First Drive: 2026 Lexus RZ

Algarve, Portugal — You have to hand it to the Portuguese; they really know how to build a road. Winding, straight, through villages full of white-walled and clay-roofed houses and lined with olive trees and always finished in a rich, black bitumen with nary a crack, dent, heave or pothole in sight. It’s so perfect that our hosts, for fear of us getting too comfortable on the glass-like surface, warned us to be wary of a single bump about 20 minutes down the road from our starting point.

And I had a front-row seat of it all at the wheel of the 2026 Lexus RZ electric luxury crossover. A view, it should be said, that’s clearer than usual because this particular ’26 RZ – the all-new 550e F Sport – has something called “drive-by-wire steering”. That replaces a traditional round steering wheel with a yoke, just like you might see on an airplane, F1 car or hey! How about the Batmobile? Since it only has grips at the 9- and 3 o’clock positions, your view forward and of the instruments is clearer than ever.

More than just providing a great view forward, steer-by-wire also allows for an adjustable steering ratio. At low speeds, fewer turns of the wheel are required to navigate a tight parking garage. Then, as speeds increase, slightly more steering input is required to get the front-end response you want, which provides more stability at high speeds. It takes some getting used to, but once done it makes a lot of sense.

Trouble is, it hasn’t yet been approved for use on our roads. Lexus says the process to get it certified has begun, but it seems we North Americans are going to have to wait just a little bit longer for this new tech.

So, we’re stuck with a traditional steering system (complete with full-round wheel and steering column) for now, but there’s plenty of new goodness added to the RZ 550e F Sport that we get to enjoy.

The RZ 550e F Sport gets special 20-inch wheels, blue brake calipers, additional front brake cooling vents, secondary spoiler and unique rear underbody diffuser. There’s also a new Wind colour that looks properly fetching. For its part, the 550e is the only model of the three available – a new-to-Canada 350e single motor front-wheel-drive, 450e and 550e F Sport, both with dual motor all-wheel-drive – that gets F Sport designation and the new styling touches.

Inside, F Sport touches include special seats with Ultrasuede finish, badging and some contrast-colour stitching. Be forewarned: the seats have slightly taller side bolsters that will squeeze the wider hip- and ribbed among us, a category in which yours truly finds himself. Otherwise, inside there’s good headroom both front and back, standard 14” infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and charging (plus five USB-C ports if you prefer) and digital gauge cluster. Which, as it happens, hasn’t changed from last year and seems like it’s been around since the Silent Era. Would have been nice to see an upgrade there as it remains dim and somewhat blurry.

The central infotainment display is tablet-like in its crispness and offers clear graphics, hi-def 360-degree parking cam and is easy to navigate. The volume and climate temperature controls are traditional hard buttons — which I appreciate – but to have to jab at the display to change drive modes is a bridge too far. That’s a small lament for what is otherwise a very functional and comfortable cabin.

One of the main complaints surrounding the last RZ was its lack of EV range. Lexus took that to heart and for 2026, the RZ can get up to 486 km of range depending on spec. It can be charged with an NACS charger to the tune of 10-80 per cent of capacity in about 30 minutes.

The 550e F Sport makes a little less range – 366 km – but that still eclipses what the RZ used to make and on the flip side, it’s good for 408 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h sprint of just 4.4 seconds. It’s likely that few RZ 550e F Sport owners will attempt that feat, but in practice that translates to easy passing when on the highway, confident merge speeds and a fun drive on twisty roads like these.

The ride and handling are up to the task promised by the power. Lexus has used more high-strength materials throughout the RZ’s body to make for a more stable and quieter ride. There’s less flex in the body, so wind and road noises are less likely to seep into the cabin. EVs are nothing if not quiet, and this Lexus luxury crossover may as well be a church mouse.

So, while the styling hasn’t made a huge jump for ’26 (especially on the 350e and 450e, which haven’t changed at all), they’ve improved it where it counts – the ride, the power and most importantly, the range. Isn’t it nice when manufacturers listen to consumer requests?