wivenhoe

Interestingly, the UK article in the same blog is far more encouraging than the American one. https://worldcarblog.com/en/car-models/lexus/99-cars/lexus/1353-new-lexus-rz-450e-2023-review#gsc.tab=0

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 !

After my test drive I posted my thoughts on a different thread. The research after this confirmed that all EV’s suffer big range reductions as a result of the a/c or heaters - study found between 11% - 17%. In my test drive the car was charged at about 80% showing 195 miles range without the a/c and 160 with it on full blast. As I am getting my car next week (I’ve seen it at the dealers) I am ploughing through the manual. Rather than turning the a/c or heating off, if there is only 2 of you the system can be set to only heat / cool the front. Using the heated / ventilated seats doesn’t affect the range and the radiant heaters will reduce the range significantly less than heating on full blast. This in addition to pre-heating / cooling should improve the range. If I were a company car driver, driving regular long distances I probably wouldn’t buy an RZ but for my usage its range is fine. The efficiency of miles / Kw seems good and nobody else warrants that the battery will not be depleted below 90% over 10 years. VW, Tesla, Kia etc warrant 70% in 8 years. I was very tempted by Genesis, their batteries are covered for up to 10 years but depletion doesn’t seem to be covered. As I intend to keep the car for some time, the confidence to provide such a small battery depletion and extended warranty up to 10 years was a winner for me. I read loads of reviews not only criticising the range but charging speed. I looked into this and using a 150kw rapid charger (10% - 80%) for the RZ took about 10 mins longer than the cars they were praising - every day that might be a consideration but for occasional long journeys is it that important ? As you can tell, I am taken with the RZ and I am sure it won’t be back to the dealers about 8 times in 2 years as my bought from new Range Rover Velar P400e has been

Thanks for the tip - WeBuy were £ 60k, Motorway indicated £ 64k. I gave the dealer the Motorway price and they confirmed £62 px so I went with that - no hassle outcome. I am getting 89% of what I paid 2 years ago so a good trade really. I had a test drive yesterday (see my other post if interested) and amazingly my car was at the dealers as it came on the same ship and transporter as the demo !

I’m not sure but my glasses definitely darkened and yet the interior wasn’t overly bright. I am ploughing through the manual now - all 700+ pages

Bit the bullet and confirmed I will buy the car. It’s at the dealers, still with the protective tape on it. Collecting it next Wednesday. Had a lengthy test drive and my concerns were overcome - after the Range Rover I thought the seat height would be more like a saloon but it isn’t. It’s not quite as high as the RR but fine to step into. I’m 6’ 2” and there is enough headroom for me to raise the seat and still have plenty of clear headroom. The fit and finish is classic Lexus. I was concerned what the Orage Ultra Suede would be like on my Copper / Black car - having had leather for 20+ years. It really felt prestige and is a good & practical colour. It goes ok with the copper / black externals. My major concern was the range. Having done some research it all made more sense now. Lexus appear to calculate the range shown more realistically than some other manufacturers - they keep some back so even if the range is showing 0 you still have range to get to a charger. Lexus are the only manufacturer warranting that the battery will be no less than 90% capacity after 10 years. When I got in the car (fairly warm day) it was about 80% charged showing 195 miles. Putting the aircon on full blast shrank the range to 160. I have since found out that studies confirm that all EV’s loose between 11% - 17% when the heating or a/c is used. BUT if you precondition the car before driving and use the seat ventilation to cool it doesn’t affect the range. Similarly in the winter if you use the heated seats and radiant heaters after pre-heating then you don’t eat into the real range. Not very helpful if you regularly carry rear seat passengers ! Having learnt you can turn off the speeding bong and others the only snag I found was that the instrument cluster was a bit dark despite the illumination being on max. I found that my ‘reactor lite’ glasses were dark which hasn’t happened in previous cars with tinted windscreen. When I took them off the display was ok. I’ll have a pair of normal specs in the car for just driving. The dealer has been great and matched a very good price for my Range Rover Velar and of course held last years price which is £ 3k below current list. I took the dive to buy the RZ as not least it was available now - I am convinced that the used car / residuals are going to normalise over the next 6 to 9 months and if that happens I would lose a fortune. My px on a 2 year old car is 89% of what I paid, if the residuals normalise the car would probably draw no more than 50% at 3 years old so it would lose me £ 27k over the next 12 months - worth taking a risk with RZ then as I can’t see it losing 40% in the next year. I hope I haven’t bored everyone with this long post. I thought it may be useful to all those waiting for a test drive.

Mine is at the dealers. Arrived the same time as the demo - or they are using mine as the demo ! Spoke to NFU and they said the insurance would be the same as my Range Rover Velar P400e. They provide a new car for a total write off/ theft for the first 2 years from new.

