While you fly to Queenstown for a launch occasion, it’s obtained to be one thing particular. The pure location is gorgeous, and Lexus matched the hospitality to the placement, lodgings at Gibbston Lodge, discovering Ben Bayly’s Aosta in Arrowtown, and visiting Te Kano Winery and Vineyard and Edgewater, all lovely areas in themselves. But I used to be right here for the automobile.
Toyota is 35 years into its luxurious Lexus model and, having had lots of success with the GR-branded “go-fast” variations of their vehicles—such because the Yaris and Corolla—they’ve introduced that know-how plus further luxurious into the small SUV within the Lexus vary: the LBX. The brand new mannequin, or grade in Toyota language, known as the Morizo RR.
Akio Toyoda, chair of Toyota Group, completely loves his cars and has been guiding Toyota again to motorsport and with it, fashions that prospects love with nice success over latest years. This has culminated within the Morizo RR. “Morizo” is the undercover identify he makes use of IN racing so folks don’t know who he’s. Arguably, paradoxically, he’s created a brand new model, and one thing Lexus is fairly pleased about. RR stands for Rookie Racing, his favourite efficiency and racing home in Japan. So all in all, that is an fanatic’s automobile from arguably some of the influential lovers of all of them—the top of the Toyota Company.
This Lexus begins off with the LBX, a compact SUV, and then you definately add extra: Extra luxurious, extra go-fast, extra stopping energy, extra appears to be like, extra rims, extra tires, extra engine pleasure, extra of extra.
The appears to be like of this go-fast mannequin are placing. Over the 2 days I spent with the vehicles, they actually grew on me. There’s an unique vary of colours out there for this that you simply received’t discover elsewhere within the Lexus lineup. The edges themselves actually stand out, wanting resplendent of their multi-spoke engineering magnificence. Being all-wheel drive, this automobile sports activities a sq. stance with 235-wide low-profile tires, RR badging, black roof, decrease physique, and the broader stance and greater wheels set this except for the LBX, which was launched earlier this yr to a welcoming shopping for public.
The powertrain on this little firecracker is lifted from the GR Corolla—a 1.6-liter, three-cylinder peppy little engine placing out 206 kilowatts by all 4 wheels. Sounds good too, the efficiency exhaust provides it a nice snarl from the three-cylinder. Suggestions from the engine actually lets what it’s doing. Suspension is agency but honest, and the automobiles have been proper at residence in metropolis visitors but in addition after we put them to the check on the monitor. Extra about that later.
Internally it shares most of its inside with the LBX, including stitched Alcantara and leather-based. Pleasingly, there are many buttons enabling you to do issues with out referring to screens or a person guide. Wi-fi and wired cellphone choices prolong your media suite, navigation, and so on. I and different drivers saved commenting on the standard and luxury of the seats. For the driving force and entrance seat passenger, house is plentiful. The again seat goes to swimsuit a college run, however bear in mind it’s a compact automobile.
The spotlight of the first-look launch of this automobile was with the ability to take it on Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell. The skilled driving staff have been readily available to display simply how succesful this pocket rocket is. Nation street driving is nice, however there’s nothing like getting a automobile on a monitor so you possibly can check acceleration, braking, efficiency, you identify it.
First up was a gymkhana-style dealing with check, the place we swooped between the cones. The standout function for me right here was the constant all-wheel-drive dealing with demonstrated as all 12 of us efficiently navigated the course a few occasions. While you put a bunch of motoring journalists collectively, it appears they get a little bit bit aggressive. Most significantly, doing this little train, the automobile was only a bundle of enjoyable, and everybody got here again grinning from ear to ear—which is my primary check of what a automobile is wish to personal: the grin issue.
After this, we took a nook at velocity, training turn-in factors and how one can get a great begin. I experimented with a lot of modes and located that if I put every thing computerized, it did the most effective job. After all, there are paddles so you possibly can play with the slightly spectacular eight-speed direct-drive transmission, and that’s nice for altering down in a rush to make you are feeling such as you’re actually in management. And I feel management is an efficient abstract for this automobile. You recognize precisely what’s taking place. It’s predictable, which is without doubt one of the most important issues in any automobile, and particularly a automobile with a efficiency edge like this one.
Lastly, for our monitor actions, we did laps of the complete circuit at growing speeds, and in a testomony to the automobile greater than folks’s abilities maybe, everybody saved it on the tarmac, and whereas wheels may need been squealing a little bit, lots of protected enjoyable was had.
The true attraction of this automobile lies in its versatility—it may well comfortably be your each day driver whereas additionally satisfying your cravings for efficiency. It’s compact and maneuverable, making metropolis driving and parking easy. The superb visibility enhances security and ease of navigation, and its round-town zippiness injects a little bit of enjoyable into your on a regular basis commute. However when the weekend arrives, the LBX Morizo RR comes alive, permitting you to stretch your legs and discover its track-bred capabilities. Whether or not you’re carving by winding nation roads or taking it to the monitor, this automobile delivers exhilarating efficiency that thrills. It seamlessly blends practicality with pleasure, providing a driving expertise that caters to each your on a regular basis wants and your ardour for the street. In essence, it’s a automobile that doesn’t drive you to decide on between consolation and efficiency—you get the most effective of each worlds in a single trendy, dynamic bundle.
