wivenhoe

I suspect that Exeter want to secure an order and then will drip feed the delays next year in the hope by then you would keep with the order as competitors will still be saying 6 months from new order. I have read somewhere that the wheel issue with the Toyota (same as RZ) is delaying production so that may well be impacting the RZ, hence some dealers being straight and realistically saying last quarter next year.

Deposit is £ 500 fully returnable after a test drive proves unacceptable or before. I doubt £ 500 over 18 months would return more than say £ 20 !! I think the car market will be in an entirely different place next year and so hoping a discount may be available !

My dealer said weeks ago that they had been told no demos until June and delivery from July but likely September.

With a 10% larger battery of 77kw the Genesis GV60 (smaller car) the range calculator for 80% motorways goes from 207 miles at -10c to 248 miles at 20c. 80% City goes from 312 at -10c to 371 at 20c. Genesis are to Hyundai as Lexus is to Toyota so the fit, finish and quality should be similar to the RZ. They are offering the GV 70 SUV for deliveries next year at very similar pricing as the RZ - Sport (only option available at launch) starts at £ 65k and optioned similar to a Takumi circa £ 72k - it’s as if Lexus have used this as a baseline !

All in an exchange of emails so should be ok. I can’t believe they will be selling Takumi’s with at best 250 miles range will sell for £ 73k - might pull that now with new cars being delayed so much but in a years time ?

I told the dealer I would only continue if it was on the strict understanding that I can cancel after a test drive and get my £ 500 back. He agreed. I also told him the car market next July will probably be in an entirely different place so I was hoping there would be a discount to bring the price down. Seems to me that it’s a no brainier - see what the market is like next year and either hang on to see if there is a discount (I’ve never bought a new car without a significant one) or order something else and cancel and get my £500 back. I’m reading good reports about the Genesis electric GV70 SUV which on the motorway has a range of about 300 miles.

Just got a call from the dealers - prices are as above so a Takumi in Copper metallic two tone is £ 73k - delivery will not be before next June. Demos not available until next May / June

At that price for a Takumi I will cancel. I sent the prices to my dealer and he said they have not been told of any prices and don’t expect to for some time. I hope he is right and when they do publish them they are significantly less

Close to £ 80k would be a ridiculous price for a car with a range of really less than 250 miles. A mid optioned EQE with a range of 350+ and definitely in the same league as a Lexus is less than £ 80k. A fully optioned one is £ 85k. Similarly, a BMW iX is around that price. If a Takumi is going to be almost £ 80k then I’ll be cancelling - the dealer indicated a price between an NX and RX so less than £ 70k for a Takumi.

There is an article on the BBC News website reporting a recall for the Toyota BZ & Subaru due to a major defect with the wheel assembly resulting in the wheel possibly coming off. No doubt the same assembly was to be used on the RZ. Also, the report says that Toyota have formally announced that they are having to reduce production due to ongoing chip shortages - doesn’t bode well for our deliveries ! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61919424

I assumed incorrectly that the RZ as it is AWD would have the same battery as the Toyota BZ AWD. I found a definitive article which confirms that the concerns over charging rates applies to the Chinese battery from CATL in the BZ AWD and not the Panasonic battery which will be in the RZ. https://insideevs.com/news/585939/toyota-bz4x-awd-fast-charging-curve/ The CATL battery seems to be vastly inferior to the Panasonic one and because Toyota are offering the same warranty (90% at 10 years) they are reducing the charge rate to protect the battery life. The CATL battery cars have a home charge max rate of only 6.6kw whereas the Panasonic have 7.4kw

According to Automotive News, the Toyota bZ4X will get its batteries from Chinese battery producer CATL and the joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic known as Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, but the Lexus RZ 450e will only get batteries from Prime Planet Energy & Solutions. https://www.theautopian.com/the-2023-lexus-rz-is-the-toyota-bz4xs-posh-potent-sibling/

Most of the Toyota BZ’s have Chinese batteries so it’s very likely the cars being reviewed have these. The RZ will only have the Toyota / Panasonic produced batteries so they may have considerably better properties. However as the RZ will be AWD I suspect that it will have the same battery as the AWD Toyota which is the subject of a concerning article, albeit American. It reports what Toyota have been formally saying, rather than expressing an opinion. It is reported that Toyota have said - And on the AWD variant of bZ4X, which has a different battery pack than FWD model, Toyota (initially) straight up says DC charging may not work when below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (freezing point)This was later changed to ….. for the bZ4X AWD model, charging may slow down more than other models in weather conditions below 32 degrees Fahrenheit" The full article is here - https://www.motortrend.com/news/2023-toyota-bz4x-charging-speed-cold-temperature/ I’ll be asking my dealer whether this applies to the RZ as the range will plummet when driving in freezing conditions and on a long drive it could take ages to charge on DC, (if at all) precisely when you’ll want to charge and get on your way.

Many thanks. Just what I wanted to hear. I have a RR Velar PHEV currently so used to plenty of headroom.

Has anybody read anywhere what the front headroom is. I’ve trawled the web and can’t find it. The RZ is the same height as the NX and when I sat in one of those with the seat at its lowest there wasn’t anywhere enough headroom. I’m 6’ 1” so not abnormally tall. If the headroom is the same as the NX I was in, I’ll be asking for my £500 back as my eye-line was above the top of the windscreen !