Toyota bZ4X: Japanese invasion of the electric world

Given the current realities of carbon neutrality, Toyota has focused on moving to an "electric world". And now, with the bZ4X, the brand's first electric vehicle built on the e-TNGA architecture co-developed with Subaru, the Toyota name is becoming a more prominent player in the electric field.  


Beyond Zero - “Below zero”, this is how the first part of the bZ4X abbreviation is deciphered, and means that in motion the car does not produce harmful, polluting emissions. The ending denotes a class - a crossover, and refers to the RAV4. 

Appearance

Unlike the Subaru clone, Toyota lacks a “radiator grille”, which makes the bZ4X look futuristic – a kind of Japanese Tesla! But these unpainted body elements spoil the view.


To tell the truth, Kia EV6 and even Volkswagen ID.4, not to mention Tesla, look much more modern and elegant. Don't get us wrong, the bZ4X has merit. For example, the fact that this is Toyota! 

Salon

In the cabin, everything becomes more fun, especially the aesthetic perception and the quality of the finish. Of course, the interior still has a lot in common with the Solterra, but it's a breath of fresh air for Toyota, as the bZ4X's media screen makes the bZXNUMXX look more modern than any of the brand's current models. At the same time, there are some strange design decisions in the cabin. For example, the placement of the dashboard, which, by the way, is a seven-inch screen. So, the “dashboard” is located too far from the steering wheel, leaving a large space between them (in the style of Peugeot) and in certain positions the steering wheel covers the “tidy”, which interferes with reading information. 


Another odd thing to note is that the bZ4X doesn't have a glove box. Yes, it's true, there is no "glove box"! So the chief designer of the project decided, they say: "my wife's handbag did not fit there." In return, Toyota provided a place under the center console, of course, open to the eyes of the curious.

Equipment and safety

Toyota bZ4X is offered in two trim levels. The base XLE is equipped with a seven-inch instrument panel, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charging pad for the phone, an engine start button, optional heated front seats and a leather-wrapped tilt and reach steering wheel. XLEs come with a six-speaker audio system by default.


It also comes standard with a full suite of driver assistance tools, which Toyota calls Safety Sense 3.0. The security package contains features such as:

✅ Blind spot monitoring
✅ Adaptive cruise control
✅ Traffic sign recognition
✅ Lane keeping assistance
✅ Rear Cross Traffic Alert
✅ Collision warning system with pedestrian detection
✅ Lane departure warning with steering control

In the Limited trim, the Toyota bZ4X features an eight-way adjustable power driver's seat, heated and ventilated front seats, remote start and a heated steering wheel. Rear seat heating is available as an option. Limited models are equipped with a JBL audio system with subwoofer.

Controllability 

The first thing you should pay attention to when driving is the lack of intelligible feedback on the steering wheel when driving on the motorway. This is due to the fact that Toyota switched to “Drive by Wire” steering, that is, the steering wheel and the steered wheels are not mechanically connected to each other. But when driving around the city, the bZ4X is perceived as nimble and obedient.


The suspension is soft, which, of course, is right, because no one needs a Lamborghini Urus for family trips. Cornering is also no problem for the bZ4X due to the low center of gravity provided by the heavy weight of the battery under the floor. 

Acceleration dynamics

Toyota bZ4X is by no means reproached for slowness. The front wheel drive options offer 201 horsepower, while the all wheel drive twin motor options offer performance improvements of up to... 215 horsepower! What does it mean on the road? Well, like most electric vehicles, the bZ4X provides confident accelerating dynamics in urban conditions. Variants with one engine are capable of accelerating from zero to "hundreds" in 7.3 seconds, and in the all-wheel drive configuration, the time is reduced to 6.5 seconds.


Impressive, of course, but competitors, represented by Volkswagen ID.4 and KIA EV6, are incommensurably faster! The first spurt to “hundreds” takes 5.4 seconds, and the second - only 4.5! That is, the Toyota bZ4X offers less performance than the competition. Obviously, the Japanese expect to attract those drivers who do not need the "cosmic acceleration" of modern electric vehicles. If you are one of those, then the Toyota bZ4X… will still be too fast for daily city trips!

Overall dimensions and curb weight

In terms of dimensions, the Toyota bZ4X is larger than the Volkswagen ID.4, in all directions. Here is the bZ4X size and weight plate:

✅ Length: 4690 mm.
✅ Width: 1860 mm.
✅ Height: 1650 mm.
✅ Curb weight: 1920 - 2010 kilograms (depending on the type of drive)

Good news: the Toyota has more ground clearance than the KIA EV6 and Volkswagen ID.4, which means you can go off-road!  

Power reserve

As with other electric vehicles, the main issue for Toyota is range.  


The Toyota bZ4X AWD battery pack has a usable capacity of 71 kWh. and provides an estimated range of 460 kilometers. Such a "marathon" is possible on a fully charged battery, but the range will depend on many variables, including: temperature "overboard", terrain, use of climate control and piloting style.

What about battery charging time? A standard 6,6 kW charging unit allows you to "refuel" the car with electricity "to full" in 13 hours. By the way, this is a Type 2 charger! When using a 220-volt outlet, you will have to wait much longer. But it is not all that bad! Charging with direct current of 150 kW. "Fill" the battery from 10% to 80% in half an hour, which will allow you to overcome 250 kilometers. It turns out that an electric car from Toyota, in the presence of a charging infrastructure, is suitable for long-distance “flights”.

Comparison with competitors

In the segment of two-wheel drive electric vehicles, the “4-horsepower” bZ6X is without a doubt a “delicious” proposal, given that the base KIA EV167 has 215 horses. That is, at the initial level, Toyota is ahead of competitors. But you can’t say the same about all-wheel drive options! While the Japanese offer a modest 6 horsepower, the KIA EV320 is a staggering XNUMX! Based on the characteristics, you might think that KIA is a more expensive car. No, it's not. Here is a price comparison of the base versions (in USD):

✅ Toyota bZ4X: 43
✅ Volkswagen ID.4: 42
✅ KIA EV6: 40

As you can see, in America KIA is almost $2000 cheaper than Toyota bZ4X, Volkswagen ID.4 is also more affordable than a Japanese car. But, of course, for such a reliable brand as Toyota, an overpayment of a couple of thousand looks more than justified. 


Oddly enough, Toyota does not seek to defeat all possible competitors by playing by their rules and in their own field. On the contrary, the Japanese are opening the doors of the "electric world" for current Toyota customers, and for those who were not going to switch to electric cars at all. The only thing that can scare the public away from the Toyota electric train is a strange design.