The Lexus RZ450e EV could teach Toyota and Subaru a lesson in style
A new fully electric vehicle called the RZ450e EV was just revealed by Lexus with nothing but a handful of images and no specific hardware details whatsoever. Despite the lack of details given by the company, we can glean some information from this first batch of photos. The RZ450e EV is clearly based on its siblings from Subaru and Toyota, the 2023 Subaru Solterra, and the 2023 Toyota bZ4X. That means even though Lexus offered no detail at all on its version of the fully electric crossover, we still have a very good idea of what lies under the skin.
Styling
One glance at the trio of vehicles, and it's clear that Lexus put its styling department to work, setting its version of the EV apart from the other two. While the Subaru and Toyota differ slightly in their front-end styling, the entirety of the RZ450e EV looks much more rounded and smooth than its siblings. We particularly like that Lexus didn't maintain the blocky black front fender and chunky over fenders seen on both the Toyota and Subaru.
The RZ450e EV isn't completely one color, but we significantly prefer its smaller black over-fenders that are more rounded than its siblings. In addition, the black lower body cladding on the sides of the Lexus offering are significantly thinner and more elegant looking than the lower body cladding used on the Subaru and Toyota.
The Lexus has headlights that maintain the familial styling, and we particularly like the large vents in the front fenders that almost look as if they might be functional to channel air to the brakes or coolers for the electrical system, but we can't be sure of that. The rear of the RZ450e EV has attractive styling with an integrated spoiler on the deck lid trailing edge and a sort of spoiler across the edge at the top of the hatch glass.
We say a sort of spoiler because there appears to be nothing in the center, but each of the trailing edges of the roof lines appeared to have small winglets. The rear bumper again has highly sculpted vents that could be functional. They do appear in some images to be open. While Toyota and Subaru utilized attractive wheels, they are much more sporty in appearance than luxurious. The Lexus appears to use wheels that could be a little larger in diameter and have a more luxurious style.
The front end of the bZ4X reminds a little of the snout of a turtle, and it's got the harsh planes and angles and somewhat quirky styling that Toyota distinctly favors for most of its electrified vehicles. Many fans of electrification have wondered why Toyota tries to design electric vehicles and hybrids with such quirky styling rather than taking a page from Tesla's book and making its electrified vehicles look more like traditional cars.
Subaru's Solterra does have different front-end style than Toyota utilizes, but it's got the same blocky black over fenders. Many will find the Subaru version of the EV more attractive than Toyota's offering. It certainly has a more attractive front-end style to our eyes.
Interior
Lexus offered no images of the interior of the RZ450e EV, but the brand is known for luxurious leather with quilting on some models and real aluminum or wood trim inside. Toyota and Subaru, by comparison, are known for less luxurious interiors, with Subaru particularly focusing on utility. From Toyota's interior images, we know that the vehicle uses a large central touchscreen and a very clean and minimalist design.
It's certainly possible that Lexus will use larger touchscreens and a fully digital instrument cluster. The vehicle will support OTA software updates just as the Toyota and Subaru do. We would expect Lexus to offer the panoramic roof option Toyota showed off in some of its images as well. One of the more interesting bits about the interior Toyota talked up was that while it plans to use the expected seat and steering wheel heaters, it will integrate radiant foot and leg heaters. We would expect Lexus to use the same type of system.
Drivetrain
One thing Lexus offered no details about at all was the drivetrain used in the RZ450e EV. However, we can assume it will be identical to the Toyota and Subaru offerings. The entry-level version is front-wheel drive on the Toyota side of things and utilizes a 150 kW electric motor with a 71.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. While EPA estimates are pending, Toyota figures it's easy will go 250 miles per charge. In addition, Toyota has said it expects the vehicle can charge to 80 percent capacity in about an hour using DC fast charging.
While Subaru will only offer all-wheel drive, Toyota buyers have that option. Those who choose all-wheel-drive will get to electric motors producing 80 kW each for 160 kW of total power. All-wheel-drive versions get a slightly larger battery pack with 72.8 kWh of capacity. Unfortunately, there's no indication of the driving range for that model. The range would presumably be quite similar to the front-wheel-drive version considering the slightly larger battery pack and that it only has slightly more power.
One detail of the RZ450e EV we're unsure of is if it will be front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. It's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that Lexus will offer both drive options. It offers all-wheel drive as an option on many of its vehicles.
While some electric vehicles are exceedingly fast and offer high performance, we don't expect that from this trio of electric vehicles. The all-wheel-drive version with 160 kW is only 215 horsepower. How much torque is produced is a mystery, but the vehicles will certainly have more acceleration than comparably powerful combustion engine vehicles, thanks to having all of the torque on tap as soon as you step on the pedal.
Pricing & Availability
Toyota and Subaru expect to have their versions of the EV at dealerships by the middle of 2022, with pricing announced closer to launch. We would expect Lexus to have its version of the EV available to purchase around the same time, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive than the Toyota or Subaru versions. However, Lexus has offered no information on when the RZ450e will come to market.