Lexus adds six-seat TZ flagship to its Irish range along with major upgrades to NX

Lexus has its sights on the well-heeled family buyer. The Japanese premium brand is bringing its new six-seat, all-electric TZ to Ireland next spring, priced at €92,790, while a major update to the NX plug-in hybrid promises up to 100km of electric driving, with prices starting at €65,810.

The new TZ will arrive in Irish showrooms in April, a month after the updated NX, giving Lexus a new flagship model.

The six-seat format, with two individual “captain’s chairs” in the middle row and no option for seven seats, means the third row is more likely to see everyday use than in many conventional seven-seat SUVs.

The good news is that it has been engineered to give legroom for adults in every row of the car. A six-foot passenger will still have space in front of their knees even if the person in front of them is over six feet tall as well.

The compromise is in the bootspace. Lexus claims with the third row in use there is still space for 290 litres, enough, it claims, to accommodate four 55 litre carry-on suitcases. However, the space is relatively shallow.

The TZ in Ireland will be offered with a single Executive specification, featuring four-wheel drive and a 95.8kWh battery pack expected to deliver a range of 544km. It will be able to charge at up to 22kW on AC and 150kW on DC. That DC limit is lower than many rivals these days, but Lexus executives say it will still deliver a 10 per cent to 80 per cent charge in about 35 minutes.

At 5.1 metres, it has a big presence, but four-wheel steering as standard means it has a turning circle on a par with the likes of the smaller NX, so it should be easier to drive around towns than its size might suggest.

Along with legroom, the length of the car also makes it a little easier to get in and out of the third row than in many seven-seaters.

Ian Corbett, head of Lexus Ireland, expects most of the TZ buyers – an estimated 150 in a full year – to be newcomers to the brand, with some coming from large mainstream seven-seat rivals like Kia’s EV9, for example.

As for the NX, the update brings significant changes to the plug-in hybrid, with its new 23kWh battery delivering an expected all-electric range of 100km while power output has increased to 307hp, with a 0-100km/h time of 6.1 seconds. It can now also take a DC charge up to 50kW.

The upgrade also includes revised exterior styling, a redesigned dashboard and an upgraded infotainment system.

In three grades – Executive, Luxury and F-Sport, prices will start at €65,810, €73,170 and €75,455 respectively.

While much of the premium focus has been on the battle between the German brands, Lexus has recorded significant growth in the last four years, recovering from sales of 431 in 2022 to 1,266 last year and expecting to reach 1,365 registrations in 2027.

Corbett expects these two models and an expanded dealer network of seven outlets to keep pushing the brand’s sales growth.