Electric Toyota Crossover
Toyota’s bZ4X electric crossover is a solid product, combining Toyota quality with a spacious interior and a good drive. But as an electric vehicle, it has hardly been a standout – compared to vehicles like Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, its range and charging speed are uncompetitive. While it has available all-wheel drive, in winter climates, it also loses more range than most EVs. Credit to Toyota, then, for acting quickly to address the bZ4X’s shortcomings, as there is an updated one just over the horizon.
More Range and Better Charging
Recently introduced in Europe, the updated bZ4X is far more competitive than the current version, offering more range and better charging technology, as well as improved cold-weather performance.
There are two new battery sizes on offer: 57.7 kWh and 73.1 kWh; the latter is standard for all-wheel drive models. Toyota says that improvements to both the batteries and the electric drive units has increased range by almost 50 miles. On the European NEDC cycle, the new bZ4X has a cruising range of up to 356 EPA estimated miles for the 73.1-kWh front-wheel drive; we expect the more realistic EPA range estimate to be around 320 miles. Opt for the all-wheel drive model and the NEDC range estimate is 323 miles, so expect just under 300 miles here in the U.S.
Toyota bZ4X Performance
Power output has increased, too. Front-wheel drive models now produce 164 hp with the small battery and 221 hp with the larger battery, while all-wheel drive models now have 337 hp. The dash to 60 mph ranges from 8.6 seconds for the small-battery front-wheel drive to just over 5 seconds for the all-wheel drive.
While DC fast charging speed is still far from class leading at 150 kW, one interesting innovation Toyota has brought to the new bZ4X is much faster Level 2 charging. Higher-end bZ4X models can now charge at up to 22 kw on a compatible home charger (and if your home can supply the juice) – more than twice as fast as most other electric cars out there.
Many Feature Upgrades
More importantly, when you are on the road, there are new features to make charging easier and faster. The bZ4X’s revised navigation system now has an excellent route planner that can plot out the fastest charging stops on a road trip. There’s also a new battery preconditioning function that will ensure the battery is a the right temperature to take on a charge as rapidly as possible. A new heat pump also makes the bZ4X a lot more efficient, particularly in colder weather. Range loss during the winter should be much less thanks to this function.
The rest of the bZ4X’s package remains familiar, with many detail upgrades. Outside, the plastic body cladding is now gloss black instead of rough-finish grey, and there are new lighting signatures and wheel designs; the overall look is a little more upscale. Inside, we’ve always liked the bZ’s spacious, logical layout; the large touchscreen is now complemented by physical temperature and volume controls, along with dual inductive chargers and other detail changes. The excellent seating remains the same.
Conclusion
All told, while the new bZ4X is still reassuringly familiar, and reassuringly Toyota, it’s a much better product thanks to Toyota having addressed numerous details. All of the improvements should help keep the Toyota competitive in a rapidly-evolving segment.
Check out the press release here
