Know Before You Buy: 2023 Lexus RZ 450e Premium Review

You can think of the 2023 Lexus RZ 450e all-electric SUV as sort of a gold-plated version of the Toyota bZ4X. The two EVs are closely related, though they are NOT the same. This Lexus is better in numerous ways, though there's still a lot of room for improvement. When we reviewed the bZ4X last year, we found it to be a decent utility vehicle, though it's not a segment leader. Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and the Genesis GV60 are far better, as is the Ford Mustang Mach-E and probably even the Volkswagen ID.4. However, Lexus' first electric vehicle brings a lot more to the party, including style, technology, and luxury.

🔌 Check out our recommendations for the best home EV chargers:

0:00 Introduction
0:25 Revisiting the Toyota bZ4X
0:54 Exterior Walkaround
4:24 Interior Features
5:37 Driving Position
6:09 Infotainment
7:25 Unique Features
8:11 Specs
10:22 Driving Impressions
11:33 One-Pedal Driving
12:50 Pro-Con Summary
13:23 Pricing Breakdown
14:20 Conclusions

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[kevindaniels]

This is one of the best vehicles that Lexus has ever built. I have owned it for about 3 weeks now in luxury trim. Range is the downside for those of you who need this as your only vehicle .. I travel back and forth to work and so far just using a level 1 charger at home and work sometimes. I also use it on the weekends around town and have no real issues with it. When I compare it with the Tesla products its build quality is so much better.

[willnye]

I own one traded in my UX hybrid, definitely the only real downside is range and no sunroof which really bites. As for range, depending on your driving habits you either have to charge every night at home Level 1 or Level 2. My driving habits have led to 80% charge returning 150 miles which I make last about 3 days before charging up again, I usually plug-in at around 40 or 50% and have 80% charge in about 5 hours on Level 2 at home. Lexus also offers 30 complimentary days of using a courtesy vehicle so we don't have to use our EV at all. The point is not to get away from gas completely but moderation until the infrastructure is ready to go. It's a poor attempt but they dipped their toes, looking forward to seeing what they can do in the next 5 to 10 years after perfecting hybridization.

[Manihsi]

There’s No excuse for your phone to ever run out of juice.😂

[evanmoss]

thank you i tried to sit in one of theses at a car show and coulkdnt get in it and i want one of these

[arkrainflood]

what about the rz 300e that has 250 mile range ?

[noreverse]

Realistically how many times a year do most people go out of town ? Let for fun say you have a 100 mile commute. When you go home every night and park just plug it up. What's the fuss about

[jbmop]

The latest episode of Consumer Reports Talking Cars has a question near the end of the episode discussing upcoming EVs. Their conclusion was that it’s not a great time right now to buy an EV because companies are just establishing their production pipelines. What are your thoughts? Should people wait a year or two for superior choice?

[PassportBrosBusinessClass]

BZ4X, Solterra and this Lexus are too small for me.

Excited to take delivery on my Cadillac Lyriq AWD Sport 3 soon.

[eileen_a_b]

I just would hipe with a luxury brand and not cheap price, that they provide a decent amount of range.

[PassportBrosBusinessClass]

300 miles needs to be the minimal range. It’s enough to get me through an entire week’s commute.

Fortunately, people charging at home won’t care too much and eventually the Tesla charging network will open up to everyone!?!

[stephenwinter]

Greetings from southern Ontario Canada I really enjoyed the video but I have put down a deposit for the chevy blazer ev 1LT

[janhenriksson]

it's funny, all test of Lexus refers to Toyota, no tests of Audi and Porsche refer to Volkswagen.

[erikkison]

Biggest car selling company in the world and they can’t make a competitive ev model. Toyota never cared about ev market until recently.

[MigyFl]

For the price, I would get much better the Lyric.

[avdp]

Good car, good range considering the small battery pack, excellent warranty, an industry first and most comfortable choice in segment. Way better fit and finish than Tesla, way better service, resake value and warranty as well. Nothing wrong with this Lexus, stop bashing Toyota/Lexus.

[grandemage]

No frunk, which honestly if a manufacturer built the vehicle as an EV only platform is a waste of potential space, and no quick 300+ KW charging. Amazing how Toyota pioneered hybrid tech but is meh in the EV segment. Nice stylize and interior but so many creature comforts missing.

[ronkemperful]

My frustration with Toyota is that their whole EV line is riddled with compromises: 1) Inadequate range of perhaps 150 to 170 miles during the winter months.
2) a charging system that has a slow charge rate that ramps down to nearly zero when 80% charge is approached.
3) a substandard integration of the heat pump and battery thermal system resulting in excessive duplication of hoses, radiators and valves (one of the reasons for no frunk.)
4. An astronomically high price as when compared to the competition from BMW, Genesis and even Tesla. And because it’s from Japan, no tax credit adds a further insult.
To me, buying this Lexus would be like going to McDonalds and getting a cheeseburger wrapped up in a mink wrapper!

[kidvicious]

The actual range is 148 miles on a single charge. That's horrible

[antster]

Hopefully the wheels doesn't fall off

[PassportBrosBusinessClass]

No thanks.

Ironically, the bare Model Y is still superior to this functionally.

The Lexus just offers you more intuitive parts from a Lexus.