Why we ran it: To see if Lexus’s famed attention to detail made up for the modest range
Month 6 - Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Specs
Life with a Lexus RZ: Month 6
It raised many questions when it arrived. Now that it’s leaving, we have the answers - 17 January 2024
In a world where lightness and aerodynamically sleek designs are the key to hitting those all-important range targets, the battle with consumer demand for big, raised, family transporters is an ongoing one.
None shows the difficulties of this more than the Lexus RZ, a heavy, bulky thing that goes against everything the new wave of electric car creators stand for. But in typical Lexus fashion, it doesn't seem to care and has put luxuries ahead of marginal weight savings - and range.
When the Toyota bZAX-derived RZ, in £73,945 Takumitrim, came to me just over six months ago, with fewer than a thousand miles on the clock, it was an interesting proposition to say the least: an electric car that really didn't scream EV, fighting in a niche segment dominated by an SUV in the BMW iX that just did everything so well, albeit for a loftier price.
So I wrote a list of questions I wanted to answer when it was time to return the keys and now, more than 7000 miles later, we are here to do just that.
Some were straightforward enough: would the chunky RZ be easy to live with? Surprisingly, for an inner-city dweller like me, it wasn't too bad. Sitting just within the footprint of the 5.1m-long, 2.0m-tall Land Rover Defender 130 behemoth, the Lexus is no minnow, and so trade-offs had to be made.
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