u/TheRealTouge

Went in today for an appointment to drive the 350e, but it wasn't ready, so I took the 550e for an hour or so. Then into the 350e for a few hours. Was good to get to drive them back-to-back.

350 L package was super nice, and very similar to the NX, but the 550 won my heart. I just love everything about that car, so after a little conversation, I ordered the 550.

MSRP at the current exchange rate is about $60,200 (¥9,500,000). Lexus Japan only sells at MSRP. No discounts and no markups. The only manufacturer option I added was the digital rearview mirror. Ditched the roof (too hot here) and the Mark Levinson audio...I can't tell the difference anyway. All black interior. No red or blue accents. That's about it for manufacturer options, anyway. Everything is pretty much standard here. Piled in a bunch of dealer options and the total was ¥9,982,000 or $63,177 including registration and the lot. Sonic Chrome and keeping the black fender arches.

On top of that, there's a $6,455 subsidy coming back and Lexus pays for the 6kw charger and install at the house.

November Delivery. Can't wait.

Previous post Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LexusRZ/s/hcQSWw2AXr

Showed up for scheduled test drive today, and of course the 350e wasn't available...because this is what they always do to me :-) Even for service, they put me in a loaner and it's always a higher-grade model than what I have... The good part is that Lexus where I live in Japan pretty much lets me take the car as long as I want (like all day), so I got to really test it out.

And just like that, I'm ready to throw down $64,000 vs. the $55,000 for the 350e L package, both before rebate. Current government of Japan rebate for the 350e is $8,200, and only $6,500 for the 550e because MPGe category.

I was ready to do the deal right there after the drive, but my wife objected and we now have a 350e reserved for the coming Wednesday...LOL That's the deal, I have to drive that one first before making the choice, but the NX is completely off the table. Giving up some range, but those F-Sport seats, though... I got used to them in our NX F-Sport, and as good as the standard seats are, it's hard to get around....my weekend car also being a GR Yaris with amazing seats.

I thought I would HATE the steering wheel, but got used to it pretty quick, and once you get spooled up on that variable ratio, tight turns, and all... Man, I was smiles ear-to-ear. Not even my GR Yaris brings smiles like this car...it's just fun to drive.

So the verdict is 100% going with the Lexus RZ. 350e or 550e TBD by 3pm on Wednesday. It's going to be a 10 year car for us, so a bit concerned about expensive newer tech like the steering having issues down the road when out of warranty, and will have a think about that the next few days.

Last, would appreciate input from those with real-world 550e range in "city" driving.

Thanks.

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Was here a while back (like one or two posts), got tired of all social media and deleted my online life. Now I'm back...LOL

Started in the hills of Japan in the late 1980s. Still here. Still doing nonsense, although it's a lot lower key and a lot tamer these days. I think I'm going to start filming some onboards, which is probably a really dumb move... Was on AST/Moton, Ohlins DFV before that, now on custom valved Nitron R3 with 80nm springs F/R.

Pics:

1. Quick run 10 minutes from home. One way up and one way down. 2nd gear tight.
2. Parking lot at the beginning of a 14km run through the mountains.
3. My home garage/bunker.

Mods:
A good portion of the GR Parts catalog.
GR Selections factory power and high response throttle upgrade.
300hp/400nm
HKS Exhaust.
Nankang Sportnex CR-S 235/40R18
HEL brake lines.
Nitron R3 w/ 80nm springs F/R.
Cusco engine torque mount.
Cusco Differential mount collars.
Camber 2.1° F/R
Toe Front/0mm Rear/2mm in

Cheers!

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Most people dread the winter. Here we dread the summer, but June has been fairly mild. Hoping it holds. 15km last Sunday.

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Really asking for a sanity check here. Maybe I'm missing something. TLDR: Basically, with the rebate bringing the price to that of the NX350h F-Sport (possibly cheaper) and not having to pay for the charge station, the warranty, etc., I'm having a hard time coming up with a single reason not to buy the RZ350e... I'm a data person and I feel like I'm missing something.

Location: Okinawa Japan. Island life. Although I've owned several Toyota/Lexus hybrids, I've not really been a fan of EVs for all the typical reasons. Resale, range, premium price, charging location issues, the list goes on.

Our current Lexus, a 2015 NX350h F-Sport is still in excellent condition, and I intend to take it over and put my wife in a new one. So, we went to Lexus yesterday to look at the NX and talk about the upcoming facelift in the fall. Because we no longer drive like when the kids were in school, we thought it might be better to skip the hybrid and just go for the NX350 F-Sport with 2.4L turbo. Outweighs the hybrid premium as we won't drive it enough to recoup the fuel and maintenance savings. I do all the maintenance with dealer-level capability. We were put on the short list, where we will be able to pre-order the NX as soon as it's official.

Then, the RZ caught my eye. They had a 350e and 550e in the show room. Base price, the RZ350e is considerably more than the NX I want. But then I sat down with the salesperson...

Toyota pays for the charger and install. Currently there's a ¥1.3M rebate from the Japanese government for the RZ350e. This alone offsets the price difference for today's NX, and the facelift will likely be thousands more. He also said the ICE-only version is likely to be discontinued, so the gap closes. The EV "premium" is gone.

We live on an island, so everything is short trips. Never more than 200km in a day. The temperature almost never dips below 12°C/54°F. Salesperson said the realistic range here with AC on is around 450km with the 20" tires. Battery warranty is 8 years/200,000km, extendable to 10 years. I generally keep and drive cars I like for ten years or more, so resale value isn't really an issue for me. Annual road and weight tax is cheaper. I never have to change the oil again...LOL I seriously feel like this is the ideal Lexus vehicle for us, but it feels too good to be true. Tell me what I'm missing, please.

Thanks!