BZ4X First drive

[Flatcoat]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/first-drive-2022-toyota-bz4x-prototype-review

[TonyHSD]

Thanks for sharing. 👌 Looks good and promising. It is a polished rav4 though and I am more interested in something lower to the ground that is coming next, equivalent to model3 and Prius . 👍

[ernieb]

Thanks Adrian, good to see the first review from the motor industry, as always I want to see a few independent tests on production cars, day to day driver experience and the all important Battery range.

[Trewithy]

A car without a glove box (see the Auto Express review) where is my wife going to put all her stuff?

[Cyker]

Where does it say that?

[Trewithy]

1 hour ago, Trewithy said:

A car without a glove box (see the Auto Express review) where is my wife going to put all her stuff?

 

51 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Where does it say that?

March Auto Express Issue No. 1718, page 10, near the bottom of the first column.

[Cyker]

Thanks, I was being stupid and got autocar confused with autoexpress  

[ernieb]

Form over function.  We use the glove box extensively and always have done.

[Cyker]

That is a concern of mine - The incredibly practical interiors of older Toyotas seems to be on the decline - My Mk2 was the apex of Yaris interior practicality! It had more closeable cubbyholes than you could shake a stick at, and every seat, including the rear ones, could be moved back and forth and tilted!

It was great, could have a boot bigger than an SUV's or more passenger space than an SUV (Albeit not at the same time) all in a car that was about 3.7m long, vs a 5m long SUV!

The Mk4's interior is kinda rubbish by comparison... doesn't even have any underseat tray storage and only one seat pocket on the passenger side!

[Catlover]

Got to agree with Cyker, storage in the mk2 was very good, but I don’t think it was the same on all models. Mine was a T Spirit and had storage every where, back seats slid fore-aft and tilt but the wife’s didn’t have those features (a year younger but not a T Spirit and only 5 gears.

[Cyker]

Huh, that's interesting - I assumed all the Mk2s had all that as standard! Mine was a 2009 TR 1.33 VVTi so not exactly top-spec  .

[TonyHSD]

The bz4x under bonnet looks like it has an internal combustion engine fitted upside down 😊✌️

[ernieb]

8 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

The bz4x under bonnet looks like it has an internal combustion engine fitted upside down 😊✌️

Go to agree that looks so familiar to a standard ICE layout at first glance.

[ernieb]

12 hours ago, Cyker said:

That is a concern of mine - The incredibly practical interiors of older Toyotas seems to be on the decline - My Mk2 was the apex of Yaris interior practicality! It had more closeable cubbyholes than you could shake a stick at, and every seat, including the rear ones, could be moved back and forth and tilted!

It was great, could have a boot bigger than an SUV's or more passenger space than an SUV (Albeit not at the same time) all in a car that was about 3.7m long, vs a 5m long SUV!

The Mk4's interior is kinda rubbish by comparison... doesn't even have any underseat tray storage and only one seat pocket on the passenger side!

I loved out Skoda Yeti's, not a big car but the storage's great, under-seat drawer, cubby holes, sun glass compartment all over the place.  When I changed to the Subaru XV we were left with a pile of stuff with nowhere to go.

There does seem a move towards a lot more internal styling that looks good with on the forecourt and in photographs but is not much use in practical driving/living.  

 

[TonyHSD]

More I watch about this car more I like it, maybe because I am a Toyota driver for the last few years and I am use to them but everything about this bz4x looks kind of new and the same time more familiar. Also I think the exterior looks modern but also very normal in comparison with other new bev, and when becomes available I am sure there will be many new happy owners. 👌🚙

[Spo2]

On 3/5/2022 at 4:25 PM, TonyHSD said:

More I watch about this car more I like it, maybe because I am a Toyota driver for the last few years and I am use to them but everything about this bz4x looks kind of new and the same time more familiar. Also I think the exterior looks modern but also very normal in comparison with other new bev, and when becomes available I am sure there will be many new happy owners. 👌🚙

IMO, it looks a bit average, and its range is average too. GV60 looks very nice, and so are EV6 and Ioniq 5- all 3 have more than 300 miles of range and it seems owners report that in real-world they deliver close to the claimed range when compared to other EVs.

