2023 Toyota BZ4X gets Toyota into the EV game
Ever since the introduction of the Prius, Toyota has been the league leader in hybrids, fielding an impressive roster of gas-electric models. In EVS, however, Toyota has mostly been content to watch from the stands — excepting a couple of seasons in the minors with the
RAV4 EV sold in California in 1997 and again in 2011. Now, finally, Toyota is stepping up to the plate with the BZ4X, an EV that will be sold nationwide.
Although the name would appear to be the result of a product planner pounding a fist on a keyboard, Toyota says “bz” stands for “beyond Zero” emissions, the 4 indicates the vehicle’s size, and “X” denotes its SUV body style. More electric bz models will follow, the next likely to be a Highlander-sized BZ5X SUV.
Slightly longer and lower than the RAV4, the bz4x was co-developed with Subaru, which is fielding the nearly identical Solterra. The designs are differentiated mostly up front, where the BZ4X gets a trapezoidal non-grille while the Solterra’s is hex shaped. Both have the same side sculpting and heavy black plastic elements over the wheel arches. Taking a page from Tesla, there’s just one standard color: black. White, red, silver, and gray cost extra and in the Limited can be paired with a black roof.
The major difference between the two models is that Toyota offers a front-wheel-drive single-motor version as well as an all-wheel-drive dual-motor variant, whereas Subaru went exclusively all-wheel drive. Either BZ4X powertrain can be had in XLE or Limited trim. The