2022 Toyota bZ4X SUV Review

We test a prototype of the Toyota bZ4X

Toyota’s first proper electric car really hits the mark.

Review

Pros: excellent to drive, good range

Cons: boot quite small, no bigger battery option

Toyota has spent the last decade or so saying that its petrol-electric hybrids were the best solution to getting the world driving on (part) electric power. Well, clearly something has changed, as here we have the bZ4X, Toyota’s first fully-electric car (well, the first that you can buy in Europe) and the start of an electric revolution for the company, which will see 15 new battery-powered cars on sale by 2030. So, is the bZ4X any good?

Toyota bZ4X Design

So far, we’ve only seen the bZ4X up close while it’s been wearing this distinctive ‘dazzle-pattern’ turquoise camouflage, but Toyota has shown the car without any disguise, and on the whole it’s a handsome looking thing. Not exactly ground-breaking, perhaps, but with neat design elements such as the line that runs through the very slim LED headlights and around the leading edge of the bonnet (Toyota says that it resembles a hammerhead shark), to very slim-looking side panels, and a distinctive rear end.

It’s a crisp, clean, fairly simple design that should translate well to Toyota’s further, future ‘bZ’ models (the name stands for ‘Beyond Zero’ and refers to Toyota’s zero-carbon emissions plans) and which looks somewhat sleeker than it actually is. The combination of a long wheelbase and a sharply-sloped tail make the bZ4X look much leaner and sleeker than Toyota’s own hybrid RAV4, in spite of the two cars actually having very similar dimensions. The styling is topped off by standard-fit 18-inch alloy wheels, which can be expanded to 20-inch rims as an option.

Toyota bZ4X Interior

You might have expected Toyota to play it safe with the interior design of its first all-battery model, maybe making it look like the cabin of a Corolla or a Camry, so that buyers feel instantly comfortable inside. But no — Toyota is clearly confident in its new EV, so the bZ4X gets a very different sort of Toyota interior. 

It’s dominated by a long, tall centre console that divides the front up into two distinct areas, separated by the big, central infotainment screen. That screen will be an eight-inch unit for basic ‘Advance’ models, but Sport and Premiere Edition versions will get a 12.3-inch screen. Either way, it runs Toyota’s impressive new infotainment software, which looks crisp and clear, where the old system was clunky and confusing. It’s a big improvement. Below the screen are big, easy-to-use buttons for climate control and driving functions, and there are huge storage bins under the armrest and under the forward section of the console, too. Which is just as well, as there’s no glovebox. 

Over on the driver’s side, you sit quite low, with the steering wheel also set down low, almost in your lap in the current style of Peugeot interiors. The seven-inch digital instrument display is up high, and very clear and nicely laid out. It’s up high enough that you won’t miss the lack of a projected head-up display, while the low scuttle line and deep windscreen mean that there’s a panoramic view out the front.

A panoramic view out the top, too, if you go for the optional glass roof. We wouldn’t though — it robs too much headroom, although Toyota Ireland is evaluating the option of a solar panel roof. Apparently, in sufficiently sunny climes, it can add up to 1,800km of entirely free range each year. So that’ll be an extra 20km a year in Ireland…

The bZ4X’s boot is relatively small — at just 452 litres it’s smaller than what you’d get in a Nissan Qashqai, and well behind the 585 litres available in the Skoda Enyaq. There’s lots of legroom in the back seats, but you do sit a little perched up, so it may not be entirely comfortable on a longer journey.

Toyota bZ4X Performance & Drive

Will you be able to do long journeys? Almost certainly — Toyota is currently quoting a 450km one-charge range for the 71.4kWh battery, combined with the front-wheel-drive 204hp electric motor. That falls to 410km for the twin-motor, 217hp, four-wheel-drive model that we’re testing here, but both figures are likely to improve once the car has been properly put through the WLTP official test. Toyota tends to quote quite conservative figures.

There will be just the one battery size on offer — Toyota says that it’s ‘right-sized’ for the market — and as for the lack of extra power for this four-wheel-drive version, well Toyota says that’s because it wants to maximise range and reliability, not performance.

With 336Nm of torque on offer, initial acceleration in the bZ4X is fine, but as the speeds rise, the urge disappears a bit. It’s not disappointing, but neither is it especially quick (blame the 2.5-tonne kerb weight). What it is, is refined and relaxing, with a ride comfort that falls at just the right end of the soft scale and good noise suppression. 

What you won’t be expecting is any actual driving fun, but — surprisingly — that’s exactly what you get. Put the bZ4X on a tight and twisty country road and it comes alive, with quick steering, genuinely agile responses and an ability to string together a series of corners that is way more engaging than most of its major rivals. You’re going to really enjoy driving the bZ4X, and that was not something we were expecting. 

You can even take it off-road. Toyota has co-developed the bZ4X with Subaru (which will make its own car, the Solterra, using the same underpinnings) and four-wheel-drive models get Subaru’s X-Mode electronic off-roading system. It copes admirably well with steep, dusty trails and deep, sticky, slippery mud. Certainly, it will cope with more extreme conditions than most owners will actually put it through. It can even wade through deep water — up to 500mm deep — helped, of course, by the fact that electric cars don’t need to breathe any air…

The battery can be charged at a maximum DC speed of 150kW, but it lacks the ultra-rapid 800-volt charging system offered by rivals from Hyundai and Kia, which is a shame. Again, Toyota seems to be treading carefully in the name of reliability. 

Toyota bZ4X Pricing

The bZ4X is really quite well priced, with the basic Advance model’s starting price of €43,402 undercutting the benchmark Volkswagen ID.4 by a considerable margin, with a very similar one-charge range. Standard equipment includes a comprehensive active safety system.

Toyota Ireland reckons that the mid-spec €47,935 Sport version will be the big seller, and that comes with the bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen, a powered tailgate, heated seats and steering wheel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and adaptive LED headlights.

There’s a range-topping Premiere Edition version, which costs from €52,910 and gets 20-inch alloys, the glass roof, ventilated front seats and upgraded safety systems. No pricing for four-wheel-drive models has yet been issued. 

Significantly, Toyota is going to offer a massive ten-year, one-million-kilometre battery warranty for the bZ4X, guaranteeing that it will retain 70 per cent of its original charging capacity as long as you bring it in to a Toyota dealer once a year for a battery health check. 

Carzone Verdict: 4/5

Toyota is the best-selling car brand in the country right now, and electric car sales are rising faster than other market segments. I think you can see which way this is going… It’s not just a case of a successful brand leaning on its marketing and sales abilities, though — the bZ4X is a genuinely impressive car, with good all-round performance, sharp pricing and an unexpectedly enjoyable driving experience. It deserves to do well.