It’s the first Lexus purpose-built electric vehicle, but what does the RZ 450e deliver to the premium electric SUV class? Al Suttie heads behind the wheel for a week.

Lexus RZ 450e Takumi

List price (BiK): £73,945 (2%) Electric range: 252 miles Charge: 0-80%, 30 minutes (150kW DC) Test efficiency: 233 miles

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Monday

The all-electric RZ 450e looks like an ideal fit with the Lexus approach to refinement and calm driving environments. With the hush that comes with battery-powered cars matching the Japanese firm’s leanings towards quiet travel, my time with the RZ promises to be hushed and relaxing. Not so sure about the Sonic Copper and Black bi-tone paintwork, but you can’t have everything, I suppose.

Tuesday

Looks-wise, I know the RZ is meant to be an SUV or crossover, but it seems more like a raised hatch to my eyes, which is not a bad thing – just a bit of a brain teaser as more SUVs try to hunker down for improved dynamics. There’s nothing wrong with how the RZ gets about town as it has supple suspension and soaks up bumps and speed humps with a plushness that marks it out as a very luxurious car to be in.

Wednesday

On some faster stretches with the RZ and its supreme comfort in town persists on the open road. Sure, there’s some lean in the corners, but as this isn’t a sports car or AMG/M-badged attempt to square the circle of making an SUV into a performance car, I’m happy with the way it goes round corners. There’s not a great deal of steering feedback, but I love the neoprene-style material covering the steering wheel.

Thursday

As with the Lexus RX I tried recently, the door release handle needs to be pulled twice to open the door, which is irksome and unnecessary. While you’d get used to this during ownership, I’m a bit more bothered about the slightly flimsy feel of the RZ’s door trim – not what I expect of a Lexus. Every time I pull the door closed, it visibly flexes and feels like it’s pulling away from its mounts.

Friday

Lexus has upped its charging game with the RZ 450e so it can be topped up quickly from the more rapid chargers, compared to the UX 300e. I’m also very pleased to see the brand has used the under-boot space to store its charging cables rather than leaving them to rattle around in the boot as so many of its competitors do. There’s also enough space left over in here to stash some valuables if required.

Saturday

The dimmable panoramic sunroof fitted to this RZ 450e Takumi is more than just a gimmick. During my time with the car, the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds, so it could be burning bright one moment and overcast the next. Being able to adjust the amount of sunlight in the cabin instantly with the clear/opaque choice of sunroof is a feature that endears itself.

Sunday

A claimed range of 252 miles on a full charge is in the ballpark for this size and price point of electric SUV. So long as you don’t use the full whack of the RZ’s 313hp twin electric motors to check out the 0-62mph time of 5.3 seconds too often, you should get close to that in real-world driving. Just as importantly, the RZ proved me right with its top-drawer refinement and cabin hush, which is reasonable to expect in a car of this price.