Toyota’s bZ4X fills the EV role of the company’s current, Beyond Zero theme (hence the “bZ” in its name), and merges Toyota engineering with a dedicated EV platform – a recipe for something special, however, that’s not quite what we got.
The exterior carries a few Prius design influences in the narrow headlights and crisp tail lights that help deliver a modern look up close but bZ4X’s overall shape and styling lines are rather forgettable – despite glaring attempts to bring some lasting image.
The exaggerated fender flares and a sharply raked C-pillar allude to an off-road capable machine while the low body sides and extended rear spoiler hint at a sporting ride. Unfortunately, the bZ4X doesn’t pack the chassis features or the power to back up either of those notions. That being said, the dual motors deliver typical EV gains of smooth, immediate, and strong low-speed acceleration.
The sloping roofline and a higher-than-expected seat height (due to the battery) require an unnecessarily coordinated ingress (and egress) maneuver. Once inside, however, outward visibility is good thanks to narrow pillars and large mirrors.
Rear passengers will enjoy a generous amount of legroom but strangely are forced to deal with a door that doesn’t open very wide.
The bZ4X greets its owners with a complex-looking interior; a stark contrast to its competitors. Not only are there a plethora of assembled parts, but their surfaces feature differing grain patterns. And while the steering wheel is smaller in size, it often blocks the driving display. It’s easy to understand why we rarely see this layout.
The rest of the interior also brings its own moments of frustration, primarily around the lack of space. The center console needlessly encroaches on legroom and the lack of a glove box and clear cup-holder lid make it clear that out-of-site storage was not a priority. .
The drive selector is a unique design and proved unintuitive and far less engaging than the shifter style used in the Prius. Its compact design, however, affords space for large physical important feature controls on either side.
The bZ4X features a hatchback-style tailgate and while the sloped roofline cuts into overall capacity, it remains spacious.
For extended road trips, the bZ4X’s 230 miles of range and recharging rate of about 5 miles per minute at a high-capacity station will be sufficient only for those prepared for the EV drive-style. For handling more predictable local driving duties, an at-home charger can fully recharge the battery in less than 10 hours.
The bZ4X lands in the market at a time when gas is convenient and easily sourced while fast-charging station reliability continues to be a concern and significant advancements in battery technology are just on the doorstep (think 5 years out). This puts the driving range and recharging performance at the forefront, which is at odds with a low-cost model. With a sub $40,000 base price, the bZ4X makes obvious compromises to the driving experience and ultimately, the bZ4X feels more like Toyota’s stop-gap EV than a leader in innovation.