Toyota bZ4X review: A top-choice family EV?

Toyota was one of the first manufacturers to embrace the hybrid drivetrain, with the Prius being the most important hybrid car of recent history. So you’d think that Toyota would have been leading the charge towards electrification because it was already part way there – but it has never been in that position.

Instead, the company moved en masse to put a hybrid engine in all but the smallest car model, leaving electrification to one model – the impossibly named Toyota bZ4X. The company that gave us the Land Cruiser and Supra – adjectival names – also rolls out things like RAV4 and now this. Well, bZ4X means “beyond zero”, then 4 (as in RAV4) and the X because it’s a crossover.

Sure, it sounds like a stock name rather than a go-to-market name, but who am I to argue? Toyota, after all, remains one of the largest car manufacturers. So is its electric SUV worth it?

---

The Disconnekt Downlow

The Toyota bZ4X is a great choice as a practical family SUV if you’re looking to go electric. The cabin offers loads of space, with plenty of legroom in the back. This Toyota is great to drive, really easy on the road and built to be comfortable, so it’s happy with the odd speedbump too.

The interior isn’t the highest quality and there are some questionable internal design elements. The infotainment system feels like it was built for you to use your smartphone with instead, but those things might not be deal breakers. The bZ4X is pretty good value, offers decent range and is efficient – and it’s perfectly pleasant and relaxing to drive.

See the Toyota bZ4X from £42,860 on Toyota.co.uk

---

Toyota bZ4X fun stuff: Design, interior and technology

Toyota has an interesting eye for design. Arguably, the company is the master of reinvention. Seeing the likes of the humble Yaris develop arches and a muscularity that the original model didn’t even hint at (not to mention becoming a hot hatch), the design of the bZ4X isn’t a surprise. There’s a dab of the futuristic, a nod to crossover practicality, and enough to make it not look like a RAV4.

The huge plastic wheel arches might not be to everyone’s taste, but Toyota likes to add these to its crossovers to remind you that bumping into the occasional bollard might just be fine. The closed off nose indicates that this car doesn’t need to be sucking in air because it doesn’t have an engine, but apart from that, it’s textbook SUV.

Slip into the interior and things are a little different. That’s different in a good way and in a bad way. I like to think positive, so let’s start with that. There’s so much space in the zB4X, it’s a really practical car for those with a family. The rear seats have amazing legroom, so this is a comfortable place to be for long drives.

It’s the boot space that’s a little on the small side at 452 litres, preference being given to the cabin instead. That boot is still capacious, but it’s not as generous as you’d get from the Skoda Enyaq, for example, with 585 litres.

The interior also seems to offer some sort of space-age design. The steering wheel seems to sit a long way from the windscreen thanks to that shallow rake of the glass, but the layout just doesn’t work for me. (This is bad different, in case you were wondering.) When sitting in the driver seat, I find it impossible to get myself in a position where I can see the driver display – the only way seems to be to have the seat so low you can barely see where you’re going. (In reality, Toyota expects you to have the steering wheel low, but I find that really uncomfortable.)

It just seems like the top of the steering wheel obscures that display, so you won’t be able to glance at your speed or see the navigation arrows it offers. I don’t know what other information it contains, because I honestly can’t remember looking at it.

The other thing about the modernity of the interior, is that Toyota has turned to glossy black plastic for a lot of the interior – or textured grey plastic elsewhere. The bZ4X doesn’t scream premium from the interior, though perhaps that doesn’t matter considering the price. But glossy black plastic quickly attracts dust and fingerprints, so you’ll need a valet on contract to keep it looking clean.

The infotainment is accessed through the display in the centre of the car, with climate controls still having their own controls below this, so they’re easy to get to. But the infotainment system doesn’t really have a lot to shout about. It feels a little like Toyota has decided that everyone is going to connect their iPhone or Android phone (with wireless support for both) and be done with it.

With a lack of flair in the system, I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who just connected their phone and didn’t ever look at Toyota’s native offering.

Toyota bZ4X essentials: Range, performance and handling

This is actually an updated version of the bZ4X, the original launching in 2022. The new model has a couple of updates, including a heat exchanger to boost battery conditioning in colder weather, as well as a radiant foot heater for more efficient heating in the cabin on the higher trim level.

But much of this car remains as it has been since launch. There’s a single battery offering – 71.4kWh (64kWh of this is usable) – while the car is available in all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive system was developed with Subaru with the Solterra basically being the same car under the skin.

I drove the front-wheel drive version of the updated model in the Motion trim. There are three trim levels – Pure, Motion and Vision – so there aren’t a huge range of decisions to make when you come to buy it. The FWD Motion is slap bang in the middle of the range.

Talking of range, I found the Toyota bZ4X to be efficient on the road, delivering averages of around 4.2 miles per kWh. That would bring home a range of 268 miles. Toyota lists the range as 270 miles, so that’s not bad at all. Unlike other models, this car doesn’t have loads of driving modes or options to change the regeneration levels – you just get in it and drive. There is an eco mode to make the car more efficient and a button to engage something like one-pedal driving, but that’s it.

On the road, it’s actually a great car to drive. There’s a 150kW motor driving the front wheels and while this only offers a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds, you probably don’t want much more speed when you’re carting your kids around in the back.

Charging speeds come in at 150kW which is reasonable. It’s not the fastest and certainly not the slowest.

Toyota wants the bZ4X to be a relaxing car to drive and that’s what I found it to be. It’s comfortable, it’s quiet on the interior and it’s easy to get to grips with. The suspension is designed for comfort rather than sportiness which makes it a little more comfortable over the speed bumps, though that means that break neck cornering should be avoided.

But again, this a car designed to be practical and comfortable. It drives exactly as you’d want it to drive.

Should I buy the Toyota bZ4X?

The Toyota bZ4X launches into prime SUV territory, with rivals on all sides. There’s the likes of the VW ID.4, Ford’s Mustang Mach-E or the excellent Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 to contend with. Unsurprisingly, all the prices are much of a muchness, starting around £40,000.

The Toyota bZ4X is efficient, the range is reasonable and it’s a nice car to live with. It’s perhaps not as techy as the Ford with its huge internal display, while the Kia and Hyundai are often the most popular models from this selection. Still, the cabin of the Toyota feels huge when you’re in the back seat, so from a practicality point of view, the Toyota is well worth considering.

FAQs