Toyota’s winning formula
IT ALL ADDS UP WELL WITH MAKE’S FIRST EV – THE IMPRESSIVE AND STYLISH BZ4X
MATHS was one of my least favourite subjects at school, therefore giving a car a name that looks like some kind of formula is not going to go down well in these quarters.
But with a little help I have managed to decipher the name of Toyota’s first ever all-electric car. It transpires that bZ4X translates to Beyond Zero for the first two letters; 4 refers to it being the same size as a RAV4 and the X marks it out as an SUV.
Considering Toyota got on to the electrification train almost 20 years ago with its Prius hybrid, it’s surprising the company has taken so long to produce its first EV. It might simply be good judgment because now the EV market is really buzzing. So much so that the bZ4X joins the game playing against a field full of rivals.
There are those stars from South Korea, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6; Elon Musk’s Tesla Model Y and the Skoda Enyaq iV among many others.
First impressions of the bZ4X from the outside is it’s a smart-looking stylish motor. We’re testing the midspec Motion trim in two-wheel drive form. It has a single 201bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels but you can also spec Toyota’s newcomer with a couple of motors and four-wheel drive with a total power output of 215bhp.
The extra motor adds weight so the car is barely any quicker with more power. Unless you really think you’re going to need 4wd I wouldn’t bother. The lower-powered car will do 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and feels admirably brisk – but also very refined and quiet with a comfortable ride.
The bZ4X is exactly the sort of motor that puts forward a very good case for electric cars. Driving it is so much more relaxing than a rattling old diesel. Particularly impressive are the brakes which, unlike those on many EVs, have a progressive action and plenty of feel.
Range, by the way, is a reasonable 312 miles and charging can be carried out at up to 150kW which will put in 80% in 30 minutes.
The all-wheel drive version has the same 71.4kWh battery but its range is 286 miles because of the extra weight.
The car is stylish on the outside and very pleasant inside. There are some cheap plastics but overall the quality is very good. Toyota guarantees the battery will retain at least 70% of its efficiency up to 10 years or 860,000 miles.
You sit up high and the cabin is very airy. The view backwards isn’t quite so good as the rear pillars are quite fat. And I’d have liked a rear windscreen wiper. All versions get a reversing camera and the Motion level gets parking sensors all round.
The entry-level Pure has an 8in screen but all others get a 12.3in screen. My iPhone paired swiftly without a cable and there’s wireless charging too. It’s all easy to use.
My mum died at the grand old age of 94 a couple of years ago but I’d swear she was trying to talk to me through this car.
A camera in the instrument pod spots if you’re not looking straight ahead. It even told me to sit up straight (just like mum did at dinner) because it couldn’t see my face. I took affront but couldn’t be bothered to try to turn it off.
There’s plenty of storage in the door bins and under the ‘floating’ centre console but there’s no glove box. Rear passengers will love the legroom and flat floor.
The boot holds 452 litres, so not as big as the Skoda Enyaq’s, but it is a sensible shape. Charger cables live under the floor.
Our test car came in at £47,580 not including metallic paint. That puts it slightly below the Tesla and Ford’s Mach-E and on a level with the South Korean cars. I suspect the new bZ4X will appeal greatly to lifelong Toyota customers who have got used to their rock solid reliability and have been waiting for the company to build its first fully electric car. For others, this newcomer is well worth a look.