About two years ago, the author participated in the test drive of Lexus's first new energy model UX300e, and the biggest doubt at that time was "how can the hybrid big guy also engage in oil to electricity"? However, there is one thing to say, the driving texture is still a great! Nowadays, Lexus' first new energy model, RZ in the true sense, has been unveiled, and how the new car is, let's see.
The Lexus RZ is positioned as a compact SUV, born out of the early Lexus LF-Z Electrified concept car, and the new car is based on the e-TNGA platform in line with the Toyota bZ4X, of course, the RZ can also be regarded as a hardcover version of the latter.
At the design level, even if the RZ debuts as a new energy model, it still has not got rid of the family design of Lexus, and it is worth affirming that the new car can choose a two-color appearance, and its front grille, front cabin cover and roof are the same color, and different from the main color of the body.
The spindle-shaped front face can be seen at a glance, and in order to comply with the wave of electrification, its grille adopts a fully enclosed design. In addition, the two-color body also cleverly divides the front face into three parts, giving the front of the car a rich layer and a strong sense of visual impact.
Hook-shaped LED daytime running lights are one of the iconic designs of the "Thunder Car", which RZ also has, coupled with a sharply shaped light set and air intakes on both sides below, creating an aggressiveness no less than any model of the brand.
The side shape of the RZ has a bit of RX shadow, but its coupe style is more intense, and it is full of details. Silky lines and coupe-style design make this compact SUV stretch even more, while the hidden A, B, C and D pillar designs also create a suspended roof effect. Double waistline design is commonplace, but the design of the RZ is more unique, and the upward waist line creates a forward swooping posture with the sharp lines below. The waistline at the back is angled all the way to the rear, and the straight lines collide with the folding treatment of the rear fenders, creating a contrast between rigidity and femininity.
In terms of size, the new car has a length, width and height of 4805/1895/1635mm, and a wheelbase of 2850mm. Such data positioning is actually a compact SUV? Lexus was a little modest.
The rear of the car can be seen that the designer's relentlessness, the design is bold enough, but the author still impolitely thought of a lyric "there are horns on the head, there is a tail behind", the reason is that the upper convex segmented small spoiler and "ducktail". The most popular element, the through-the-loop taillights, are also available on the RZ, so you can't go wrong with the times.
The exterior of the RZ is indeed bold enough, but the interior is relatively conservative, and the "thunder car" flavor is still strong. The entire central control adopts a wrap-around design, and the dark color matching is not wrong, but it can also be seen that Lexus is conservative. The use of materials is the focus, rejecting the application of animal leather materials and wood-related materials, in order to highlight Lexus' determination and philosophy in environmental protection, and also fit the development concept of new energy models.
But as a new energy model, there is always a difference, the steering wheel is the vanguard, using the same design of the yoke steering wheel as the LF-30 concept car, resembling the steering wheel of an F1 racing car. Whether it is good or not, visually it will make you shout "This is too avant-garde".
RZ uses a steering system by wire, steering no longer needs to be busy, the official said, the steering wheel has a steering angle of plus or minus 150 °, when the intelligent lane tracking system LTA is enabled, it can control the wheel driving according to the driving intention, providing a gentle sense of steering and smooth vehicle dynamics. In addition, this steering wheel can also correct bad driving habits, and can only hold the 3 or 9 o'clock position when driving.
7-inch gauge shape is similar to NX, not enough? That's okay, the RZ is equipped with a HUD head-up display.
The 14-inch central control screen supports wireless CarPlay, intelligent networking and OTA functions. Below the central control, the gear shift mechanism of the new car adopts the design of electronic knobs. In terms of driver assistance, the new car is equipped with LEXUS Intelligent Safety System LSS+ 3.0, which provides a basic L2 level driver assistance system.
Powerly, RZ is equipped with a dual motor drive system, of which the front motor maximum power of 150kW / rear motor maximum power of 80kW, equipped with a 71.4kWh battery, the official has not yet given detailed mileage data. The NEW CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH A DIRECT4 ELECTRONIC DYNAMIC ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM THAT PRECISELY CONTROLS THE DISTRIBUTION OF FRONT AND REAR WHEEL DRIVE FORCE BASED ON INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE VEHICLE'S WHEEL SPEED, ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND STEERING ANGLE SENSORS, WHICH IS DISTRIBUTED BETWEEN 0:100 AND 100:0, AND CHANGES AT ANY TIME THROUGH DRIVING CONDITIONS SUCH AS ACCELERATION AND DECELING/CORNER STEERING.
Written in the end: Lexus is indeed late in the field of new energy, and gives people the feeling of "thunder is big, rain is small", but this does not mean that it has no related technology, more or excellence, of course, it also has a certain relationship with the policy flexibility of the world's largest automobile consumer market. Anyway, this time it is serious, and it really comes, are you still satisfied with the new masterpiece of "Hybrid Big Guy"? Chat in the comments section.