Electric Lexus TZ REVEALED – and it’s aimed right at the Volvo EX90

The electric Lexus TZ is revealed as a large luxury six-seat SUV aimed at the Volvo EX90. Due in the UK in 2027.

If you want a big SUV with a ‘Premium’ badge, the Germans are considered the place to look to get not just a practical SUV, but one that attempts to give you a super-sized Hot Hatch on stilts with firm suspension and some handling chops.

But in the real world, many who have the wherewithal to indulge a higher-end SUV are more interested in it being cosseting and luxurious than a handling machine, and for those buyers, models from Lexus and Volvo have been the way to go, and now we’re in an era of EVs, nothing has changed.

Volvo has complemented its hugely successful XC90 with the electric Volvo EX90, and now Lexus is about to give it some serious competition with its own, large, six-seat electric SUV – the new Lexus TZ – which it describes as a ‘Driving Lounge’.

At 5100mm long, the TZ is a bit bigger than the EX90 and comes with a 224bhp e-Motor front and back for system output of 402bhp with juice coming from a 96kWh battery promising range of 330 miles, and a 0-62mph of 5.4 seconds, with a simulated eight-speed transmission like the RZ 550e F Sport.

In the looks department, the TZ is more brutal-looking than we’re used to from Lexus, with sharp angles and a ‘blanked-off’ statement grille – Lexus calls it ‘Provocative Simplicity’ – resulting in a decent drag coefficient of 0.27, which helps range.

But it’s inside that’s the main focus for Lexus, with a new 12.3″ driver display and 12″ infotainment, ‘Captain’s Chairs’ in the second row and a third row suitable for adults, slimmer front seats (means more space in row two), heated and cooling seats in row one and two, Panoramic roof and thicker glass for noise reduction.

Lexus Chief Engineer Takeshi Miyaura said:

We envisioned the Lexus target brand value – customers who value time and choose authenticity – and aimed to deliver a new Lexus experience. Electrification – a battery electric vehicle – emerged as the method for realising these values because it offers an ideal blend of driving enjoyment and evolution. In addition to the Lexus experience of ‘seeing, riding and driving,’ we now offer the new value of ‘spending time’ inside the vehicle.

No prices for the new Lexus TZ yet, but it is due on sale in the UK in 2016.