5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE... TOYOTA BZ4X
A handful of facts on Toyota’s radical new pure-electric SUV
1 IT’S TOYOTA’S FIRST EVER FULL EV
Yep, the bZ4X is genesis for Toyota EVs. It’s been a pioneer of electrification thanks to several decades of hybrid development, but wanted to bide its time and get the tech bang on for a full BEV. The 71kWh battery should apparently only suffer 10 per cent degradation in 10 years.
2 IT’S BIGGER THAN IT LOOKS
Size-wise, you’re looking at something roughly equivalent to the RAV4, only with shorter overhangs and a longer wheelbase for better handling and space. The boot is decent, too, at 452 litres with the seats in place. The looks are also RAV4-esque, only with a whiff of ‘base level Nineties hatchback’ to the rubberised detailing.
3 THE NAME APPARENTLY MEANS ‘BEYOND ZERO’
It would seem that the team tasked with naming the bZ4X procrastinated, went online shopping and then blurted out the captcha code staring them in the face when the boss came asking. Next up, the Toyota Click All The Boxes Showing Traffic Lights.
4 YOU CAN HAVE FRONT- OR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
The former should mop up urban duties, with 201bhp, 195lb ft of torque, 0–62mph in 8.4secs and 280 miles of range. The latter has been codeveloped with Subaru and has proper off-road gumption. An 80kW motor operates at each axle and power shifts according to surface.
5 THERE’LL ALSO BE A SUBARU VERSION
Subaru’s reward for its AWD input will be its own version. Much like the BRZ and GR86 pairing, the bZ4X and Subaru’s Solterra appear all but identical twins on the surface, their aesthetic separated only by slightly different grille treatments. You’ll get the same powertrain options beneath each, too.