- The 2026 Lexus RZ gets numerous updates to its powertrain and battery packs.
- The RZ550e is a new top-performance model with 402 hp, and all versions now have a longer estimated driving range.
- Lexus says the yoke-style steering wheel and steer-by-wire system won’t yet be offered in the U.S. market.
Lexus first revealed information about the updated RZ a few months ago, and now we have U.S.-specific details about the changes coming to this luxury EV SUV for the new model year. The 2026 Lexus RZ for our shores boasts additional power for the base model, a new 402-hp RZ550e F Sport trim level, and longer range thanks to battery updates. It also now has a NACS charging port, meaning it can use Tesla Superchargers for DC fast-charging. But the RZ’s biggest new feature—the steer-by-wire system with a yoke controller replacing the traditional steering wheel—won’t be coming to the U.S. market.Lexus confirmed to Car and Driver that the steer-by-wire system will not yet be available in the U.S.-spec RZ. We previously drove this system in a prototype in 2023, and it will be offered in the Europe-spec RZ, but we don’t have a timeline for when or if it will reach U.S. models.LexusOtherwise, the base front-wheel-drive trim is now the RZ350e, and it has 221 hp. That’s 20 hp more than the previous RZ300e, and it now claims 300 miles of range, a significant uptick from the previous 266-mile rating. The all-wheel-drive RZ450e has the same 308 hp as before, but its range is up too, now an estimated 260 miles compared with 220 miles before. All 2026 RZs will have the NACS (North American Charging Standard) charging port, and Lexus says it will be able to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 30 minutes. LexusThe new top model is the RZ550e F Sport, and it has a dual-motor setup with 402 horsepower, which Lexus says will get it to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. This model has a slightly larger battery pack—77 kWh compared with 75 kWh for the other models—but the least range of the bunch, at an estimated 225 miles. It also has styling tweaks and a new “manual-shift” M Mode meant to mimic the shifts of a conventional transmission in a gas car.Lexus hasn’t yet released pricing, but it says that the 2026 RZ will arrive in the U.S. later this year. It will likely start at around $45,000 and rise above $60,000 for the RZ550e F Sport.More on the RZDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
Source: caranddriver.com
