2023 Toyota bZ4X Review | Can this RAV4-size electric SUV take on the Tesla Model Y?
Jul 29, 2023
2023 Toyota bZ4X Review | Can this RAV4-size electric SUV take on the Tesla Model Y?
Local auto market leader rolls out its first battery-electric model for Australia and we’ve driven it 👉 Full Review: https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial …https://www.youtube.com/user/carsales …http://carsales.com.au http://facebook.com/carsales.com.au http://twitter.com/carsales http://instagram.com/carsalescomau https://www.youtube.com/user/carsales …
Content
0.36 -> When it comes to battery electric vehicles,
3.72 -> there's no doubt Toyota's caught plenty of flack
for its lack of enthusiasm. Well, here's proof
10.26 -> Australia's dominant new car sales player is
determined to catch up. It's called the bZ4X,
18 -> and we've come here to Toyota's Melbourne test
ground to drive it. Let's give it a whirl.
32.22 -> "bZ" stands for beyond zero. It's Toyota's
new global sub-brand that's devoted to battery
38.46 -> electric vehicles. The bZ4X five door, five seat
SUV is the first model to emerge from bZ, and
46.38 -> it's coming to Australia in late 2023, so far out
Toyota's not talking pricing. But the bZ4X won't
55.26 -> be cheap. We think it could start around $70,000,
but that's a guesstimate only. The better news is
62.28 -> the bZ4X is the first of three, or potentially
more, Toyota EVs that will be launched in
68.58 -> Australia by the end of 2026. What we're driving
is a UK spec all-wheel drive bZ4X. The Australian
78 -> specification may be a little bit different by the
time it launches here late in the year. However,
84.48 -> the fundamentals? Transferrable. So you've got two
e-motors, one on each axle, producing about 160
91.08 -> kilowatts, and a battery pack with 71.4 kilowatt
hours of capacity. All that adds up to about 460
99.3 -> kilometers of claimed range between recharges.
That's about average for an EV SUV of this size.
107.46 -> Less impressive is the 6.9 seconds 0 to 100
kilometer an hour time Toyota claims for the
114.36 -> all-wheel drive bZ4X. There's also a cheaper,
front-wheel drive bZ4X that has a longer range and
121.92 -> slower acceleration. but there's no point delving
too much into the figures because Toyota is making
127.32 -> it clear our bZ4X will be an updated model when it
arrives. The bZ4X measures up at 4.7 meters long,
136.74 -> which is roughly the same size as the popular
RAV4 medium SUV, but Toyota's made the wheel
143.43 -> base of the bZ4X longer so it can fit
the big battery pack between the axles.
151.38 -> This is the top specification bZ4X in the UK,
so no surprise when you jump in, it feels pretty
158.1 -> plush. There's plenty of leather, there's piano
black. There's a big 12.3 inch touchscreen sitting
164.28 -> up here on the dash, which is also trimmed in this
quite unusual cloth. The bZ4X is built in Japan,
171.12 -> so that means fit and finish expectations are
high. It's a bit off-putting how far back the
176.64 -> instrument panel is in relation to steering wheel,
and weirdly there's no sign of a glove box. The
183.6 -> big 12.3 inch screen is light-years ahead of where
Toyota infotainment systems have normally been.
191.34 -> Rear seat room is generous, although
you do sit a little knees up. The
195.36 -> sort of comfort features you expect are
here. You get adjustable air con vents,
199.14 -> USB outlets, and there's some cup holders
and storage in the fold down armrest as well.
206.7 -> At 452 liters the boot doesn't read that big, but
have a look at it and it seems quite generous,
212.04 -> especially under the floor where there's plenty
of storage because, well, there's no spare tire.
217.08 -> Anyway, let's hit the road and see what we find.
This is the briefest of brief first drives,
231.72 -> just three laps of the Toyota test track at Altona
in Melbourne, which is a couple of straights,
238.02 -> a couple of wiggles, and a 100 kilometer hour
speed limit. Let's see what we can learn.
246.12 -> Hit the throttle from standstill, and the bZ4X
hooks up nicely in that EV way. But as speeds
253.38 -> climbed towards 100 kilometers an hour, the
impetus does start to level out. Basically, the
259.74 -> bZ4X feels like it's built for comfort rather than
speed. It rides pretty softly and there's plenty
266.34 -> of body roll in the corners. And being an EV, of
course, it gets along pretty nice and quietly.
272.82 -> Although there is some wind noise that fills
in the gap left by the lack of a petrol engine.
279.84 -> It's not easy to gauge ride quality because
this track is so smooth. So if we call this
287.4 -> a taste test, then the bZ4X certainly
lives up to the traditional Toyota credo
293.16 -> of being pretty much vanilla transport,
without frills or that much excitement.
300.36 -> But to be honest, this first drive is less
significant than the fact this car actually
304.08 -> exists, is in Australia, and will soon go on
sale. Toyota is such a dominant player in the
310.86 -> Australian new car scene, the arrival of the
bZ4X means more people will become interested
317.22 -> in zero emissions motoring, and may well make
the switch from petrol to electric. What we
323.58 -> can't tell you yet is how good the bZ4X is,
and whether it's worth buying. We need a much
331.26 -> longer drive to deliver that verdict,
and we look forward to doing that soon.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vG_Czh9KQI
