So do I. I want to definitely look at it up close if it does come out next year

 

Toyota already announced earlier more information about their electric motors and Direct4, so mags know what motors it will have.
However, they might limit the total output, because faster you draw from battery, less it lasts... with Toyota guaranteeing 90%, while others do 70% (and actually lot of old Teslas get replacements because previous warranty was better).

So I think we need to look at 450e name, and what does that tell us in Lexus terms. I assume it would be around 350hp, but maybe even 400hp, so who knows, between 300hp and 400hp. Should be plenty, again, as long as you dont compare it to EV-only manufacturers.

 

To be clear in my point, I am not referring to the length of the front end, but the placement of the front axle/wheels. I'm talking about pushing them forward, a al RWD layout, versus pulling them back, like FWD.

 

Understood, but it is probably the same effect either way.....no mater where the front wheels are, the more crush-space you have in front of the wheels, usually the better. But I understand why some people don't like long front ends..it adds weight up front, and, while helping stability, it slows steering-response. That's why classic sport-sedans tend to have short overhangs.

 

The cosmetic bits have nothing to do with crush space and safety. I get what you're saying but if you look at the current Toyota models for example the RAV4 there is a whole bunch of air space just because they want a certain look it adds zero to the crash worthiness of the car.

 

Well, the laws of physics don't necessarily agree, but it's not worth going on and on about.

I hope to see an RZ at the D.C. Auto Show in late January, if they bring one. I can comment more on it then. The D.C. Show, though, typically does not show off a many all-new models as Detroit and L.A., although the Detroit Show might be less-important now that it is in June instead of January.

 

I understand Mike's point - the greater the overall length, the greater the impact absorption.
However, JDR has a point too, and that is for any given overall length, the greater the wheelbase and track, the larger the battery capacity that can be housed in the floor pan and the larger the safety cell to protect the occupants. Once the safety cell starts deforming, then the occupant's legs break etc.

 

That's not how crash worthiness works it is way more complex. Otherwise a giant American boat from the 60's would be the safest car ever.

 

Im with MM. the more room to crush…the safer.

I also think there are two reasons why they made it look like that. 1. Vast majority of unibody cars/SUVs are FWD, so many people are used to FWD design , so you want it to blend in more than you want it to look different. Cross shopping a NX, RZ or RX….they are all very similar. 2. Guaranteed that there is some cross-design with the NX, RZ and RX (including the Toyota counterparts) to significantly cut development costs.

Most people are not hung up on overhangs. I have two FWD cars and two RWD-based SUVs…makes no difference to me either way. I think the styling looks great.

 

"FWD Design" is a thing?? How do you explain FWD design? You're saying FWD requires a long hood?

 

I suspect FWD-like is where the front door is right up against the front wheel arch like most TMC BEV's like Toyota bZ or Lexus RZ450e, while RWD-like is like your Tesla Model S, or even like this TMC Sports Coupe BEV with a front midengine look below.

 

FWD cars have their engines mounted in front of the axles and have a long front overhang to accommodate it, while RWD has it mounted at or behind the axles, giving them a longer axel-to-dash ratio. People are questioning why the RZ "needs" to look FWD when it doesn't even have an engine, thus no need for any overhangs.

 

I grew up with those cars...and knew them inside and out. After they got standard seat-belts and shoulder-harnesses in the mid/late 1960s from the legislation that Ralph Nader got passed, those so-called big American boats, with the possible exception of a few models from Volvo and Mercedes, were among the safest cars on the road. Of course, in all fairness, their giant mass and poor handling made them more prone to hitting things that smaller, more maneuverable vehicles could evade.

 

They'd be considered death traps by todays standards. Also, front overhang does nothing for safety on an EV which is inherently much safer than any ICE in the front as they have no engine to deal with in a frontal collision. Overhang is now just a styling / design decision at this point.

 

Perhaps...depends on what they hit, and how they hit it.