2026 Lexus RZ 350e review: This pure electric SUV has surprising rivals

[SINGAPORE] To borrow a term from the corporate world, the Lexus RZ 350e has just been right-sized for Singapore. That conjures up an image of workers being escorted from the building, but here it is a rear motor that has been axed.

Unlike the dual-motor RZ 450e that preceded it, this pure electric Lexus now has a single one driving the front wheels. It is slower as a result, but it does go further, the slightly upsized battery pack stretching the claimed range to a credible 509 km.

Yet, it remains a pleasure to drive. Most electric vehicles leave you feeling numb, but here there is a sense that driving enthusiasts took pains to calibrate the steering and controls with care, leaving things with a well-judged amount of heft and precision. It is refined when you want relaxation, and game when you are feeling playful.

The touchscreen menus are organised like those from the combustion era, too, so using the Lexus does not feel like trying to navigate a stranger’s iPad. It is roomy in the back, and overall feels like a sportier proposition than the ES 350e, the other electric Lexus on the market.

But it retains the same flaws that made the RZ a tough sell from the start.

Cabin storage is sorely lacking (there is no glovebox, and the tray under the cupholders is very hard to reach), there is no companion app to give you control from afar, and the quality is shocking for a Lexus. 

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Some cabin plastics creak, the luggage cover looks like a Taobao accessory, and the matte black wheel arches appear to have been painted by a teenager with a rattle can.

Right-sizing has made the RZ a more sensible electric car than before, but its platform siblings, the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru e-Outback offer the same driving pleasure for less money. In terms of price tag, they remain far more right-sized than this.