Toyota bz4X Review and Analysis

Introduction

• Toyota known for hybrids, making a fully electric vehicle: bz4X.
• Rarely seen on roads.
• Lived with bz4X for about a week.
• Overall, good but has a major flaw.

Overview of bz4X

• Similar size to Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6.
• Crossover style, higher off the ground, hatchback, fully electric.
• Price range: $40-50K.

Major Flaw

• Fully electric range: Advertised 220 miles, showing 199 miles in winter.
• Not the fastest charging vehicle.
• Range and charging speed are dealbreakers for recommending it over competitors.

Positives

• **Interior & Space: ** Good interior, ample storage.
• **Design: ** Unique look, angular headlights, lots of black contrast, double spoiler.
• **Trims & Features: ** Starts at $43K, higher trims have bigger wheels and more power.
• **Sound System: ** JBL sound system with a big subwoofer.
• **Storage: ** Ample space, folded-flat seats, sub trunk.

Build Quality

• Good mix of materials inside (cloth, plastic, piano black).
• Heated back seats, USB-C ports, physical air vents.
• Fixed sunroof with sliding cover.

Driving Experience

• Smooth drive, soft dampers.
• Prius-like driver’s position, good visibility.
• Offers various driving modes including off-road mode and eco mode.
• Lacks full one-pedal driving.

Interior Layout

• Driver's position influenced by Prius.
• Wide center console, has wireless charging issues with some phones.
• Multiple storage options, USB ports.

Charging

• Customizable PSI compressor/tire inflator that doubles as 15,000 mAh USB battery bank.
• Not taking it out of the car due to its usefulness.

Toyota's Strategy

• Likely not a compliance vehicle but feels like an EV made because they had to.
• Heavily invested in hybrids (e.g., Prius Prime, RAV4 Prime).
• Competitors focusing more on EVs with lots of advertising.
• Questioning if hybrid focus is the right strategy given the current EV market conditions.

Conclusion

• bz4X is essentially a bigger, electric variant of Prius.
• Major limitation is its low electric range.
• Toyota remains centered around hybrids while others push forward with EVs.
• Debate between hybrid dominance and EV forward strategies remains.