Cars

Lexus RZ, the test of the electric suv that is driven with a cloche and manual gearbox

The Japanese brand is relaunching the battery-powered suv-coupé, updating it in terms of technology and offering it no longer as a single-version but with a full range.

by Massimo Mambretti

22 July 2025

3' min read

Key points

Lexus RZ, what the three versions of the second series look like
Lexus RZ, the 550e F-Sport stands out outside and inside
Lexus RZ, the 550e changes the way you drive

3' min read

After three years, moreover spent in the twilight, Lexus' first electric native model gets a new lease of life. The RZ suv thus arrives at its second series under the effects of a very slight aesthetic update, but adopting new technologies and starting a family. In fact, from early next year it will no longer be offered in a single version but in three variants united by new technologies designed to optimise efficiency, dynamism and driveability, but also very different from each other.

Lexus RZ, what the three versions of the second series look like

The range of the new generation RZ consists of the front-wheel-drive 350e Executive single-engine version with 224 horsepower and a range of 570 kilometres, the twin-engine 500e Awd Luxury with 381 horsepower that can travel up to 500 kilometres before hooking up to the mains, and the all-wheel-drive 550e F-Sport twin-engine version with 408 horsepower that promises a range of up to 450 kilometres. The latter stands out both aesthetically and because as standard it offers a virtual manual gearbox with eight gears and steer-by-wire, i.e. a steering system with no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels to which it transmits commands via electrical signals and which puts a Formula 1-style steering wheel in front of the driver, which will also be available as an option for the intermediate version. In fact, the 550e is the RZ in which the greatest number of new features are concentrated, since those mentioned are added to those also present on the other two. In fact, it is also powered by a new 77 kWh battery, equipped with a 22 kW on-board charger and pre-conditioning, which using DC power up to 150 kW allows 10 to 80 per cent recovery in half an hour. In addition, more than its sister cars, it adopts a series of structural stiffeners, boasts a set-up calibrated specifically to reconcile comfort with determined behaviour, and makes use of ad hoc settings of both the electronics that manages dynamism and the all-wheel drive to homogenise cornering.

Lexus RZ, le foto della prova della 550e F-Sport
Photogallery4 foto

Lexus RZ, the 550e F-Sport stands out outside and inside

The top-of-the-range RZ can be recognised by its outfit with characterising stylistic features. In particular, the specially designed bumper shields with air intakes integrated into the front one, the deflectors that direct the flow of air to the sides, the spoiler under the rear window, the rear diffuser, the 20" rims and some special colour schemes. In the passenger compartment, the only exclusivity offered by the 550e F-Sport is the 'butterfly' steering wheel, since the update of this model has not changed the conventional style of the interior, limiting itself to introducing only new upholstery and unusual colour combinations that, together with the brightness brought by the new panoramic roof, which allows the level of dimming to be adjusted, make the environment more hospitable. Digitisation still rests on the small 7-inch cockpit, which the shape of the new 'steering wheel' makes visible at all times, on the 10-inch head-up display and the 14-inch infotainment screen, which now integrates a navigator with route planning both to optimise consumption and to locate charging points along the way. Rationally, scattered around the dashboard and centre console are many physical switches, including the one to engage the virtual gearbox, which is managed with the paddles that, thus, abandon the function of setting energy recovery levels when slowing down.

Lexus RZ, the 550e changes the way you drive

Capable of touching 180 km/h and 100 km/h in 4"4, from the driver's seat the F-Sport conveys its personality with the aeronautical-style cloche that replaces the steering wheel inspired by the fact that steering at any speed takes only a few degrees of rotation and the button on the centre console to engage the virtual gearbox. On the practical side, the steer-by-wire takes some getting used to in order to be used properly and is beneficial to behaviour as between one end stop and the next the steering wheel rotation reaches 200°. In practice, half that of conventional steering. Therefore, at any speed as well as in manoeuvres and in all kinds of bends it requires much less movement than a conventional steering wheel.

For its part, the gearbox emulates the operation of a manual and allows the linear performance of the twin-engine powertrain to be exploited in a fun way, albeit accompanied by an artificial sound. Dynamically, this RZ favours comfort rather than driving precision as the electronic suspension remains soft even when using the Sport car configuration.