2024 Lexus RZ 450e luxury: Taking range anxiety to the next level

2024 Genesis Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige vs. 2024 Lexus RZ 450e Luxury EV: So luxurious they’re everything you want in an SUV?

This week: Lexus RZ 450e

Price: Starts at $59,560. The Luxury model tested starts at $65,150.

Conventional wisdom: Motor Trend likes the “stylish cabin, fancy, modern screen, swoopy exterior design,” but not the “extremely limited range, slow charging figures, loud beeps.”

Reality: If you thought last week’s Genesis was short range, check this out.

What’s new: The whole thing, for 2023. The RZ is Lexus’ first fully electric vehicle.

Range and charging: If the Genesis Electrified GV70′s range made you anxious, Lexus just responded with, “Hold my small-batch craft IPA.”

The company advertises 196 or 220 miles, depending on the tires purchased. (Bigger tire = shorter range.)

Mr. Driver’s Seat’s charging woes started immediately upon arrival, as the fleet driver apologized for his late arrival, complaining about the slow charge-up in the RZ. I rolled my eyes, plugged it in to add the last few miles and looked less-than-forward to my RZ 450e journey.

The next day I would take a trip to my area of origin, Schuylkill County, where only level 2 chargers are available (and even those are few and far between).

That morning at T-minus 0 seconds, the RZ 450e noted a range of just 190 miles on the dashboard.

On the bright side, the computer seemed generous as the miles wore on; I found it ticking range away more slowly than the miles, but I opted to Routes 100 and 309 rather than the Northeast Extension, keeping speeds low and batteries charged.

And slow charging didn’t seem to be a big problem. A three-hour level 2 charger session got me about 60 miles, which is fairly standard.

Further, Lexus says the RZ can add 80% of a full charge in half an hour at DC fast chargers, which is pretty quick. But then, 80% is 160 miles in the RZ versus 200 to 240 miles in most of the other EV SUVs that I’ve complained lacked range.

But I’ve since learned that chargers are available for 50-amp RV plugs, which could probably solve a lot of issues for a couple hundred dollars. Someone nearby is likely to have an RV outlet out in the country. In the long run, I see a Turoesque or Airbnb-y app hooking EV owners up with chargers while traveling.

Competition: Besides the Electrified GV70, there’s the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX, the Rivian R1S, the Audi e-Tron, among others in the luxury EV SUV category.

Up to speed: Just like other EVs, the RZ has plenty of pep for getting started. The dual motors — 150 kw in the front and 80 in the rear — create 308 horsepower, and the vehicle gets to 60 in 4.7 seconds, according to Motor Trend.

I confess, as range-anxious as I was, I didn’t test the performance too much. But a few passing tests and some hurrying after a wrong turn close to home made me note the performance is everything one would hope for.

Shiftless: Here’s another new gear selector to master. It’s a dial, and you have to push down the outer ring and twist, counterclockwise for Reverse, clockwise for Drive, with a separate button for Park.

On the road: The RZ handles nicely. It’s competent and easy to manage, with a hint of fun.

Driver’s Seat: A 250-mile round trip should have exposed any defects in the seating, a problem Lexus almost never has. They brought their A game to the RZ as well.

Lexus tends to create some maddening controls now and again, and they’re back at it in the RZ. The steering wheel buttons have no markings on them, and the identifiers only pop up on the head-up display when you touch them. In fact, the buttons don’t work unless you first allow the display to pop up. Inconvenient.

Keeping warm and cool: Dials control the temperature, a couple buttons on the touchpad controls some functions, and then the screen handles the rest. The fan speed control in the touchscreen needs lots of the driver’s focus and should be rethought.

Friends and stuff: Rear-seat passengers will enjoy plenty of room. The middle seat is not bad, with a low hump and a fairly unobtrusive console.

The rear seats are really nice, and the interior is spiffy, but getting out requires some re-education. The exit handles are buttons in the door handles, although they can also be pulled.

Cargo space is 34.9 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 55.6 with the seat folded.

Play some tunes: The touchscreen is delightful and, at 14 inches, huge, and it includes the HVAC controls along the bottom.

There’s a volume knob but everything else in the touchscreen. My notes don’t indicate the sound quality from the Mark Levinson system; I think I was too anxious to listen to music.

Where it’s built: Motomachi, Japan.

How it’s built: It’s still in Consumer Reports testing, but Lexus models have been at or near the top of the reliability heap forever. Factorymate GS rates a 5 out of 5.

In the end: I imagine I should reward Lexus for conservative range estimates, contrary to the X brand of automaker and allegations of wildly overstated figures.

But that’s a big gamble. Besides, the Genesis GV70 is such a pleasant companion that I’d probably look there first.