What exactly is luxury, technology, control, intelligence, security... On the body of the new RZ, Lexus presents the appearance of a pure electric car.
At the global launch of the new RZ a few days ago, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, chief engineer of Lexus electrification models, commented on RZ: The new RZ will provide users with a unique driving texture and a new luxury experience for Lexus pure electric vehicles. At that time, when I was watching the live broadcast, I thought, aren't they all electric cars, in addition to the special-shaped steering wheel, what else can the RZ be different...
In fact, in the development of the new RZ, Lexus gave it a completely new concept, technology and goals. For example, in terms of technology, the representative Steel by Wire variable ratio electronic steer-by-wire steering system and DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system, the spindle-shaped body design evolved from the spindle grille, the luxurious interior room with new environmentally friendly materials and minimalist interpretations, and the new eAxle electric drive system make the new RZ the highest level of technology in the history of the Lexus brand. It also means that Lexus, which has entered the era of electrification, will bring users unprecedented handling pleasure and driving experience.
Precise steering comparable to an F1 car
The all-new RZ is a model with a lot of "black technology". Underneath its futuristic exterior, Lexus has implanted a number of new technologies unprecedented in the field of pure electric vehicles in the new RZ.
Among them, the most anticipated is the Steel by Wire (StrBW) variable ratio electronic steer-by-wire system. In fact, Infiniti used electronic steer-by-wire technology earlier on the Q50, but at the same time retained the traditional mechanical steering structure as a redundancy, providing backup guarantee for the failure of electronic steer-by-wire. But the new RZ completely eliminates the mechanical steering structure, and through the electronic steer-by-wire steering system, it realizes a new way of communicating between people and cars, and also demonstrates Lexus's confidence in StrBW technology.
The StrBW application enables electronic data exchange of steering and road information between the wheels and the steering wheel, virtually completely isolates excess vibrations from tires, brakes and shock absorbers, and feeds only important driving information such as road conditions back to the driver, resulting in smoother and more precise handling.
The application of the special-shaped steering wheel adds to strbW's icing on the cake. The maximum left and right rotation angles of the steering wheel are 150 degrees each, and in the case of intersection turning, U-turn, parking, etc., the driver only needs to hold the steering wheel with both hands, and there is no need to exchange hands to complete more complex steering actions. Just like Mr. Xia's experience in the test drive on the track, in the corner, you only need to align the corners on the left and right sides of the steering wheel to the bend, and you can successfully pass the corner, bringing a precise steering effect comparable to driving an Formula 1 car.
Smarter electronic four-wheel drive system
The drive system of the new RZ uses two drive motors located on the front and rear axles, with a maximum output of 150 kW for the front motor and 80 kW for the rear motor, and the two motors give the new RZ four-wheel drive capability. In order to achieve more accurate power distribution in different road conditions and driving conditions, Lexus also uses the innovative high-power eAxle electric drive system to form the DIRECT4 electronic dynamic four-wheel drive system together with the two drive motors in front and rear.
This four-wheel drive system allows the driving force of the front and rear wheels to be arbitrarily distributed between 0:100 and 100:0, for example, when starting to accelerate, the driving force distribution ratio of the front and rear wheels is set between 60:40 and 40:60, which effectively inhibits the pitch of the body and brings a more direct sense of acceleration.
When entering corners, the system distributes more driving force to the front wheels, achieving power distribution between 75:25 and 50:50, and with StrBW, the steering is more agile and accurate, and the inflection is smoother; when cornering, the torque distribution of the front and rear wheels is adjusted to between 50:50 and 20:80, allowing the vehicle to get more traction and bring a faster acceleration response to the corner.
In addition, the new RZ is equipped with a new braking system that provides excellent braking performance while increasing the range with higher braking energy recovery efficiency. The frequency response shock absorber can also actively adjust the stroke damping force based on the feedback of the vibration frequency of the road surface, achieving a high level of handling stability and driving comfort balance.
