Forward, March - 2023 LEXUS RZ450e PREMIUM

Highs: Plush ride, hushed cruising, cushy accommodations. Lows: Severely limited range, subscription-based features, silly yoke steering.

- JOE LORIO P

Lexus has long been a leader in hybrid powertrains. But its first U.S. EV, the RZ450e, suggests it's an unenthusiastic conscript in the march to full battery propulsion.

Borrowing the e-TNGA architecture of the Toyota bZ4X, the RZ has the same wheelbase but is about five inches longer. Two motors, one on each axle, drive all four wheels (a single-motor version may join later). A more muscular front motor than the Toyota's pushes total output to 308 horsepower and 320 pound-feet.

The RZ lifts its modest 63.4-kWh battery from the single-motor bZ4X, and EPA range is just 196 miles with 20-inch wheels and 220 miles on 18s. That's in Normal drive mode; Eco and Range modes (the latter disables the HVAC system) can wring out a few more miles. Our 75-mph highway range test yielded a particularly short result: just 120 miles. Owners who need more, such as for a road trip, get 30 days of free Lexus rental cars over three years.