Gareth Butterfield spends a week in Toyota’s first fully-electric car to see if it still stacks up
We’ve reached a point in the world of battery-electric vehicles at which the mundane rarely prospers.
Manufacturers are thinking outside the box, being more daring with design, and introducing features we couldn’t have dreamed off in the internal combustion hey day.
It’s easy to forget cars like the bZ4X then, even if only because of the cumbersome name. Toyota’s first fully-electric car has become a little absorbed in a sea of similarly-sized rivals, and that’s a shame – because it’s actually rather good.
It’s an SUV developed alongside Subaru to do battle in the most competitive sector of the booming EV market, and on looks alone it’s certainly distinctive.
The two-tone effect from its plastic arches clashes a bit with the angles and slashes that adorn most profiles, but overall it’s not unattractive. And it’s far from dull.
That exterior wildness carries over to the interior, although to perhaps a lesser extent. Toyota devotees will find plenty of familiarity, but there’s an unusually-shaped steering wheel, that sits below (and, for me) partly obscures a small instrument display, a huge central infotainment screen in all but the base models, and a few physical buttons.
It’s an ergonomically pleasing layout, and quite comfortable, but oddly it doesn’t have a glove box, and boot space is nothing special at 452 litres.
It all feels depressingly conventional if you jump from something like, for example, a Kia EV6, but it does exude quality and solidity, in that way Toyotas always do.
Everything else about the car is best described as adequate. Range is fairly good. In basic 2WD form, the WLPT range is 318, tumbling down to 257 for the top-spec 4WD versions.
Charging speed is middle-of-the-road, too, at 150kW, and it’s not especially powerful, with a 201bhp motor for the front-wheel-drive version and a 214bhp motor in the 4WD version, but it’s also no slouch.
It feels heavy, but sure-footed out on the open road and while the ride quality is hampered somewhat by big wheels, it has accurate steering and a switchable one-pedal system to aid battery regeneration.
Prices start at just under £43,000 for the base “Pure” model, but it’s worth hopping up a grade or two, because the bZ4X feels at its best with a few choice extras.
And it’s a decent buying proposition though, with a strong warranty, a superb dealer network and even the offer of a free home charger.
If you happen to be in the market for a solid, dependable family-sized EV, there’s little to dislike about the bZ4X. Its styling won’t appeal to everyone, and there are some quirks that might bother some more than others, but just about every other attribute is perfectly adequate.
And that might be its biggest problem. Despite the fact it’s styled to stand out, it’s a car that doesn’t really push any boundaries.
I’m personally fine with that. I enjoyed my time in the bZ4X and I think it’s aged very well, even alongside some of the weird and wonderful designs we’re seeing develop around it.
Is it exciting? No. Is it a decent car? Absolutely, yes.
