EQS SUV has great offroading ability.

Alex and brian: don't speak to me or my son ever again

Front kinda reminds me of those old Studebakers

So Toyota-Lexus kinda say that Tesla and/or many other BEV's with good frunk are less safe? Is that a good reason or just a bad excuse?

We currently have an 2022 Lexus RX 350 and an 2022 Audi Etron. Love the convenience of an electric car for local driving. My wife wants to get an electric Lexus next, but with this poor range (with the 20” wheels) and low HP, we’re second guessing this. I really hope they improve this car or at least bring back the RX V6 Hybrid.

I much prefer lift-off regen with a large coast segment of the pedal. The BMW i3 has a nice coast segment with lift-off regen and blended braking. The regen ramps up with the friction brakes and applies more regen than the max lift-off regen.

Is it just me or are Alex and Brian becoming the same person? I legit thought it was a gag for a moment when Brian first walked in the frame.

The piano black as the replacement for the grill does not match the black hood. I like the headlight fender being something different. Overall, it appears as a car that Lexus had to come out with and not well thought out. 200 mile range, no thanks. I'll wait for the next battery, sulfur-aluminum for example.

The range works for me and the smaller battery will be less cost to charge on the go. Lexus offering the loaner plan too to avoid adding miles to the RZ is nice as well but I'm not sold on the cost. If it had been $55K out the door...Lexus should offer a single motor variant at a lower cost.

In the market for a new car and decided to go with an EV this time. Have a Lyriq preordered since May 2022 and depending on how much more it's delayed (hearing Q4 2023 or early 2025 delivery now), might just go with the RZ instead...assuming it isn't similarly delayed. The range and lack of EV tax credit qualification hurts and definitely brings it to a trailing 2nd place compared to the Lyriq, but overall do dig basically everything else of the vehicle.

An addition I would like to see when talking about Level 1 and 2 charging is to state the amp draw. I think many people are familiar with the capacity of their home circuits in amps (from the labels on the breakers in their panels) not kilowatts, so why not say 15 amp (120V - 1.4kW), 20 amp (240V - 3.3kW), 30 amp (240V - 6.6kW), or 50 amp (240V - 11kW)?

how much extra battery does the steer by wire take and will the steering work when you run out of power?

Sadly they still insist on putting the shifter on the center console. Making the not-so-tidy cockpit even more cluttered. No frunk, no glovebox, wow, that's extremely huge wight saving, it must be 10 tons at least, really out-of-this-world level of genius. Wow.

I would love a competitive Lexus EV - this is not it - disappointing

I'm sure plenty will bash the range but the 10-year long term design goal of the battery is literally what ties the whole equation together for BEV's. Charging, range, and range over the lifetime of the battery are the three hurdles that are the bare minimum for any ICE owner deciding to make the leap. Now if Lexus could do the same with a much larger battery, we'll finally be making some progress against Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian. I'd rather have the Lexus for the stealership/service experience compared to the Genesis. I'm not paying Telluride-level MSRP just to go to a Hyundai stealership. Now if Genesis were to finally jump to a direct-sales model, I would seriously consider the GV70 even if the look and shape is not my preference. Kia's EV9 and Hyundai's Ioniq 7 are definitely my preference (boxy beauties) are sorely needed too.

Ok, I know Lexus buyers that switch to Tesla, anyway, if the RZ 450e offered better range, I think Lexus would be shocked how well it could do, but with its range, can Lexus really justify its starting price and one wonders, how it would do with a lower starting price, overall, I would rank it, behind the Tesla Model Y (better EV in every way, note I said EV), next, the Cadillac Lyriq (one of Cads best model to date and feel worth its price), following the BMW iX (a problem, you have to look at it and dark colors look better) and next the Mercedes EQE SUV (I would wait for it), this may be a stretch, but I have the RZ 450e tied with the Audi e-tron (or upcoming 2024 Q8 e-tron, the name change), crazy but both of these EVs suffer the same problem, range, as for the Genesis GV60 (it's too small, enough said), I know Audi has the Q4 e-tron (it's fine, but wasn't a fan of the VW ID.4, so), I kind of always pull for Lexus or Cadillac vs the Germans, one would ask why didn't Lexus offer quicker charging and a larger battery pack, overall, it's what I expected from the first Lexus EV, given the fact Toyoyta's not a big EV fans

0:13 Busy Forks.

You can turn off the fake noise in the infotainment screen

So was it just a fancy Busy fork?

The reason I like Toyota and Lexus so much is because of how conservative they are. I think even though every other car manufacturer is rushing to get an ev out they should've waited until the technology was solid before making one. That's what separates them from the rest.

The range is a big downside to this Lexus offering. Wish Toyota/Lexus took EVs more seriously by now

3.5 mi/kWh is not bad.

Another lackluster, half attempt from Toyota for an EV.

That's not a spindle grill. It's a choo-choo, cow-catcher grill.

1 pedal driving for life Alex..lol

Why on earth would they put bigger tire on the less powerful axle ?!

" ... which is a lot easier to say than the Toyota busy fork [BZ4x]." :) Did Alex clone himself? I'm not a fan of Lexus design language, but I hope it sells well.

Range is a problem. Volvo EX looks the best for what I need. Don't need 3 rows, but have them in my Q7 but never used them.

