The New All-Electric Lexus RZ Has a Faux Manual Transmission

Part of the crisis of the ongoing transition to electric vehicles, some enthusiasts say, is that EVs are less fun to drive, in part because there’s no use in an EV for a manual transmission. Those enthusiasts might not like faux manual transmissions any better, but Lexus is the latest automaker to give it a try in its all-electric RZ SUV.

The RZ has a feature called Interactive Manual Drive for a “manual-like control of drive force for an engaging driving experience,” Lexus says. The feature will synchronize acceleration and deceleration with sound to simulate driving a manual car, which could increase one’s driving pleasure. Interactive Manual Drive is among two new interesting features for the RZ, which was first introduced in 2023. There is also a yoke instead of a steering wheel, part of the car’s steer-by-wire system, which is intended to improve maneuverability by varying the car’s steering response at different speeds.

The 2026 RZ will perhaps draw more attention than its predecessor, which offered just 201 horsepower in its base model, or 308 horsepower in its more exciting version, numbers that have been upped to 221 horsepower and 376 horsepower, and 402 horsepower in the dual-motor top trim RZ550e F Sport. Range, meanwhile, could be over 300 miles, though official numbers haven’t been released. The Lexus RZ is a basic electric car, in other words, befitting a marque and parent company (Toyota) that have been reluctant to embrace electric cars.

Steer-by-wire and the faux manual transmission should add something to think about, though, and Lexus says that it plans further refinements.

“Moving forward, Lexus will continue to push the boundaries of its signature driving experience by seamlessly integrating cutting-edge hardware and software,” Lexus’s chief engineer Shinya Ito said in a statement.

The faux manual transmission and its manufactured sounds to match acceleration and deceleration will be the noise of an EV, according to Car and Driver, and not the roar of an internal combustion engine. The faux manual transmission will have eight different “speeds.”

From a performance perspective, 402 horsepower and faux manual transmission aren’t the stuff track dreams are made of, but they are a nod to the fact that many drivers want something more out of EVs than simple push-button operation. Honda, for example, is looking into similar technology, though other automakers haven’t been as keen, perhaps in part because demand for EVs has recently slowed.

It also hasn’t been confirmed if the faux manual transmission in the Lexus RZ will make it to the U.S., as Lexus said for now that it is only planned for the version of the car being sold in Europe. We can only hope, though, because the more ideas the merrier in the still-evolving EV space.

Click here for more photos of the new Lexus RZ.

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