Was nearby my local Lexus dealer so decided to do a quick test drive of it....keep in mind I own (or have owned) 2 Model Ys, RX350s, RAV4s, MDXs, and X3s....

TL;DR - More Toyco then Lexus in design and materials with lackluster EV powertrain

Good : Brisk off the line acceleration; Carplay/Android Auto support; quiet around town driving; intuitive infotainment and gauges.

Bad : Fake awkward engine sound increases as you speed up negating the EV quietness; large turning radius then expected; interior size (and quality) more like RAV4 as opposed to RX

Ugly : Very awkward dark blue (seat) and cream (trims) combo in the interior; even more awkward paddle shifters for (non existent) tranny



Notes:

- White looks good, but other darker colors looks a bit cheap exterior wise
- Interior volume is on par with a NX/RAV4 vs a RX/Highlander, though design makes it feel intimate and not necessarily small
- Interior is a bit awkward and cheaper in quality then expected with lower grade pleather then typical lexus with strange contrasting interior colors (dark blue and cream); doesnt exude "luxury" like an RX
- Large infotainment screen that supports carplay/andriod auto is a +, but no other entertainment options
- Gauges and HUD is nice and lexus like
- Dual panamoric style roof is nice to brighten an otherwise dark interior (minimal chrome/wood inside)
- SHifter is a but awkward as you have to push down and then twist to desired R or D
- Even more awkward is the paddle "shifters" as the car is a direct drive 1 speed unit; was told it was for regen braking primarily
- Driving around town is very quiet; but once you floor it, fake engine noise is pumped into the cabin to mimic that you have an ICE hindering the ev quietness
- Off the line acceleration is good, but quickly scales down in speed as you get going (will not be a match for any Teslas)
- Strange for a smaller sized car, turning radius is pretty substantial then i would of thought
- There is a $10k rebate on the car for leases, but still is pretty high (with 53% residual)

Is an C+ attempt by Lexus for their first EV. Although powertrain is anemic, they could of focused on more Lux to differentiate themselves while their EV tech catches up later..

 

Thanks for the mini review. Can the fake engine noises be turned off? This car is an odd but expected blend of ICE and EV attributes maybe that appeals to some?

 

Good review. I was thinking of test driving one. Our Ioniq also has a paddle on the steering wheel, but it's for changing Regen settings. My daughters Bolt similarly has a paddle that acts like a brake that uses the motor for regen. Not sure why they did this

 

My salesperson and I tried to look all over to turn it off but couldn't find anything. and the salesperson pitch was Lexus did this because they were selling the RZ as a transitional EV.,...I was like, isn't that what the RX500h is for?

 

i want my cabin ambience ruined by engine noise SAID NO LEXUS CUSTOMER EVER. Add the fact that it’s fake and it’s even worse; because instead of solving the nvh problem inherent in ICE, they’re CREATING the same problem that EV’s already solved by default. It’s just another forced asinine move towards ruining the “relentless pursuit of perfection” that Lexus built its brand on. They did this same thing to the sales disaster known as the Lexus Ls500 by piping in engine noise into the cabin. I’m sorry but the person calling the shots at Lexus is an absolute 🤡 in my humble opinion.