Drove this yesterday. In a word….WOW! If you can manage the lower range, this is the best EV on the market. It has the best ride quality of ANY out there. And, of course, very quiet, Lexus quality.

The ridiculous "grill", whether filled in as it is here, or open as it is in the gasoline-fired version, looks awful. Would never buy a car that tries so hard to appear like something it is not.

226 miles of range? Pass. Completely unusable in winter climates after temperature-related range drop.

I like this better than the Toyota/Subaru versions, but it still feels like it’s already out of date and irrelevant. It’s also worth mentioning that the vehicle will _substantially_ de-rate DC charging speeds after a couple charging stops. This is a big deal for long road trips (more than about 400 miles, or trips over several days) given the poor range/efficiency of the vehicle. The choice to give it a front power bias is a really odd and, in my opinion, stupid choice. FWD only exists due to the limitation of ICE power plants. That limitation doesn’t exist in EVs. The larger motor should be in the back. This thing is going to have front wheel spin like all of Toyota’s AWD hybrids. Disagree with the insinuation that some who charges a Model Y or other EV to 80% means that they don’t need that extra 20%. A vehicle in this price range is not going to be strictly a commuter vehicle. It’s going to be a primary vehicle. 80% of a typical modern EV is going to be more than plenty for a daily commute, but if it’s you’re only vehicle, it’s going to get used for longer trips. Having that additional 20% of the battery would be really important. I’ll be curious to see Toyota’s next attempt. This one is a hard, hard pass.

The RZ has the exact same seat adjustments as my 2020 Camry XSE 😂. And you all think “Lexus is higher quality”😂 9:13

220 range but only charge to 80% so 176 miles. Cold weather penalty of 50% 88 miles lol. Hard pass

220 mile range - bummer

Why would anyone buy this over an EV6, Ioniq5, X40 Recharge, GV60, Mach-e or even a Tesla? A ridiculous offering on so many levels.

I'm a Toyota/Lexus fan, and this is just a nonstarter, given the range. Seems almost like a compliance vehicle.

Did I just hear "up to stuff"?

Imagine what Toyota will do when they get around to making a good EV. The question is whether or not they’ll be able to catch up to the competition. This is a nice luxury car and a mediocre EV. Range matters in part because you don’t get the predicted range especially when it matters like driving fast on the freeway. Add in cold and hills and you are not going too far. Then when you go to charge up again on the road you are only going to 80 %. I don’t imagine Toyota will make a lot of these, so they will sell to the select group that can afford a luxury car for driving around town.

$70k car has real world range, about 150-170 miles, what a shame, 50k tesla y, has 1.5 times better range , technology and price 😅

I want to like this vehicle so badly, the value just doesn’t seem to be there

Lexus all day everyday.

69° nice

the Toyota will henceforth be known as the BusyForks

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE ✌️ HAVE A GOOD ONE ..

What good is lexus at?

10% to 80% for a vehicle with 200 miles range, that means it'll take 1/2 hour in warm weather to charge just 140 miles. That's atrocious for such an expensive vehicle. Plus it has the archaic unwieldly CCS charger input...

Has some nice features. Of course, one needs to drive before making a decision to buy. It would be nice to offer a 240V cable for home charging. I’m not ready to venture into the EV world, however, good presentation/introduction video (as usual). Hopefully, there will be better batteries allowing faster charging while on long trips.

This far behind the market, $60k for 200 miles, no glovebox, poor storage/cargo space & terrible dashboard unfitting of a Lexus badge. 😔

Good second attempt. First one in the UX300e At least they're getting better. Battery capacity at 90% after 10 years should be backed by the warranty.

Abissmal 1st EV attempt, Lexus. Should’ve stuck with the LF-30. 😔

Overpriced, underdelivered. 2 tone paint job makes me want to 🤮

is Brian Alex's Nephew?

It's definitely not ev of your dreams, for this range and price.

Why would you name it 450 something if it has no engine displacement that matches...10 years too late Toyota..

Only 5,000 in the 2023 model year...... The same year Tesla will likely have the best selling model worldwide with the Model Y selling over 1,000,000 units this year 🤯🤯🤯 They are so .. far .. behind !!!

“isn’t quite the ev of your dreams”… who said it was supposed to be the ev of anyone’s dreams? and compared to what? not sure why people have a hard on for these lexus/ toyota evs… but i would take a japanese made ev over anything made in alabama

RZ feels like a poor new car choice, but it might turn out to be a decent used car if the price is right considering the conservative battery design.

I can't believe (I do) Toyota actually put this thing out there. It still seems like their engineers are living in a bubble. The specs are paltry and subpar. Compared to the model Y which is cheaper plus it qualifies for the EV tax credit, they will sell 100 per year at most. Toyota can't predict the battery longevity when they have not yet even been on the road for long. Poor Toyota.

I say Hell NO!!

A little torn about charging? 😂 This Lexus is a glorified grocery getter. Forget about trying to drive this from LA to SF or Vegas. Nightmare of a charging experience.

The front looks like a whale's mouth, not a fan... also prefer one-tone colour on cars.

Full vegan interior, LOL!🤦😂

Why spend a ton on EVs if Biden is just gonna play favorites with GM and Tesla?

Not really impressed with this car... The Nissan Ariya looks better inside and out (the Lexus has horns on the rear of the roof). The Ariya also has a heat pump standard in all models which is nice for states with colder climates.

RX450h is much better than this, I guess.