[ad_1]
Released on December 24, 2025, the new Lexus RZ features an eye-catching square steering wheel instead of the usual round one. Our April 2023 episode went behind the scenes of its development. Customers can finally experience a car developed in pursuit of even greater driving pleasure and comfort.
The distinctive steering wheel features the steer-by-wire system, a first for Lexus. While in conventional cars, the steering wheel is physically connected to a steering rack that moves the wheels, in the steer-by-wire system, steering input from the driver and road-surface data are sent electronically to the tires. The steering gear ratio can be configured freely, allowing approximately 200 degrees of steering from the center position. Unlike a conventional car, which requires hand-over-hand turning, this system lets you keep your hands in place and simply turn the wheel left or right, allowing for more intuitive driving.
In this episode, Yuta Tomikawa takes a test drive. Surprised by how easily the car turns with just a light touch of the steering wheel, he notes that it gives more confidence when cornering than a round wheel. While driving the Special Edition RZ600e “F SPORT Performance,” he gets hooked on the Interactive Manual Drive (commonly known as M Mode), which uses paddle shifters to simulate the experience of driving a manual. Try to count how many times he exclaims, “This is fun!”
Go Hatakeyama, General Manager at Lexus Ikegami, says that the low adoption rate of BEVs is a major concern for potential RZ buyers. He expressed his determination to use steer-by-wire as a catalyst for expanding BEV demand.
See for yourself how the steer-by-wire system delivers unprecedented control and how it differs from conventional steering.
[ad_2]
Source by [author_name]
