Lexus RZ 550e F Sport blitzes the time sheets

In a show of electrified force, the RZ 550e F Sport becomes the quickest Lexus we have ever tested.

Unfortunately, we never managed to get our hands on the ultra-exclusive 412kW Lexus LFA to road test.

Featuring a naturally aspirated V10 that would howl all the way to 9 000rpm, this car had a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 3.6 seconds.

It would have no doubt gone top of the Lexus time sheets. But instead, the number one spot has been held by the 351kW naturally aspirated V8 RC F since 2019 with a time of 5.6 seconds.

It’s a new era of fast

But this all changed when we ran the new all-battery electric Lexus RZ 550e F Sport. It’s a new era of fast for the brand.

Two electric motors, one on each axle, are powered by a 77kWh lithium-ion battery.

This little combo offers up 300kW of power and 537Nm of torque. Not a massive amount of twist in today’s high-performance world.

But it’s instant. And these electric motors are not affected by altitude like the previous high-performance naturally aspirated Lexus’ were.

Intelligent all-wheel drive

Thanks to DIRECT4 intelligent all-wheel drive, that includes intuitive torque distribution, a fast and fuss free 0-100km/h time of just 4.74 seconds came up on our Racelogic V-Box at Gerotek.

The quarter mile was crossed in a time of 13.15-seconds with an exit speed of 171.60km/h at Gerotek. This is quick for a heavy, full-sized crossover.

Sure, the fun stops a moment or two later at an electronically limited top speed of 180km/h. But by this time, you would have swooshed away from most other family vehicles.

I was going to use the word ‘blasted’, but the traffic light antics will more than likely be done in complete silence.

Eight virtual gears

I say this because in 550e F Sport trim, the Lexus RZ offers a thing called Interactive Manual Drive.

Hit the ‘M’ mode switch on the centre console and now you have eight-virtual gears to play with where the ‘RPM’ also rises and falls like you are driving a conventional internal combustion engine car.

A synthetic type of sound, not a V8 or V10 recording, is piped into the car. And it too rises and falls along with the ‘RPM’.

The electronic dampers also stiffen up and the drive by wire steering gets even quicker should you really want to hammer your Lexus RZ 550e F Sport through a mountain pass.

As an owner you will probably use this feature a few times and then just resort to hitting the throttle in Sport mode when you want to get up and go without thinking about changing gears.

Real world range

Talking of mountain passes though, the Lexus RZ 550e F Sport offers a real-world range of around 380km on a single full charge.

Obviously if you make frequent use of all the power and torque on tap, then you are going to get somewhat less range. Think petrol. Same, same.

What is not the same, though, is the cost of your journeys. A full charge set me back only R300 when charging at home.

A similarly sized luxury crossover offering the same performance, is not doing much more than 100km on that.

Do I think a person who spends almost R2 million on a car is going to worry too much about this aspect?

Probably not. But rich people with old school money don’t like to waste money and this will just be another feather in the very capable cap of the Lexus RZ 550e F Sport.

Pricing

• RZ 550e F Sport – R1 938 600

All Lexus RZ derivatives include a comprehensive ownership package designed to provide long-term peace of mind:

• Service intervals scheduled at 12 months or 15 000km;
• A seven-year / 105 000km full maintenance plan;
• A seven year / 105 000km vehicle warranty;
• And an EV battery warranty of eight-years or 160 000km.