I am pretty familiar with the Toyota driving experience. My dad had a few Toyotas during his lifetime, including a Corolla which was the car I drove regularly when I first got my licence. I also ran a Prius myself for a short period, while my mum currently owns a Yaris Cross.
The thing about Toyotas is that they have a fairly standard mode of operation. The design and layout are broadly similar across most of their models, and hoping in from one Toyota to another generally would not require too much acclimatisation.
I’m delighted to report that the bZ4X, Toyota’s first EV to go on sale here, bears pretty much the same hallmarks as one would expect from a Toyota. It’s a refreshing proposition compared to the many EVs currently out there that seemingly seek to reinvent the wheel, sometimes just for the sake of it.
But you probably couldn’t tell if you simply looked at it. The bZ4X is a mid-sized crossover that bears a rather futuristic style, with sharp edges and slash lines everywhere. It certainly looks like something that’s driven out of the set of Robocop, with distinctive elements such as the black wheel arches and the double winglets that jut over the rear windscreen.
The name too is rather unconventional. ‘bZ’ apparently stands for ‘beyond Zero’, which is what Toyota terms its EV strategy to go ‘beyond zero emissions’, the ‘4’ represents its relative size in Toyota’s lineup, being sorta equivalent to the RAV4 SUV, and the ‘X’ means crossover with possible four-wheel-drive.
Ironically though, Toyota is abandoning this bizarre naming scheme for its future EVs, ostensibly because of its confusing nature, so the bZ4X is likely to be a one-off in the nomenclature sense.
But once you step into the car though, all that peculiarity seemingly disappears. The large 14-inch touchscreen is clearly cribbed from luxury sibling brand Lexus, while many of the controls and displays are instantly familiar to anyone who has driven any Toyota from the last decade.
There are some attempts at quirkiness, such as the low set steering wheel against the high-mounted driver display, a la Peugeot, although thankfully the positioning seems to be more user-friendly than the French brand. But otherwise, there isn’t much of a problem getting used to the bZ4X’s setup if you’re jumping in from a car with a traditional dashboard layout.
Again, that’s a good thing, because it makes the transition into EVs a less daunting prospect for those still sceptical about making the switch. If the EV you’re going to drive looks and feels like your existing car, you are less likely to be intimidated and probably more willing to embrace it.
The rest of the interior is similarly humdrum and nothing to shout about really. Rear legroom is generous, although headroom is merely passable. There are the usual modern conveniences like a wireless mobile phone charger, ventilated front seats and a large glass roof, although the absence of a glovebox seems a bit odd.
The bZ4X is also well-equipped with the range of driver assistance systems that one have come to expect from most new cars these days, and features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and blind spot detection are all present here. There’s also the handy self-parking system, which is somewhat useful, although it does tend to position itself too closely to obstacles either side of the car.
Once you get going though, the bZ4X again strikes you with a very Toyota-like quality of being utterly capable without giving you spectacular fireworks. The single motor setup puts a healthy 224bhp and 268Nm of torque, all sent to the front wheels in that characteristic Toyota way.
Power delivery is therefore smooth and effective, but it doesn’t have that urgent sense of immediacy that some EVs demonstrate. Instead, the car implores you to take it easy, and inflicts on you with a touch of torque steer if you try to be too gung-ho with it.
Ride quality is fairly well-sorted too, striking a nice balance of comfort and firmness. The car displays plenty of composure over most surfaces, and it combines that with excellent all-round refinement. There is a fair amount of wind noise at speed though, but it’s not enough to detract from the overall experience.
Probably the biggest surprise though is how it handles, with the bZ4X displaying a sense of engagement that may be alien to mainstream Toyota drivers. The steering is well-weighted and offers decent feedback, and the car goes through corners with remarkable control, but always in a predictable fashion. The sensation can best be described as reassuring, which really is what Toyota should be all about.
On a full charge, the 73.1kWh battery has a claimed range of 478km, which is pretty impressive, and given Toyota’s famed efficiency prowess, likely to be realistically achievable under average driving conditions. Even if you have a slightly heavy foot, going in excess of 450km shouldn’t be a problem.
Ultimately, the biggest strength of the bZ4X is that it is not revolutionary, unlike many other EVs out there who seem to prefer to do things differently. It therefore makes it the ideal car for those who are still wary of making the step into EV ownership, because it feels very much like any other Toyota to drive and operate. That sense of comforting familiarity could well be the tipping point for many to make the switch.
