Lexus has finally put numbers to its first three-row electric SUV. The 2027 Lexus TZ 450e will start at $64,050 when it reaches US showrooms late this year, with up to 315 miles of EPA-estimated range. That part is the good news.
The strange part: when Lexus revealed the TZ back in May, it promised 402 horsepower. Now, quietly updated production specs list just 308 hp — and the missing 94 horses have resurfaced as a paid “Performance Upgrade” available on only one trim. According to TFLcar, Lexus appears to be taking the Tesla route with its power approach.
The Missing 94 Horsepower
Every TZ 450e ships with the same dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup and an “evolved” version of Lexus’s DIRECT4 system, good for 308 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of torque, according to Electrek. That’s well short of the 402 hp Lexus floated at launch.
Here’s the catch: the 402-hp figure isn’t gone entirely. The top-spec TZ 450e Luxury is the only model that can get up to 402 horsepower — if you buy a “Performance Upgrade.” In other words, the power is presumably already in the car; Lexus just wants you to pay extra to use it. Tesla has played this exact game for years with Acceleration Boost, but seeing the tactic arrive at Lexus — a brand that sells on quiet, complete luxury — is a notable shift.
Lexus hasn’t disclosed the price of the Performance Upgrade yet, which makes the $80,550 Luxury trim’s true cost-to-power ratio unknowable for now.
Three Trims, One Odd Value Curve
The lineup, per Lexus’s updated press materials, looks like this:
The base TZ 450e Premium starts at $64,050 (including a $1,550 destination fee), arrives late this year, and pairs a 77-kWh battery with 253 miles of range. The Premium Touring, at $72,050, steps up to a 96-kWh pack for 315 miles of range, and adds dynamic rear steering plus a rear comfort drive mode. Both arrive in early 2027.
Then there’s the flagship Luxury at $80,550 — $8,500 more than the Touring, with the same big battery, but only 279 miles of range. The culprit is its standard 22-inch wheels, which shave 36 miles off the estimate. So the most expensive TZ goes the shortest distance. If range is your priority, the middle trim is the sweet spot by a wide margin.
For context, Lexus’s entry price sits between mainstream rivals like the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 ($60,555) and luxury competitors like the Volvo EX90 ($78,090), according to Electrek.
First to Market on the Shared Platform
The TZ rides on Toyota’s dedicated three-row EV architecture, shared with the upcoming Toyota Highlander EV and Subaru Getaway — both of which have been delayed and now arrive in 2027 as 2028 models. The Lexus beats its own siblings to American showrooms, a rare bit of platform politics working in the luxury brand’s favor, with the Premium trim expected to begin deliveries late this year.
The Specs That Survived the Fine Print
What didn’t get quietly downgraded: a standard NACS port, so Tesla Supercharger access needs no adapter. DC fast charging tops out at 150 kW, good for a 10-to-80% charge in about 35 minutes (28–35 depending on battery). An 11-kW onboard AC charger is standard, with a 19-kW upgrade available.
The TZ also gets bi-directional charging, a 2,400-lb towing capacity, and up to 91.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the second and third rows folded. Inside: a 12.3-inch digital cluster, a 14-inch infotainment screen running the latest Lexus Interface, and new EV Routing and EV Range Map functions to hunt down chargers. At 200.8 inches long with a 120.1-inch wheelbase, it’s roughly the size of a Hyundai Ioniq 9.
Why this matters
Every outlet covering this story led with the prices. The prices are fine. The real story is what happened to the power — and what it signals. A legacy luxury brand quietly trimming its launch horsepower figure by nearly a quarter, then selling the original number back as a software-style upgrade, is the Tesla playbook imported wholesale into the Lexus showroom. Buyers comparing spec sheets against the EV9 or Ioniq 9 will see 308 hp where Lexus once promised 402, and the only path back runs through the most expensive trim. Meanwhile, the lineup’s own math undercuts the flagship: the Luxury trim costs the most and goes the shortest. If you’re shopping the TZ, the $72,050 Premium Touring is the one that makes sense — the most range, rear steering, and no hostage-taking over horsepower.
Meanwhile in Cars & EVs: Bentley Torcal debuts as the brand’s first-ever EV — 876 hp and a $230,000 sticker — and Geely’s 2.2-megawatt charger promises 4-minute EV charging.
