► Once more, with feeling for bZ4X
► Toyota acknowledges weak start for EV
► New model extensively upgraded
Toyota’s giving its bZ4X another crack, announcing a significant facelift with fresh technology and overhauled powertrains just three years into the electric SUV’s life.
‘In 2022, the bZ4X was released, and it presented an opportunity only a mature automotive company could offer,’ says Toyota chief branding officer, Simon Humphries. ‘But I think it’s fair to say that we experienced a few bumps in the road during the launch.’
Which, we’d say, is putting it mildly. The car’s awkward looks and middling dynamics didn’t set it aside from a slew of competitors that launched at a similar time, but the biggest clanger was the car’s poor efficiency.
Media tests, including CAR’s own EVs vs Winter test in 2022, noted significant differences (even beyond the conventional norm) between claimed WLTP range and real-world figures; with a 100 per cent charge, our front-wheel drive bZ4X on test projected a range of 171 miles, compared with the 277-mile official range. We then drove for 107 miles and refuelled with the bZ4X stating it had 52 miles remaining. Our tested efficiency was 2.53 miles per kWh vs the official figure of 4.4 miles per kWh.
The name also arguably alienated potential buyers, given it was so different to everything else Toyota offers. Toyota’s now acknowledged this, binning the ‘bZ’ naming strategy for new EVs in Europe – but the bZ4X’s name remains in place, given it’s a model that’s already in production.
So, what’s new?
With this new model, Toyota’s gone back to the drawing board. Humphries quotes kaizen – the philosophy of continuous improvement – in how Toyota’s acted in upgrading its first production EV.
The overall design, for example, has been tweaked, bringing the new model closer towards Toyota’s current design ethos and cars like the Urban Cruiser and newly-revealed C-HR+. The interior has been de-weirded a bit, too, with the high centre console of the old one in favour of a small shelf for phones and a welcome bank of physical switchgear.
And, speaking of the C-HR+, the new bZ4X benefits from a similar performance and specification walk-up. Two battery options will be offered here: 57.7kWh and 73.1kWh. The former will be front-wheel drive only, offering 165bhp. Choose the larger battery and you can have a front-wheel drive model with 221bhp or an all-wheel drive version with 338bhp. While unconfirmed, Toyota is targeting a max WLTP range of 356 miles.
The new bZ4X will go on sale towards the autumn of 2025, with more detailed prices and specs for the UK market coming later.