Driven: 2024 Toyota bZ4X Is An EV Just For Toyota Loyalists

The Toyota bZ4X enters its second model year as the only fully electric vehicle in the Toyota lineup. It sounds odd, since other automakers are rolling out EVs at a steady rate, but Toyota is taking a different approach. It has plenty of hybrids and plug-in hybrids and even the hydrogen-combustion Mirai, but Toyota is taking it slow on pure EVs. And if you’re wondering about the odd name, “bZ” stands for “Beyond Zero” and is the naming convention for Toyota’s electric vehicle lineup.

That makes the bZ4X a little late to the party, and it puts it a bit behind the competition in many ways. It is offered with front-wheel or all-wheel drive and two different batteries, but neither offers exceptional of driving range. Still, this is a solid first effort from Toyota and finally gives brand loyalists an electric option. We spent some time with the bZ4X to get an idea of what it’s like to live with.

Exterior: A Fun And Funky Design That Stands Out

This two-row crossover has eye-catching styling with wide black trim around the fenders that wrap up toward the long, thin daytime running lights. Up front, what Toyota calls a hammerhead design creates a strong first impression and gives the bZ4X a slightly sporty vibe. In the back, there’s a spoiler that adds a dose of sportiness. A choice of attractive 18-inch or 20-inch wheels further enhances its appeal.

It’s an attractive design that is shares with the Subaru Solterra, and it makes this electric crossover stand out from the vast sea of crossovers on the road today. That design is also focused on aerodynamics, which is key in achieving maximum driving range. While there’s nothing groundbreaking here, we appreciate that Toyota gave its first EV some presence. It’s different, without being edgy for no reason, and we like its overall design.

Interior: It’s Minimalist And Comfortable

Toyota isn’t known for building cars with upscale interiors. That’s the stuff of its sister brand, Lexus. The bZ4X is typically Toyota with an attractive, unfussy interior. Materials include a lot of hard plastics and an overabundance of piano black finishes that suffer from too much glare in the bright sun. They are, however, mixed with softer materials at key touch points like the armrests and center console. We also have to call out the fantastic fabric on the dashboard. It has a textured pattern that is unique and attractive and keeps the interior from being bland.

There’s a panoramic fixed-glass roof overhead that lets in plenty of light with a sunshade if things get too bright. It helps what is already a spacious cabin feel even more open and airy. Seats feature SofTex synthetic leather and fabric depending on the trim and are quite comfortable.

This year, Toyota enhanced driver comfort with an 8-way power seat that makes it easier to find the right driving position. In the back, there’s room for three adults, but ideally two, especially for long trips. If cargo is on your list of priorities, then there’s an average amount of room for all your stuff in the bZ4X with 27.7 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 56.9 cubic feet behind the front seats along with a new standard power liftgate. It’s worth noting that those numbers drop to 25.8 cubes and 55 cubes when equipped with the JBL speakers.

Infotainment: The Large Touchscreen Is Easy To View

Standard on the bZ4X is a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s easy to use with crisp graphics and intuitive menus. The large screen is wonderful when following complex drive routes and is within easy reach of both the driver and front passenger.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and there’s available 4G Wi-Fi connectivity for up to four devices. Qi wireless charging is also standard, and it’s perfectly located in a covered cubby on the center console with a charge indicator light, so you don’t need to keep checking to see that your phone is properly positioned. A six-speaker audio system is standard, but go with the Limited trim and there’s an optional JBL nine-speaker system that’s worth the cost if you’re already going up a trim level anyway.

Performance: There’s A Choice Of Two Batteries

The bZ4X is available with front-wheel or all-wheel drive on both trims. Equipped with a single-motor front-wheel drive system, it delivers 201 horsepower with 196 lb-ft of torque. Dual-motor all-wheel drive variants see those numbers increase to 214 horsepower with 248 lb-ft of torque. We spent our time with the dual-motor setup and found it was responsive.

Even though this isn’t a high-horsepower vehicle, it still delivers that instant EV torque for surprisingly strong acceleration. This isn’t the kind of crazy you get in something like the Tesla Model Y or the sporty Kia EV6 GT, but it’s fine for the average driver.

Range And Charging: It’s Not Bad, But It’s Not Great Either

This is where the bZ4X runs into a little bit of trouble against the competition. There’s a 71.4 kWh battery in front-wheel drive models with a range of 252 miles in the XLE, or 236 miles in the Limited. All-wheel drive models get a 72.8 kWh battery with a range of 228/222 miles respectively. Realistically, those numbers are just fine for everyday driving, even at the low end, since most of us don’t drive more than 200 miles in a day.

The challenge comes if you plan to take a road trip in the bZ4X. It doesn’t have the range to make that easy, and it doesn’t have the charging speeds either. At a Level 2 240V charger, it takes 9.5 hours to fully charge the battery, adding roughly 20 miles of range per hour. At a DC fast-charger, it takes roughly 35 minutes in all-wheel drive models or about 30 minutes with front-wheel drive. Those numbers are slower than much of the competition. Again, this probably won’t matter for everyday, but it will if you take longer trips.

The good news is that it does now come standard with a dual-voltage charging cable that tucks neatly out of the way under the cargo floor. It also now displays the state of charge percentage when you’re charging and the time to reach 80 percent in the instrument cluster. Toyota says it also made engineering improvements to help the battery charge more quickly when the weather is cold, which is a challenge in any EV. And one final piece of good news on the charging front is that the bZ4X now comes with one year of complimentary charging at EVgo public charging stations nationwide.

Driving Impressions: Better Than We Expected

The bZ4X hasn’t been met with largely positive reviews on this front, but we found it better than expected. As we mentioned earlier, this is not a performance vehicle. If that’s what you’re looking for, then you’re going to be disappointed. But we tend to think most people shopping for a Toyota EV are not performance enthusiasts and that’s why this is still a good car.

We spent our driving time in the Limited AWD which is the top trim in the lineup. It had plenty of power to easily get up to highway speeds with that instant torque that’s a hallmark of electric vehicles. It accelerated smoothly and strongly and was nimble enough to manage driving through heavy rush hour traffic.

The ride was impressively smooth and quiet over rough road surfaces. A highway repaving project on our usual drive route left the roads a mishmash of surfaces, all of which the bZ4X handled without problems. We enjoyed driving this EV, much like we did when we drove the Subaru Solterra, but we do have one complaint – one which no longer affects its Subaru twin.

The positioning of the instrument cluster, which is about a foot forward from the steering wheel, makes it difficult or impossible to see around the steering wheel, depending on your height. No amount of adjusting the wheel or the seat could make it right and others have had the same problem. It was also an issue in the Solterra as it was co-developed with Toyota and has the same setup.

This year, Subaru flattened the top and bottom of the wheel to alleviate the problem. Toyota hasn’t done this as yet, so all we could see was the temperature and time unless we leaned to look over or under the wheel.

Pricing and Verdict: The Competition Has It Beat

There are only two trims of the bZ4X with the XLE priced at $43,070, excluding a destination fee of $1,395. The Limited comes in at $47,180. Add all-wheel drive to either trim for an additional $2,080. This pricing isn’t exorbitant, but it does come in at a higher price than competitors, including the Kia EV6, which has a longer range and charges more quickly. This is what makes the bZ4X a challenge. It’s not that it’s a bad car, but that the competition is slightly better.

The Toyota bZ4X covers all the basics with a comfortable ride and an attractive interior. It has a solid range with the ability to utilize DC fast charging, and it’s not outrageously priced. However, there are competitors, including the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Mustang Mach-E, that are tough to beat.