If I had 400 big ones lying around, I could pop out and buy myself a nice, medium luxury Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), although that would probably be grounds for divorce, because the money would be better put towards a bedroom bathroom in need of major renovation.

Still, this isn’t a bidet column, so here I am pointing out that S$401,800 could buy you a Lexus RZ 450e, a car that adds some welcome Japanese presence to the electric vehicle (EV) landscape.

On the other hand, I might be tempted by a Maserati Grecale for similar money. But it’s an indication of how upside down the world is at the moment, that the Italian car with the exotic nameplate is the mechanically humdrum one of the two, with a boisterous but fairly old-school turbo engine under its hood.

If you want something progressive instead, the Lexus eschews filthy pistons and spark plugs for wires and batteries and motors.

In some ways, the RZ 450e is more than a car. It’s a symbol of Lexus’ intention to leave combustion behind for good, a definitive step towards its goal to become an electric-only carmaker by 2030. It’s only the brand’s second EV, but it’s the first designed to run on batteries from the ground up.

Yet, as far as EVs go, the RZ (the name stands for “Radiant Zero”, as in zero emissions and, well, radiance) is quite a by-the-numbers machine.

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The styling makes good use of the brand’s spindle theme (which alludes to parent company Toyota’s origins as a textile loom manufacturer), but aside from a solid surface where a grille would usually be, the RZ doesn’t exactly look like it rolled off the pages of a manga book set in 2050 AD, the year Toyota wants to be fully carbon neutral.

Hewing to EV convention, the Lexus has a high-riding body with a slippery, raised backside silhouette that helps to boost range, plus the lengthy wheelbase that capitalises on electric motors’ compact size to maximise cabin space.

Sure enough, the Lexus offers a huge amount of rear legroom. The cabin itself feels airy and spacious, not least because the glass roof lets light pour in when you want. When you don’t, you can press a button to turn it opaque through some kind of electrochromic wizardry.

In an obvious break from the polished wood and opulent leather of Lexuses past, the RZ has a pared-down interior, with a huge, 14-inch touchscreen as its centrepiece. It does look modern and calming, but it isn’t posh.

Past Lexus models used leather from cows raised indoors to protect them from insect bites, but here the seats are covered in a synthetic fabric called Ultrasuede. Maybe you can accept that for sustainability reasons, but then there’s just too much plastic all over the dashboard.

Meanwhile, the boot has a flimsy luggage cover that would look more at home in a Suzuki, although on the plus side it can apparently swallow three golf bags. And if your friends want a peek under the bonnet, they’ll discover that it’s propped up by a cheap stand instead of gas struts.

At least it drives like a Lexus, in the sense that it glides like a cloud and whispers everywhere. A sound generator fills the cabin with a rising whirr when you lean heavily on the accelerator, but the noise is never intrusive or unwelcome.

The best part of driving the RZ 450e is the lovely way it gets up to speed, trundling slowly one moment and punching a hole through the air the next, propelled by twin motors that don’t waste time.

Yet, despite the strong acceleration, the car itself isn’t all that engaging behind the wheel. There’s a numbness to the steering and brakes that cancels out some of the fun, so the Lexus ultimately feels like a car for someone who wants to be soothed, rather than roused.

Its main challenge is that the EV space is crowded with competitive cars. The BMW iX3 doesn’t feel as modern inside but it’s practical and refined, and costs significantly less. Kia’s EV6 serves up the full bespoke electric-car experience with a sharp drive, and also for much less money. Then there’s the elephant in the EV room, the Tesla Model Y, with its ability to hit 100 kmh in a Ferrari-challenging 3.7 seconds and its range of 514 km – for roughly S$100,000 less.

Even if you’re a die-hard Lexus fan, the RZ 450e shares its basic underpinnings with the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, and having driven one and ridden in the other, I don’t think the RZ feels like enough of a step up from its sister cars. It has stiff competition to fend off, but this Lexus would do well to just feel more like a Lexus, starting with its interior.

Lexus RZ 450e Luxury

Power/Torque 309 hp/435 Nm

Battery type, capacity Lithium-ion, 71.4 kWh

Charging time (Type) 10 hours at 11 kW (AC), 30 minutes at 150 kW (DC)

Range 440 km

0-100 kmh 5.3 seconds

Top speed 160 kmh

Efficiency 18.7 kWh/100 km

Agent Borneo Motors

Price S$401,800 including COE

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