when I saw the Toyota bZ4X/Subaru Solterra/Lexus RZ trio introduced I thought to myself that those might be interesting at the proper, highly discounted price point given that on paper they're unexciting.
well, my musings certainly came to bear fruit with my screaming Busy Forks lease deal (as you all will recall is net $54.91 x 24 mo with 0 extra down when factoring in the CO state credit). and in this short thread I will attempt to build a rational case for why the Lexus RZ should be my next lease.
on a practical level I can say that an RZ 450e's 220 mi of EPA range would be fine, as the 228 of the XLE AWD bZ that I have in the garage has been similarly fine. and so, too, with the packaging: it's an adequate size for us as a supplement to a minivan-size vehicle.
and on a purely aesthetic level I like that Lexus is making a bold Toyota Crown-like statement by offering the two tone combinations as above.
from the financial side of things there are two arguments to make in its favor. one is that Lexus Financial Services is throwing a bunch of lease cash towards it, and due to its non-hot nature front side discounts off of MSRP should be easily attainable.
with the context of Toyota Financial Services punting $16,250 lease subvention cash towards my Busy Forks lease, here's $22,350 that Lexus is offering currently towards RZ leases for the trim I'd want.
but, wait, there's more: one thing that I haven't seen in my admittedly very cursory reading of media takes on the Lexus RZ is that they offer 30 free Lexus rental days… days which are redeemable at any US Lexus dealer, not just your local one!
this is actually kind of huge. I could use this in lieu of renting vehicles from Seatac when visiting Seattle, as we regularly do. this is a $4k+ value to me in and of itself.
one last, minor in the grand scheme thing is of wheel sizes: the RZ 450e Premium trim comes with 18"s. I have 18" snow tires from our current PacHy, which I'll use on the leased Busy Forks assuming my PacHy -> ID.Buzz plans come to fruition prior to ski season.
in contrast, the Solterra lineup forces one to go to the Touring before one gets the pano roof, which I like on the Busy Forks. Tourings get 20"s. I want more sidewall and range, not less of each. similarly bZ4X Limited == 20"s. meh.
the RZ 450e Premium thus offers a unique slot among the trio: 18"s, surround view, memory seats with heat and ventilation alike. low price options for headlight washers and wiper heaters (actually nice in snow country!), front seat leg radiant heaters that sound nice, and a digital rearview mirror that might be nice?
in conclusion: thanks to the extra 30 free Lexus-rental days perk and generous lease incentives spurred by the fact that no one else is thinking like I am, an RZ might make sense.