Brand’s second battery-pure car is a swank sister ship to Toyota’s bZ4x, but with additional tech – and more zest.

AND now there are three: Lexus has unveiled its RZ 450e, an important electric car sharing technical commonality with the more obviously twinned Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra crossovers also confirmed for New Zealand availability in 2023.

Though not the company's first electric car – that title goes to the UX300e that’s now on sale here – the RZ is the first one developed as an electric vehicle from the ground up and it’s of great importance for Lexus, which plans to only sell electric cars by 2030 in North America, Europe, and China, and in the rest of the world by 2035.

Attractions beyond the rakish shape could be the count of innovative features such as steering-by-wire, the option, in some markets from mid-2023, of a Tesla-style yoke instead of a steering wheel and a system that inhibits an occupant unwittingly opening a door into traffic when a close call is sensed.

The underpinning is the e-TNGA platform also used by the bZ4x and Solterra, which are physically similar. The Lexus, at 4805mm long, is 5mm shorter than the Toyota, is wider (1895mm versus 1860mm), is 35mm higher and exact-matches on wheelbase, with a 2850mm measurement.

All three models draw off a 71.4kWh battery. Lexus only provisions with dual motors, whereas the others have a front drive option.

The all-wheel drive system, which Lexus labels as Direct4, combines two motors front and rear to deliver a total 233kW – so, about 73kW above the output cited for bZ4x. Lexus has yet to share a torque figure. With the Toyota-branded car, there’s 336Nm. Zero to 100kmh? again, unknown. But surely it’ll easily beat the bZ4x, which is cited as a 7.7 second sprinter.

Power delivery is biased towards the front wheels because of the more powerful 150kW motor up front (the rear pumps 80kW), though the system is controlled by a network of sensors and ECUs meaning that in tricky situations or conditions, power is always sent where it's most needed.

The repercussion of a higher output doesn’t appear to be too telling on economy. Lexus suggests 450km between charges, but says this has been gauged from testing to a Japanese domestic standard. However, it is close to the WLTP estimated range for the bZ4x dual motor is up to 458kms.

Among images provided is one showing the car being replenished. Nothing yet has been shared about this but it appears the RZ mirrors the UX is being configured for CHAdeMO rapid charging, rather than the CCS configuration all new rapid chargers are compatible with. As the infrastructure grows, CCS promises to be more convenient.

The bZ4x and Solterra offer a maximum rapid charge rate of 150kW, meaning an 80 percent charge can be recouped in 30 minutes, so it’s likely the Lexus will conform.

Despite the technical commonality, it might be difficult to see too much styling similarity as RZ has all the latest Lexus design ingredients that lend a more rakish appearance than Toyota (and Subaru) have gone for. Even though the measuring stick shows it to be taller, the Lexus appears more hunkered in its stance than the bZ4x. Lexus wheel size choice stretches to 20 inches; again larger than Toyota provisions.

The RZ's front end incorporates a new take on the signature spindle-shaped Lexus grille – which, as an electric vehicle, it doesn’t really need. The rearward part of the roofline includes two small aero-optimised fins. Lower down, below the rear spoiler lip, a light bar extends the full width of the tailgate.

The driver views a simple instrument cluster with the 14.0-inch infotainment screen angled towards the driver and within easy reach. Buttons haven't been totally eliminated with some hard controls remaining for the heating and climate control functions.

Above is the optional electronically dimming panoramic glass roof, which has been given a special coating to block out solar radiation (and thus heat) and to keep warm air inside. Aimed at the driver and passenger's knees, a new heater radiates warmth to give the effect of "a warm blanket around the legs". Again, Lexus says that this is for efficiency as much as comfort as using the heated seats, steering wheel and knee-warmer uses less energy than warming the entire cabin.

From launch, the RZ will be available with a conventional round steering wheel, but information the company has released to other markets confirms that the rectangular Tesla-style yoke will be available as an option by ‘mid-2023’.

The chief advantage of this, according to Lexus, is that it gives the driver a clearer view of the instrument binnacle as well as eliminates hand-over-hand turns thanks to its 150 degrees of angle between straight ahead and full lock.

Both the conventional steering wheel and yoke will be connected to a steering-by-wire system which, in doing away with traditional linkages, reduces the level of unnecessary feedback between the front wheels and the driver's hands making the RZ more stable over rough ground or in crosswinds. There’s a separately-powered back-up system to enact should the primary system fail. BZ4x has the same system, which Toyota calls ‘One Motion Grip’.

The RZ achieves a full suite of driver assistance and safety features including Proactive Driving Assist which monitors the road ahead with a camera and can adjust the steering enabling the car to make the turn.

The e-Latch system links the electronically opening doors with the vehicle's Blind Spot Monitor to inhibit the driver or passenger opening a door into the path of an oncoming car or cyclist. This aims, Lexus says, to prevent 95 percent of these types of accidents.

The nodel has been warmly received by Lexus New Zealand, with general manager Andrew Davis describing it as an evolution.

“As Lexus’ first dedicated BEV, the Lexus RZ embodies our vision for the future of electrification.

“The RZ … is the first of an all-new line up of battery electric vehicles that combine all new electrified powertrains with the exhilarating Lexus driving experience.”

“Lexus is focused on contributing to the realisation of a sustainable mobility society, while still providing exhilarating cars for customers to drive.”