Well today was my first full day in the RZ. Decided to shoot it at a winery in the North GA Mountains. I then drove it up and down the same mountain I took the RX 500h in two weeks ago. Pretty tired. I’ve never taken an EV this far or on a mountain run before. My photographer was with me.
I made it from Atlanta to basically Helen GA and back with 20 miles left. i left with 208 miles. It was a perfect spring day so I was lucky enough to roll the windows down and enjoy the weather which helps range.
At no time was I worried about range having calculated everything. That said Tesla’s dominance was clear as the winery ONLY had Tesla chargers. I think 8 of them. So i couldn’t charge there for the couple of hours we were there. It was free. Even on the way back there are zero charge point chargers for 50 or so miles. There was an EV Go charger at the outlets but I wasn’t downloading ANOTHER APP to use,
The RZ is built like a tank. Nothing resembling a rattle. Not a creak. Not a sound. I assume Lexus was so worried about reliability that they overbuilt it. Acceleration is brisk. There is a big difference between sport and “range” mode with throttle response. Sport for me, It’s not Model 3 Dual Motor Fast as your head and brain still work after pressing the pedal.
The 14”’screen anf HUD are great. Cabin feels really airy. My interior is all black with only a bit of silver and graphite touches. Really boring. Did I mention how quiet it is inside. Whisper quiet.
In the mountains I pushed the RZ as hard as it would go. My initial worries went away after the first couple of turns. It immediately felt more planted and easier to drive than the RX. Credit the lower weight, center of gravity and throttle response which is linear. Also no real shifting with the transmission and slowing into corners is easier as the car eases up when you let off the gas. I pushed and pushed and pushed and could not get the rear to swing or even get the 18 “
bridgestones to squeal. Shocking, Only a couple of times I went into a corner too fast and eased off things or tapped the lines in the road. But I never felt like I was close to losing the RZ, Brakes are much smaller than the 500 but no issues. Steering was super direct and the steering wheel really has a good size to it. That said through it all even though I likely was faster in the RZ, I simply never felt connected to the road nor was it enjoyable being so mute. Fast with no feelings…
In comparison the RX 500h felt more fun and livelier with more body roll. Kinda gotta wrestle her a bit as Direct-4 seems to engage far more in corners. Tires squeal much more and the front end goes in hot if you let it. The rear can swing but again Direct-4 saves it. It’s no V-8 but the I-4 turbo and 6 speed actually shifts and makes noise.
Ideally I’m not waking up at 6am to take either on mountain runs. What is absolutely crazy is you could. Something unheard of from Lexus just a couple of years ago in a SUV. The Lexus Driving Signature is a real thing. Now 99% of owners won’t do anything close to what I did today. But I’m happy to report the RZ got me back home after a grueling day with me up North.
