SHARP Drives: Cruising the West Coast in the Refreshed Lexus RZ
2025 marked the 35th anniversary of Lexus’ retail operations in Canada, and as a third and final instalment in the marque’s celebrations, a westward adventure entered the calendar. The proposition was a hard one to ignore, as they often are. With Vancouver as our start/finish line, we were scheduled to spend a moment in the city before launching out to Tofino at the wheel of an assortment of the brand’s latest offerings — including the newly refreshed Lexus RZ.
While I was still interested in some seat time with the latest RX and NX hybrid platforms, I’d been fixated on the updated RZ since its update was first announced. The Lexus RZ competes with the likes of the Genesis GV60 and Tesla Model Y, filtering into that sweet “not too big, and not too small” segment that’s a good fit for many urban drivers. Adding the RZ 550e in F SPORT trim to the 2026 lineup brought an even greater level of intrigue, as this is the first sport-focused EV from Lexus to come into the market. If past experiences with the RC F and IS F were any indication, it was going to be a fun drive to say the least.
First and foremost, it was a moment to reflect on the brand’s lasting legacy in Canada. Visiting the latest Lexus Studio by Regency — the brand’s latest retail and experiential space concept — the Lexus Canada team walked us through its evolution in the Canadian landscape, while also reflecting on how its portfolio has continued to thoughtfully adapt to the ever-changing automotive industry as a whole. This culminated in the reveal of the all-new Lexus ES sedan, which we’ll no doubt be driving later this year. Being able to walk through this sort of compendium of Lexus’ product evolution paints an interesting picture. While the overall brand design language has shifted significantly over the years, there’s a clear continuation of priorities. Craftsmanship, quality, and intention echo through its products now as much as they did on day one, further cementing my understanding of how the brand maintains such a loyal customer base.
Night swiftly turned to early morning — accounting for our lengthy ferry ride across to Vancouver Island — and we were off to the races. Car selection worked in my favour, and the RZ 550e F SPORT quickly showed me why its on-paper spec caught my eye. The high-performance EV puts out a mighty respectable 402 horsepower, trading performance for a slight drop in range; for context, the 550e F SPORT has an estimated electric driving range of 369 kilometres, whereas the 450e can achieve 418 km with an output of 308 horsepower. The 350e travels even further with less horsepower; it’s not running all-wheel drive, however, thus negating the more direct comparison. Equipped with a Tesla-compatible NACS charging port, the model ensures that recharging is as efficient as possible.
We’re still looking at an all-electric luxury SUV, thus this isn’t time for tales of lateral g-force measurements or Nürburgring lap times. In the same breath, there’s something charming about a luxe EV people-hauler that feels genuinely fun and spirited from behind the wheel. The roads from Nanaimo to Tofino are the perfect place to experience a platform like this RZ, and even on the wet roads it eagerly chewed up the miles. Its cabin keeps road noise to a minimum, while a 14-inch Lexus Interface screen provided suitably-intuitive functionality and a 13-speaker Mark Levinson audio system handles the premium audio requirements. The addition of an auto-dimming panoramic glass roof was a nice touch as well, saving the hassle and moving parts of a sliding cover.
On top of it all, one additional feature really brought out my inner car geek. You’ll note a pair of shift paddles on the RZ 550e F SPORT steering wheel, and you’ll no doubt recall that electric vehicles don’t have a conventional gearbox. Where other brands have used paddles as a means of controlling regenerative braking, that’s not what we’re looking at here. Lexus has programmed a manual mode into this variant of RZ. That’s right: it is programmed so that it can be “shifted” like a normal internal-combustion vehicle, complete with tuned sound design that gives the impression of gear-based acceleration. Is it necessary? No. Is it practical? Not in the least. Will it engage all your auto enthusiast impulses and put a smile on your face as you rip down a secluded back road? ABSOLUTELY.
This RZ already has its competitive benchmarks on lock in terms of quality, value, range, and performance, but the spec sheet won’t tell you about the car’s spirit. There are some spectacular EVs in the market now, but only a few land in the bucket of equal parts practical and fun these days. It’s just the right winning formula to appeal to those who’ve yet to make the jump to Lexus while still satisfying the Lexus faithful.
Learn more about the newly refreshed Lexus RZ here.
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