Toyota bZ4X SUV (2022 -) Electrical review

by James · July 6, 2022

Expert assessment

Toyota has taken the time to turn its hybrid expertise into all-electric cars, but the strangely named bZ4X is well worth the wait

Table of Contents

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With its bold style and crazy name, these are currently sensible trousers Toyota is getting electric, the bZ4X is finally turning the brand’s formidable experience with hybrids into a pure battery-powered vehicle. The BZ4X is characteristic inside and out, but based on clear and practical functionality and typically solid construction, and is similar to class favorites like the Skoda Enyaq iV and newcomers like the Nissan Ariya. In four-wheel drive, it even has semi-independent off-road performance, while range and driving characteristics are strong throughout the series, and all but the symbolic basic model are well-equipped for the money.

Reasons to buy:

Bold styling looks great
Convenient and comfortable
Turns out that common sense does not have to be boring

Operating costs for a Toyota bZ4X

“When it comes to costs even with increasing energy costs, there are potential savings to driving an electric car like the bZ4X compared to petrol or diesel”

Electric cars have traditionally cost more than similar petrol, diesel or hybrid models, but the market is increasingly competitive and the bZ4X is the same money as the plug-in version of the RAV4. It also looks good against rivals such as VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq iV, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. When it comes to costs even with rising energy prices, there are potential savings to drive an electric car like bZ4X compared to gasoline or diesel, especially if you have the ability to connect at home. To that end, Toyota is launching a free British Gas charging point and a six-month subscription to a wide network of public chargers through a dedicated app. Toyota is also offering different ways into the bZ4X, including a flexible, all-inclusive leasing option where all costs are covered in a single monthly payment. More conventional finance packages are also available, including one aimed at business users, but the goal of creating more accessible ways for drivers to go electric is commendable.

Expert rating: 5/5

Reliability of a Toyota bZ4X

“The technology that drives the bZ4X is brand new, but the brand’s reputation for excellence in engineering is at the heart of DNA.”

Toyota’s traditionally high reputation in reliability charts has suffered a slight blow in recent years, and the technology that drives the bZ4X is brand new, but the brand’s reputation for engineering excellence is at the core of its DNA. This, and the fact that Toyota has been refining its electrified powertrains for 25 years (and sold 20 million hybrids at that time!) Should provide some confidence, as well as that if you commit to regular battery health checks, it will guarantee at least 70 per . percent retained performance for 10 years or one million kilometers (620,000 miles), whichever comes first.

Expert rating: 4/5

Safety of a Toyota bZ4X

“It’s worth noting that the basic Pure trim works without things like blind spot alerts and parking sensors”

bZ4X comes with a formidable range of systems designed to keep you and those around you safe, packaged under the Toyota T-Mate brand. Highlights include a sophisticated automatic emergency braking system that intervenes if it thinks you are about to turn over oncoming traffic or onto a side road with invisible cyclists or pedestrians. Best of all, the technology generally seems unobtrusive, with the exception of the gnawing driver’s alert alert that scans you for so much as looking down to adjust climate control. However, it is worth noting that the basic Pure trim manages without things like blind spot warnings and parking sensors that we consider essential in a car of this type and the standard in the rest of the series. You still get a rear view camera.

Expert rating: 4/5

How comfortable is the Toyota bZ4X

“We appreciated the lower hood, which reduces the height of the dashboard for better visibility going forward”

Given that electric SUVs are still a new thing, it’s amazing how quickly the industry has decided on a standard format, the bZ4X gives or takes similar proportions to its rivals here. We appreciated the lower hood, which reduces the height of the dashboard for better visibility going forward, the driver and front passenger have plenty of space and the rear ones get plenty of legroom. The flat floor means that everyone sitting in the middle has room for their feet, even though the ceiling height with the panoramic roof was a bit limited. Although the luggage compartment is not as large as an ID.4, Enyaq or Ioniq 5, it has at least a practical low loading lip and useful storage space under the floor to store the charging cable. The driving comfort was also impressively refined, especially in the bumpy city streets where large wheels like those on our top test car often feel hard. It also does not tip over on winding roads, the steering is a little heavier than average, but feels more precise for that. The only thing we will notice is some tire noise on the highway, the absence of engine noise may highlight it.

Expert rating: 5/5

Features of the Toyota bZ4X

“We liked the interior style, the fabric top of the dashboard lifts the mood while the large storage box between the front seats has many options for hiding things and things.”

If perhaps a little monotonous compared to some of the more funky interior options offered by the likes of VW and Skoda, we liked the interior design, the fabric top of the dashboard lifts the mood while the large storage box between the front seats has many options for hiding bits and bobs. Toyota, like the Peugeot, puts the instrument cluster over a tiny steering wheel, which we had to have in our laps to see the speedo. A large central screen takes care of your infotainment needs, the sharp graphics and commendably simple menus, a huge improvement over similar systems in other Toyotas. The basic Pure trim does not do this, and also misses quite a few of the convenience and assistance features found in the rest of the series, so we would recommend going up at least one class to Motion to do your bZ4X justice.

Expert rating: 4/5

Power for a Toyota bZ4X

“If range is a priority, the front-wheel drive models on smaller wheels are the only ones that drive over 300 miles on a single charge”

It’s something of a horsepower arms race in some corners of the electric car world, but we’d rather admire Toyota’s decision not to play along, concentrating instead on maximizing range and offering enough performance to get ahead with instead of more than you can spend. realistic. You can get the bZ4X in single-engine front-wheel drive or two-engine four-wheel drive, the latter with modest-sounding 218 horsepower. On the road, this feels more than healthy enough, with effortless acceleration and commendable smooth throttle response and integration with regenerative braking. Where others like Kia offer a confusing array of modes for this Toyota has a simple on / off switch that lets the car figure it out for itself. And it does a good job, charging when you lift the accelerator pedal for crossroads or turns, even if it is not a real single pedal system. If range is a priority, the front-wheel drive models on smaller wheels are the only ones that drive over 300 miles on a single charge, although the efficiency we got on a mixed city, country and highway driving suggests that Toyota is conservative in its claims and the bZ4X is smart with the way it uses the battery power. One point that is worth noting is that the bZ4X will start with 6.6 kW on board, while cars that come later will be able to charge with 11 kW, which can make a reasonable difference for how long it takes to charge the battery.

Expert rating: 3/5