Often you drive an automobile you simply do not gel with.

The initial Lexus RZ was such a case. It was Lexus’ very first battery EV, and I was less than pleased when I drove it in 2023. I compared it adversely to the very not-good Vinfast VF8. Lexus understood there was space for enhancement, too, so it remodelled the RZ with brand-new motors, a brand-new battery, and NACS charging for North America, to name a few tweaks, for design year 2026. A front-wheel drive RZ 350e is now the variety’s entry point at $47,295, and there’s likewise a $58,295 four-wheel drive RZ 550e F Sport that tops the variety. We invested a week with the latter.

Conscious of how little I liked the very first RZ I drove, I ensured to approach the 550e F Sport with an open mind. And in spite of a variety of the vehicle’s drawbacks, I discover I have warm sensations for the electrical Lexus.

New battery, brand-new motors

There are brand-new batteries for all MY2026 RZs, however the 550e gain from a somewhat bigger capability, at 77 kWh. Each axle includes a long-term magnet concurrent motor, now with silicon carbide electronic devices, that provides a combined 402 hp (300 kW). There’s likewise some brand-new body stiffening, plus included sound dampening. As an F Sport Lexus, the 550e likewise gets some styling additions compared to its lower brother or sisters. There are brand-new bumpers and a brand-new front grille, plus 20-inch wheels using aero covers that conceal blue-painted brake calipers.

On those 20-inch wheels, the variety is simply 229 miles (369 km), which’s just in maximum ambient conditions. In cold however not sub-freezing February weather condition, the RZ 550e balanced 2.5 miles/kWh, and with the battery at 50 percent state of charge, the cars and truck reported just 88 miles (142 km) of variety. Air conditioning charging now peaks at 11 kW instead of simply 7 kW, and with its NACS port, the RZ can DC fast-charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes, Lexus states.