I have a test drive this Thursday and my car is in Portbury, no doubt with plenty of others. This is the first test drive I have ever had where I am pretty sure I won’t buy !

The website says delivery summer 2023 so they need to start informing what they are going to provide. I did wonder if Fisker is one of the reasons Tesla dramatically reduced their prices and there is talk of a further price cut.

I’ve looked at the Fisker before. My reservation with it a lack of info regards servicing and warranty work. Genesis get over this by promising a service where they collect / deliver the car and provide a curtesy car - can’t see anything on Fiskers site.

John - my car must be on the same ship and I suspect the demos are as well so an ‘interesting’ situation where my actual car will be parked alongside the demo I will probably reject ! I have a plug in Range Rover Velar which is just as good as ‘an urban runabout’ EV wise. The EV world hasn’t addressed the fact that with electricity at a home charger is 35p / kw there is little benefit of an EV over ICE. With petrol at say £ 1.50 / litre that at say 40 mpg equates to 16p / mile and say 65kw x 35p = £ 22.75 / say 175 miles = 13p. However, if you use a fast charger it’s nearer 60p / kw = 22p / mile !

The fact that Lexus in the States provide up to 30 days free use of a petrol car says a lot. To me it confirms they see the car as an ‘urban run around’ rather than a full replacement for a ICE. Having to turn off the HVAC to get anywhere near the quoted range is quite frankly ridiculous on such an expensive car. As every review I read is saying the real world range is small I am becoming more certain I’ll ask for my £ 500 back. I know what residual they are basing their PCP quotes on but for us cash buyers I really fear what they will be in say 3 years - trying to sell a car then for say £ 35k with a range of well less than 200 miles will be a hard call. I think Lexus understand they have got the range totally wrong so are pushing other aspects - radiant heaters to increase range, low battery depletion over 9 years, free ICE car for long drives (in the States), revolutionary yoke (in 2025) - anything bar pushing the real life range.

A couple of years ago I was in my new Merc and the auto speed limiter was set whilst I was on a motorway. I was in lane 2 doing 70 when the car clapped the brakes on. It took me some time to realise I was about to overtake a Continental lorry which had its speed limit roundels on the back (as they do) and the Merc read them as a new speed limit. Luckily nobody was following me and I discovered adrenalin is brown !

I have read a review of the Lexus Teammate and that ‘bongs’ a lot if you don’t pay attention to it. Could that have been the source of the ‘bongs’ ?

Kevin - it would probably go further !

mhult - I downloaded the owners manual - all 800 pages of it. It says the car comes with Teammate - if fitted.

mhult- does the car come with the latest version of Teammate - the advanced autonomy ?

This is yet another review that reads like the car costs less than £ 50k. Issues like a flimsy port cover may seem trivial but it does say a lot about the design. I’m also 1.84m talk and will probably find the seats too small. Mine is on a ship and I never thought I would say this - after test driving the RZ I’ll be really glad to get back in my Range Rover Velar and spend my £ 500 deposit on something other than a car.

As I buy my cars, my concern is what the residual will be in the future. An earlier post said what the PCP is calculated on, but what will a ‘prestige’ car with a real range of max 200 miles be worth when compared to the numerous say Teslas, Genesis etc. I understand that the Tesla isn’t comparable for fit and finish but would a used buyer or the market be willing to pay £ 15k more for a 2 / 3 year old car.

But will they insulate you from the financial shock of £ 75k for 200 actual miles range ! I should find out soon as mine is in transit !

Thanks a lot. I’m looking to pay cash, but a PCP is £ 44k to rent the car for 36 months = £ 1,200 / month

But that wouldn’t apply to UK cars which are made in China or Berlin. I suspect the discounts were because they are overproducing and need to keep cash coming in during the downturn in Europe. The delivery time has also shot down, again due to production outweighing recent demand. Perhaps the market realised Tesla is over producing and may need yet another cash call. Taking £8k off the list of Model Y Performance is a serious discount and wouldn’t be given on a model unless there was a serious need to move cars. An optioned up Model Y Performance is £ 15k cheaper than a RZ Takumi. The Lexus will be far superior to the Tesla but will the market be there for a £ 75k car with relatively small range ? One question for the dealer will be what is the residual value in a PCP in 3 or 5 years time. If it’s low then I’ll walk away - I’m paying cash and will probably sell within 3 years.

Tesla recently reduced their list prices by circa 10% but for some odd reason Lexus have just increased the list prices for the RZ

It needs to be as the Ultrasuede only comes in the Takumi and with Bi-colour that is £75k list

I ordered and paid the £ 500 last May. It’s a Bi-Colour Takumi