SYDNEY: Lexus Australia has given its RZ battery-electric AWD (all-wheel drive) SUV range a significant performance boost with the addition of a new F Sport variant for the first time, the 550e F Sport.
The new performance grade is part of a wide-ranging upgrade for the battery-electric lineup.
Lexus Australia chief executive Jack Hobbs said, "Alongside the new 550e F Sport, the existing RZ range has received a substantial upgrade with improved performance and driving range, helping drive our decarbonisation goals and demonstrate our leading role in electrification.”
Headlining the new range, the RZ 550e F Sport offers a maximum power output of 300kW (408PS) from its larger 77kW battery and introduces an innovative steer-by-wire system controlled by a yoke steering wheel.
This unique steering wheel is standard on the new RZ 550e F Sport grade providing tighter, more responsive steering with clear visibility of the instrument cluster and the road ahead.
The new steering wheel integrates paddle shifters for the Lexus-first Interactive Manual Drive with drivers able to shift through eight simulated gears that emulate the throttle feeling, G-forces, engine sounds and tacho display of a traditional internal combustion engine.
Delivering on the Lexus Driving Signature, the Direct4 system has been revised for all grades and further improves the traction and stability of the RZ, variably controlling the front/rear power distribution between 60:40 and 0:100 in straight-line driving, and between 80:20 and 0:100 when cornering.
Meanwhile, the substantially upgraded RZ 500e Luxury and RZ 500e Sports Luxury grades now feature a larger 74.7kWh battery that delivers a 16 per cent increase in driving range to a maximum 460km on the WLTP test cycle, compared with the previous RZ.
The larger battery is also able to be fully charged in a shorter time of just 3.5 hours, thanks to a doubling of the AC charging capacity to 22kW, that is paired with a 150kW DC charging capacity that uses a CCS2 fast charge port.
A new battery cooling system for the larger capacity lithium-ion further enhances the battery performance and safety.
The substantial changes to the powertrain has increased total power output by more than 20 per cent with the dual motor all-wheel drive system offering a combined maximum power of 280kW (381PS).
Complementing the performance upgrades, the new RZ 500e Luxury and Sports Luxury variants feature additional body bracing and other measures to increase rigidity, and revised front and rear spring and damper rates that combine to provide improved handing prowess and greater ride comfort.
Further measures have been adopted to reduce noise, vibration and harshness and deliver a refined ambience inside the cabin.