High-end luxury tends to be the simplest design
Among many luxury car brands, Lexus has always been unique. From bamboo and wood materials on the ES to glass carvings on the LS, Lexus has always insisted on interpreting unique luxury tastes with "craftsmanship". In the creation of the luxurious space of the new RZ, Lexus adopts a unique minimalist design concept, the interior vision is more open and the sense of space is stronger, and through the application of new materials that are both environmentally friendly and textured, it shows the unique luxury style of the new RZ.
On the door trim and seats, the new RZ uses Ultrasuede suede-like premium suede. The material is made of 30% bio-based sustainable material, which not only brings a warm and delicate feel, but also highlights the environmental protection concept of pure electric vehicles. Above the centre console, the charcoal textured panels are applied to make the interior of the new RZ as welcoming as the living room. In addition, the new RZ features the Lexus brand's first transmissive mood light, which allows the light and shadow effects on the door interior panels to change dynamically when opening and closing the doors.
Thanks to the exclusive all-electric architecture, the new RZ not only offers more spacious and flexible carrying space, but also takes into account the tranquility of the cockpit. In addition, the front row of the new RZ still uses the Tazuna rein concept, taking into account the ease of communication between the driver and the vehicle. The size, shape, layout and display information of the internal analog buttons are carefully designed in the larger touch center screen, allowing the driver to operate more intuitively and conveniently.
In addition, the steering wheel button commands are more closely integrated with the HUD head-up display system, allowing the driver to quickly and easily set functions such as navigation, audio, and driving mode while always staying in front during driving.
Intelligence, not to say, but to do
Every new car, especially pure electric vehicles, will take intelligence as a major selling point, complete driving assistance hardware and software, top car chip, and full coverage of OTA upgrades, etc., has made consumers not surprised. However, if these functions are really used in the actual practical scene, will they still be as easy to use as advertised?
The role of intelligent functions is to make driving safer, more convenient and more comfortable, and Lexus has further upgraded its safety goal to "zero casualties in traffic accidents". The new RZ is equipped with the latest Lexus intelligent safety system LSS+3.0, through the pre-judgment active driver assistance system and a series of active safety functions such as pre-collision safety system, radar cruise control, lane departure control, driver abnormal response system, etc., making the new RZ one of the safest pure electric vehicles in the world.
As for convenience and comfort, the new driver assistance system LEXUS Teammate is equipped with the new RZ, as well as intelligent driving with traffic congestion assistance and intelligent parking system with remote control parking function. In order to improve the comfort of the front passengers, a membrane-type radiant heating device and heat pump system have also been installed around the feet and legs of the front passengers to effectively increase the efficiency of the air conditioning system and maximize the mileage.
The panoramic canopy above the roof adopts electronic control transmission control, and applies an anti-radiation layer, which can both insulate and block nearly 99% of ultraviolet rays, and the personnel in the car can adjust the transmittance of the canopy at any time, and also ensure the comfort of the ambient temperature in the car.
The predecessors planted trees, and the posterity cooled off?
Among luxury brands, lexus is not too early to deploy pure electric products, especially now a series of pure electric models represented by the German BBA have been launched for several years. Although Lexus was the first brand to venture into the hybrid space, it was only this year that it released the first exclusive pure electric model based on the e-TNGA architecture , the new RZ.
However, Lexus' vision and product layout for electrification development is very positive: starting with the new RZ, Lexus plans to provide all-electric versions of all its vehicle series by 2030 and achieve 100% pure electrification worldwide by 2035.
As we all know, in the early stage of the development of pure electric vehicles, it is bound to encounter a series of problems such as technical reliability, battery stability, and mileage, and these problems must be faced and solved by all traditional car manufacturers. To this end, Lexus has worked with a professional R & D team to repeatedly adjust and improve the vehicle at the newly established brand operation headquarters, avoiding the pits that have been stepped on by previous people, and finding a shortcut to perfection.
The new RZ is an important achievement of Lexus on the road to electrification, giving a new definition of modern luxury through forward-looking human technology, excellent practicality and convenience. More importantly, it shows what a pure electric vehicle should look like in the future, so that every user who drives and rides the new RZ can get an unprecedented experience and fun.
Editor's note: The pictures in this article are for reference only, and the specific model color and configuration are subject to the local listed models
The author of this article is Dumbo, a kick car gang