Welcome to the RZ 450e, which is the first Lexus to be built on a dedicated EV platform. However, it's not the first all-electric car from the Japanese premium brand. The Lexus UX 300e has that accolade, but the RZ 450e is arguably the more important.
After sitting on the fence for so many years when it comes to electrification, preferring to stick with its self-charging hybrid philosophy, for Lexus the RZ is a firm signal of zero-emissions intent. So, what can we tell you about this eye-catchingly angular model? Well, we could highlight the fact that it sits on the same e-TNGA architecture already seen on both the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra.
Or that its twin-motor set-up packs 309bhp and that there’s a 71.4kWh lithium ion battery beneath the floor that should give a range of more than 250 miles. But what you really want to know is what this Lexus doesn’t have, which is a direct connection between your fingertips and terra firma.
Yes, that’s right, when fitted with the One Motion Grip set-up, the RZ delivers fully fly-by-wire steering. Now, Lexus isn’t the first to dabble in digital direction changing, because Infiniti attempted it with its G50 saloon a few years ago.
But in that system there was still a mechanical connection, a fail-safe in case the computer said ‘no’. Not so in the Lexus, which relies on the built-in redundancy approach of most commercial airliners, with duplicate back-up systems that can step in to save the day.
Essentially you get a standard steering rack (you can get an RZ with conventional steering if you want) that’s powered by an electric motor that is sent instructions from sensors at the steering wheel.
And with no direct forces acting on the helm, another motor is required to deliver feedback to the driver, the set-up increasing opposing torque to simulate a ramping-up in loads as cornering forces build. It looks fairly straightforward on paper, but an almost 12-year development programme proves that it’s anything but.
What's this unusual steering set-up like? Good question. Another question would be: does it actually work? The short answer to both is ‘interesting’ and ‘yes, up to a point’.
First things first, however, because before the RZ even turns a wheel, you’ll notice that there’s no wheel to turn. Instead, you’re confronted with an aircraft-style yoke, a design chosen because steer-by-wire can virtually alter the rack ratio from very high to very low and almost anything in between (Lexus wasn’t keen to divulge numbers).
As a result, there's only 150deg of steering movement from lock to lock, meaning there’s never any need to take your hands off the quarter-to-three position.
To sample this set-up, we’re given a handful of laps at the undulating Parcmotor Castellolí track just outside Barcelona, each punctuated by a visit to a tight, slalom-style course. Out on the circuit, the system feels remarkably natural, and if anything the weighting in this pre-production car was meatier and more confidence-inspiring than a conventional pre-production RZ we sampled back-to-back over the same course.
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