At the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, Lexus unveiled the LF-Z concept car. A year later, the LF-Z production version of RZ is about to be released, it and Toyota's upcoming domestic bZ4X using the same e-TNGA platform, RZ can be said to be a Lexus version of bZ4X.
Lexus RZ
At last year's auto show, the head of Lexus was interviewed by AutoLab and introduced, "Some advanced technical concepts on the LF-Z, such as steer-by-wire, and the 'Tazuna' rein concept cockpit. ”
Lexus LF-Z Concept
The real steering-by-wire and the special-shaped steering wheel will appear on the Lexus RZ for the first time as a mass production.
In fact, the concept of the special-shaped steering wheel is not the first of Lexus or Toyota, it has appeared in many concept cars, and it has been adopted in F1 racing cars for a long time. But the first to propose a special-shaped steering wheel on a production car was Tesla.
Tesla released a new generation of Model S last year, which is already equipped with a special-shaped steering wheel, and Tesla also gave this steering wheel a name - Yoke.
However, in addition to being cool, Yoko is not well evaluated. After the test, the US media believed that Yoke's only advantage was that the front view was better, but the disadvantage was that there were security concerns.
The special-shaped design is not suitable for changing hands at large angles, and the driver does not have a precise grasp of the steering wheel steering angle when cornering.
So will the special-shaped steering wheel used by lexus RZ be chicken ribs, and even what driving safety problems will there be?
First of all, let's talk about why F1 cars can be used, because the steering ratio of F1 is mostly set at 1:1 (adjusted according to different tracks), and in most cases the steering wheel can play 180 degrees left and right, that is, only one lap or so from left to right. So F1 doesn't need to change hands to play the steering wheel.
But the average civilian car is about 3 laps from left to right, several times more than an F1 car. If civilian cars also learn the same settings as F1, then the steering wheel will become extremely sensitive, and the slightest swing will cause the vehicle to deviate from the driving path. In addition, the road surface is not flat, so the steering wheel will also shake left and right, which is too uncomfortable.
Special-shaped steering wheel of the RZ production model
The reason why the Lexus RZ can use the special-shaped steering wheel is because it uses a technology that Tesla does not have - steer-by-wire.
What is the origin of the "Steer-by-wire" steer-by-wire? Steer-by-wire is a mechanical separation between the steering wheel and the steering actuator, and yes, there is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels.
So what are the advantages of steering-by-wire without a mechanical connection at all? There are two main aspects:
The first is that the steering ratio can be changed at any time, and the steering wheel does not need to spin wildly even when parking.
The Toyota BZ4X also uses an alien steering wheel
Lexus RZ sets the normal steering wheel rotation angle to ±150°, which can complete the steering operation without changing hands and wheels, which greatly reduces the driver's operating burden when making u-turns, entering the warehouse, driving in curves, etc.
So the Lexus RZ doesn't need to change hands at all. It is also possible to turn the steering wheel slowly at high speed and fast at low speed.
The second is that the steering wheel road sense can be simulated for different road conditions, so that the special-shaped steering wheel will be more stable when it goes in a straight line.
The road sense of the mechanical age is immutable after tuning, but the steering by wire is not mechanically connected, and all the road sense is simulated. Comfort mode, for example, filters out the vibrations of the road surface, while sport mode retains more road feedback, allowing the fish to have both the bear's paw.
Steer-by-wire can take a very bad road and will be as comfortable as a traditional Lexus, but when you run the track, you have the precise steering sense of BMW.
Steer-by-wire also has many benefits. For example, the legroom is expanded, which increases the freedom of the driver's seat and the convenience of getting on and off the bus. It is more friendly to electric vehicles and autonomous driving, etc., because the future of autonomous vehicles will definitely be based on electronics, so it is simply electronic to even turn.
Finally, what are the advantages of the profile steering wheel over a traditional circular steering wheel? No, it's just cool!
Therefore, on the Toyota bz4x with the same platform as the RZ, this special-shaped steering wheel is an option, and friends who resist this kind of steering wheel can not choose. There is also the subaru Soltera on the same platform, which is also the traditional circular steering wheel.
So when the Lexus RZ is listed, this special-shaped steering wheel is most likely also an option. So, will you choose the alien steering wheel?