Lexus RZ450 review from the car care nut

fourbanks · May 6, 2023

Lexus RZ450

talaipwros · May 6, 2023

oh sh!t !!

ColinBarber · May 6, 2023

Nothing that hasn’t already been said by other reviews of both the Lexus and Toyota but well presented. Hopefully this will persuade anyone still thinking of purchasing one of these to not bother.

talaipwros · May 6, 2023

Ι don't understand how they managed to mess that badly. I mean I have the leaf e+, there is miniscule range change when I turn the AC on, heated seats doesn't bother it, neither lights etc and has a predictable 190-200 miles range after 2 years and 35000 miles .

How on earth Toyota-Lexus got it so wrong?

I guess I will do a RZ test drive at some point before I ask for me 2K back

Kevin Williams · May 7, 2023

I am very happy that I cancelled my order for the RZ 450... and got my 5k back...

Sometimes in life. You make a really good decision...!!! But not always...!!!

Kevin Williams · May 7, 2023

18 minutes ago, Kevin Williams said:

I am very happy that I cancelled my order for the RZ 450... and got my 5k back...

Sometimes in life. You make a really good decision...!!! But not always...!!!

PS THE BEST CAR LEXUS HAS EVER MADE WAS THE LS400...

dutchie01 · May 7, 2023

Shows the hesitation of Toyota towards BEV. Market has moved on an Toyota can only hope they can catch up.

talaipwros · May 7, 2023

Perhaps in a couple of years at 30K...

Whoever · May 7, 2023

Different dislikes here.

wivenhoe · May 7, 2023

Not sure when the video was made - he refers to it being a prototype. I have researched things after my test drive and I think things must have moved on.
The EV-Database confirms that on a 150kw charger it takes 28 minutes from 20 to 156 (say 10% to 80%), certainly not 3 hours.
If it was a prototype then it may have been set up as the bZ was at launch - they kept 20% ish hidden so that even if the range said 0 you still had range to get to a charger - they quickly abandoned that. On my test drive on a reasonably warm day the charge was showing as about 80% and range was 195. Turning the a/c on full blast took it down to 165. (All EV’s suffer around 11% to 17% for using that). Using the seat ventilation onl, put the range back up to 195.
Reading the manual (all 1,000 pages including the multimedia one) you can set the heating / air on to only work in the front and if you precondition it using that and the heated / vent seats would probably be enough.
The manual says you can turn the beeps off but keep the function on - we did that on the drive and it seemed to sort it - again the manual says you can set the sensitivity with 3 choices and if you want the over speed warning on then you can set it to +5. I understand most of these things are now mandatory.

The Battery is warranted to be 90% at 10 years. Most other manufacturers warrant 70% at 7 or 8 years. Tesla don’t warrant the depletion, only total failure. With the conventional warranty being extendable up to 10 years then it is no surprise that the ‘ mechanicals’ are conservative.
Apologies if you got reading this !

talaipwros · May 7, 2023

50 minutes ago, wivenhoe said:

(All EV’s suffer around 11% to 17% for using that).

After 40K miles driving a nissan a leaf, I can definitely say that this is not the case, 5% at the most.

ColinBarber · May 7, 2023

1 hour ago, wivenhoe said:

The battery is warranted to be 90% at 10 years. Most other manufacturers warrant 70% at 7 or 8 years. Tesla don’t warrant the depletion, only total failure. With the conventional warranty being extendable up to 10 years then it is no surprise that the ‘ mechanicals’ are conservative.

There is nothing special about the Toyota Battery and isn't their technology - just the same as most other vehicle manufacturers are using. All they are doing is hiding 15-20% so that the perceived range stays above 90% after 10 years. I'd much rather have access to all the Battery for initial years and just end up at the same place in 10 year's time.

Tesla warrant their batteries - 70% at 8 years / 100k/120k/150k miles (depending on model).

1 hour ago, wivenhoe said:

All EV’s suffer around 11% to 17% for using that

Half that figure and it would be more accurate for the competition. Cooling isn't too bad, it's heating the cabin that consumes more power.

KeindeAbiola · May 23, 2023

Thanks for sharing.

wivenhoe · May 23, 2023

On 5/7/2023 at 11:12 PM, ColinBarber said:

There is nothing special about the Toyota battery and isn't their technology - just the same as most other vehicle manufacturers are using. All they are doing is hiding 15-20% so that the perceived range stays above 90% after 10 years. I'd much rather have access to all the battery for initial years and just end up at the same place in 10 year's time.

Tesla warrant their batteries - 70% at 8 years / 100k/120k/150k miles (depending on model).

Half that figure and it would be more accurate for the competition. Cooling isn't too bad, it's heating the cabin that consumes more power.

Two points - if it’s heating that consumes more power then surely the radiant heaters are far more efficient than blowing hot air.

You say Lexus is misleadingly hiding range but the published figures say the Battery is almost 72kw but the usable is 64kw How is that hiding ?

Not sure why you are on this forum as your only contribution is criticisms.

ColinBarber · May 23, 2023

On 5/23/2023 at 6:02 PM, wivenhoe said:

Two points - if it’s heating that consumes more power then surely the radiant heaters are far more efficient than blowing hot air.

You say Lexus is misleadingly hiding range but the published figures say the battery is almost 72kw but the usable is 64kw How is that hiding ?

Not sure why you are on this forum as your only contribution is criticisms.

They are hiding the buffer in the sense that the user doesn't have access to it. My point is I'd rather benefit from using the buffer and have it slowly diminish over time than never having the benefit. They have gone too conservative and by doing so are uncompetitive.

Radiant heaters consume the same power as normal resistive heaters, and local resistive heaters in the seats and steering wheel would be adequate without the additional expense and weight. Heat pump systems are 200%+ efficient and therefore are best for full cabin heating (and cooling).

I criticised where I feel it is justified, and given the video in the OP is from someone extremely pro Toyota it is more than justified.

wivenhoe · May 24, 2023

You appear to be a fan of Tesla as are a lot of buyers, almost every article I have read praises the range but they have their faults too - poor build quality being the main one. In the 2022 Driver Power satisfaction survey, despite owners being impressed with range and efficiency, 44% of owners (not reviewers) recorded that their car had had a fault, worse than any of the other 28 manufacturers in the survey.
Personally, I prefer the conservative and reliable approach from Lexus rather than the build to a price approach - there is a reason Tesla significantly dropped the prices recently.
It is a fact that the RZ range is less than a lot of the competition but in other aspects it is better - that said, I have only done 600 miles in the RZ but to date the real range and charge time is nearer to the ‘official’ figures compared to other (admittedly by reviewers) manufacturers.