A few years back, Toyota announced that they would not be making any more petrol or diesel engine cars and that they switching to hybrid cars. Maybe they have been a bit slow introducing electric cars, but Toyota won’t get any slap on the wrists from me as I am a big fan of hybrid cars.
Toyota gave us the first mass-produced hybrid in 1997 with the launch of the Prius, but the bZ4X is the Japanese company’s first EV and as a first effort it’s certainly very impressive.
The company was accused by Greenpeace in November 2021 of actively working to slow the uptake of electric vehicles and they claimed that Toyota were the worst global carmakers for decarbonisation. The following month Toyota responded saying they would introduce 30 different electric models and sell 3.5 million EV’s globally by 2030. That’s five years ahead of the new EU target for a complete switch to EV’s.
Yes bZ4X is a name that doesn’t roll off the tongue, but there is an explanation; the bZ stands for Beyond Zero, the ‘4’ indicates the mid-size nature of the car, while ‘X’ is the usual motor industry shorthand for a crossover.
It’s definitely one of the chunkiest electric cars I have driven. Externally it has distinct sharp and angular creases. My test car was black, a colour that in this instance, didn’t in my opinion, do a whole lot to make the car even more attractive looking.
The cabin is well laid out and you get all the information you need from a u-shaped panel right in your line of vision, e.g. the speed you are travelling at, range available etc.
In the middle of the dash is the 12.3 inch infotainment screen which works well. Surprisingly there is no glove compartment, but there is decent sized cubby hole located between the driver and front seat passenger.
Plenty of room for three well-built adults in the back seat and if you only have two back seat passengers, they can fold down a divider which has cup holders. Apart from a touch of grey on the seats and dash the interior has a rather dark look to it.
The battery pack is 71.3kWh and it comes with a ten-year warranty. The range when I picked up the car with a full charge said 440km. But with press cars, the range depends on how the previous tester drove the car. I think with careful driving you could easily get up to 450 or more.
It charges rapidly, getting up to the recommended 80% mark in 45 minutes. By recommended, I mean it’s a waste of time going higher, unless you are going on a long journey where there are no chargers available.
Some electric cars have a ‘frunk’ and normally there is only enough space for the charging leads. But no ‘frunk’ in the bZ4X as there is a fair amount of equipment under the bonnet and that frees up space in the boot which has 452 litres. And the back seats fold down easily for more luggage space if required. But as usual with most modern cars, no spare wheel provided.
This electric car was certainly worth the wait and I liked it, very much. It’s a very comfortable car to travel in and I really liked the high driving position. It’s a Toyota and it won’t let you down.
Prices start at €50,075. As usual with electric cars road tax is only €120.
