2024 Toyota bZ4X AWD review: Why driving Toyota’s first electric car on dirt is like chucking a Giraffe in a pool … Really
There’s fashionably late, and then there’s whatever the hell you call Toyota’s mega-tardy arrival to Australia’s EV party. But the Japanese giant is here at last, and its first electric vehicle, the bZ4X, has got the top-selling Tesla Model Y firmly in its sights.
So should Tesla be afraid of the no-longer-sleeping giant? Or is the bZ4X too little, too late? EV Central plugged in to find out.
2024 Toyota bZ4X AWD price and equipment
The top-spec bZ4X lists at $77,990, which makes it marginally cheaper than the Tesla Model Y Long Range, which lists at $78,400. The Model Y will travel further, though, claiming 533km between charges, compared to the Toyota’s 411km.
Delivering the bZ4X’s range is a 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery. While its set up for DC fast charging, it’s limited to 150kW.
In a unique move, the bZ4X is also being offered with a full-service lease from Toyota, in which all of your vehicle costs – like maintenance, servicing, insurance and registration – are bundled into one monthly bill of an estimated $1900 for three years. The catch is that Toyota owns the car, so by going down that route you’ll be handing over close to $70k for a car you don’t actually own.
Anyway, even the cheapest 2WD bZ4X gets things like LED lighting, 20-inch alloys and a powered boot. The cabin is wrapped in fabric and faux-leather, and the front seats are heated. There’s also dual-zone climate, a 12.3-inch central screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a whole bunch of active safety kit like AEB, lane keeping and active cruise, along with seven airbags, all of which contributed to its five-star safety rating.
But this AWD model gets a fancier exterior package, with a roof spoiler, roof rails and gloss black highlights. The front seats are ventilated as well as heated, there’s a kick-sensor for the boot, and the sound is provided by JBL.
2024 Toyota BZ4X AWD: What we think
The Toyota BZ4X AWD is being described as “off-road ready”, which is a bit like describing a giraffe as being able to swim. I mean, it can, sure. But who’s really going to make it do it?
Seriously, Toyota says its first BEV is actually better off road than the LandCruiser Prado (albeit only in the smooth and grippy way the power is delivered), and boasts of its 212mm ground clearance and new X-Mode drive modes that cover things like Snow, Dirt and Mud.
But even the bZ4X’s chief engineer concedes that “very few” owners will ever actually put that off-road ability to the test, so it makes you wonder why they’re making such a big deal about it, especially given the place Toyota’s first BEV really shines is on the tarmac.
This is definitely of the new class of Toyota vehicles, one in which driving dynamics are a focus, and the results show on the twisting roads near Canberra where the bZ4X was launched to the media.
The power isn’t ridiculous, but the way it’s delivered is smooth and constant, ensuring there’s always torque when you need it, and the bZ4X sits nice and flat, benefiting from its low centre of gravity to eliminate body roll. Honestly, it really is a bit of fun to drive in the back country, so kudos to Toyota for that.
In town, the experience is very much modern EV, with mostly silent progress, direct but not-too-sharp steering, and genuinely comfortable seats. The ride, though, is a little too harsh on dodgier road surfaces (a problem also identified by the car’s chief engineer) which impacts comfort in town, but expect that to be updated on future models.
Another bZ4X benefit is cabin space. Toyota reckons its actually bigger inside than the top-selling RAV4, and it feels it in the backseat, where my 175cm frame fit with room to spare. The 421L (VDA) boot space is smaller than in the RAV4, and there are some quirks, with no frunk, no glovebox, and no power point fitted, the latter of which is common in modern EVs.
2024 Toyota bZ4X: Verdict
So where does all the leave us? The bZ4X is solid first-out showing from Toyota, and there are definitely ways (design, interior layout, driving dynamics) that I think it betters the Tesla Model Y, though Elon’s SUV takes the prize on battery tech, driving range and charging infrastructure.
But… I wouldn’t spring for the AWD. The cheaper FWD model has everything you actually need – unless you’re the type to push a giraffe into a pool.
SCORE: 3.7/5
2024 Toyota BZ4X AWD specifications:
Price: $77,990 plus on-roads
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, mid-sized crossover, AWD
Range: 411 (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 71.4kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km (70% of original capacity)
Energy consumption: 16.9kWh/100km
Motors: 1 front and 1 rear permanent magnet synchronous, 160kW/337Nm.
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 150kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 6.9 seconds
