Lexus RZ 450e review: A posh EV with a trick up its sleeve

pocket-lint.com:

It's always good to get back behind the wheel of a Lexus because you know you're going to get a little bit of luxury to make the journey that much more enjoyable. The Lexus RZ 450e packs in plenty of that, but it also feels slightly familiar. Hardly surprising really, because the first full Lexus EV sits on the same platform as the Toyota bZ4X, which we drove last year and the Subaru Solterra too.

This dedicated e-TNGA architecture offers lots of flexibility for the manufacturer, while offering models at different ends of the pricing spectrum. The premium end of that spectrum is where you'll find the Lexus RZ 450e, with pricing that starts from £62,600. That means you'll be paying well over £15K more for this car compared to the Toyota — so it is worth it? Here's our full review.

4/5

The Lexus RZ 450e takes the best parts of the e-TNGA all-electric architecture and tops it off with better levels of comfort and refinement than the slightly rough and ready feel of the cheaper Toyota bZ4X. It presents as a low-key, luxury SUV that works but it is up against very stiff competition.

When considering how good the Lexus NZ 450e is, there's no denying it is up against some pretty stiff competition, especially from the likes of the Audi Q4 e-tron, Mercedes-Benz EQA and the BMW iX3.

There are plenty of other all-electric options too, like the impressive Volvo C40 Recharge, the Polestar 2 or even the Jaguar I-Pace. Let's not forget the Genesis GV60 and the brilliant Kia EV6 if you want to talk of electric cars with character. In fact, most of the above-named cars have distinctive looks too, which makes them all appealing.

The Lexus does a very decent job of looking good, but maybe it should make more of a point about how good it