The Lexus RZ 450e, which will hit our roads in March/April 2023, is the Japanese manufacturer’s first all-electric model developed from the ground up. And Lexus wouldn’t be Lexus if it didn’t go its own special way – in more ways than one. There was a first seat fitting on Wednesday at the Mitterbauer car dealership in Pasching.
The drive: There is a compact component on each of the front and rear axles, which consists of an electric motor (150 kW at the front, 80 kW at the rear), transmission and control unit. In the Lexus RZ 450e, both axles work together – and thus the luxurious Japanese always has all-wheel drive on board. The following applies: The drive power is automatically and seamlessly distributed between the front and rear within fractions of a second – from 0:100 to 100:0.
Battery/Range: Lexus doesn’t go for maximum battery size with this premium SUV. Instead, you try to find the optimal balance between weight, battery size and range. The result is a battery pack with a net capacity of 71.4 kilowatt hours (kWh). This puts you behind the direct competition (Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace etc.), but the Lexus RZ 450e is also the lightest representative in the comparison. In combination with other optimizations, this leads to low consumption. Lexus speaks of 18.1 kWh per 100 kilometers (WLTP standard).
One of these optimizations concerns the heating: The radiant heaters are located at knee height in front of the driver/passenger. Since there is no glove compartment, the heat in the interior spreads faster – it wraps itself, as Lexus puts it, “like a blanket around your legs”. The manufacturer promises that this system will save eight percent of energy.
The steering wheel: The so-called “Yoke” steering wheel is available for an extra charge (see picture on the left). It requires less steering effort – only a 150-degree turn is required from center to full left or right; overlapping is not necessary.
Long-lasting battery: Lexus guarantees that the battery pack will still have more than 90 percent of its capacity after ten years.
Panorama roof: The glass roof has a special coating. It reduces heat radiation in summer and keeps the heat in the vehicle in winter.
Source: Nachrichten