[duncerduncs]

Average works well for Toyota!

Easy to forget that the EV6, GV60 and 2023 Ioniq 5 all have a bigger Battery than the bZ4X (77 vs 71 kWh) so you would expect them to go further....

What will be interesting is how the bZ4X does in Winter - the EV6 / Ioniq 5 have struggled with range / charging speeds during last Winter (plenty of videos on YouTube).

[HSDish]

53 minutes ago, duncerduncs said:

Average works well for Toyota!

Easy to forget that the EV6, GV60 and 2023 Ioniq 5 all have a bigger battery than the bZ4X (77 vs 71 kWh) so you would expect them to go further....

What will be interesting is how the bZ4X does in Winter - the EV6 / Ioniq 5 have struggled with range / charging speeds during last Winter (plenty of videos on YouTube).

Read in Swedish car magasines that bZ4X cant be speed charged at all below -20 C and serious lost in speed from 0 C and below

edit...

Ohhps duble checked the articles and there was a new article today ther Toyota answer that this speed charging loss is just on US models NOT for EU models

[Cyker]

On 5/12/2022 at 8:41 PM, Spo2 said:

IMO, it looks a bit average, and its range is average too. GV60 looks very nice, and so are EV6 and Ioniq 5- all 3 have more than 300 miles of range and it seems owners report that in real-world they deliver close to the claimed range when compared to other EVs.

Do they tho'? Guy Martin didn't even get close to 300 miles when he was road-tripping one.

One of the reasons I'm still waiting is there are only a few EVs that can do 300 miles at 70mph, and they're all massive and very very expensive. (Okay that's 3 reasons)

I'm still waiting for these miracle Battery breakthroughs to make it to the real world...!

[Spo2]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

Do they tho'? Guy Martin didn't even get close to 300 miles when he was road-tripping one.

One of the reasons I'm still waiting is there are only a few EVs that can do 300 miles at 70mph, and they're all massive and very very expensive. (Okay that's 3 reasons)

I'm still waiting for these miracle battery breakthroughs to make it to the real world...!

Same here. I am risk averse and late adopter! 

[Cyker]

I feel that's the most sensible path - IMHO right now most EVs are only good for people that don't actually need a car and/or have a lot of money.

The cars need more range and they need to not be giant land boat SUVs.

The biggest current problem is the charging infrastructure is just awful - Even EV enthusiasts agree there, which is why they keep harping on about home charging, which the majority of people in a city are unlikely to have access to.

The 2 biggest problems with the charging network in my view are:

1) The reliability is abysmal - So many of them don't work that they can't be relied on; If petrol stations had this level of reliability the country would be at a standstill!

2) Price gouging/Vendor exclusivity - Charging should be as easy as an automated petrol station; Just rock up, plug in, swipe contactless card, done. None of this you need 37 different Apps and/or fobs for all the different brands of charger or you get charged more, or worse can't use the charging station at all BS. And none of this We Take £30 But If Charging Fails We Don't Give It Back For 30 days BS - Automated petrol stations reserve up to £100 on your card, but this is released as soon as fuelling is completed, so there is no reason why charging stations should be any different.

 

There is a lot to do before EV ownership becomes as care-free as a normal car. The only major advantage, 'fuel' costs, aren't even major advantages anymore as my Mk4 isn't that much more expensive on fuel than most EVs are on electricity (via a public charger - Home charging still wins!), and even my 17-year old Mk1 D4D wasn't much further off.

 

The 'buzzyforks' doesn't really add much to the table, but it at least gets Toyota some chips on the table. I'm hoping they can learn from it and also leverage their hybrid systems experience to make better ones in the next gen, as they need more advancements to stand out in the market. Things like higher capacity solid state batteries and those invisible A-pillars are what I want to see! (Or not see, in the case of the A-pillar)

[Rav4ster]

Was at the dealers today, and they have red Vision in the showroom. It is spacious inside and the boot (smaller than RAV4) is big enough. Was told that you can still put tow bar for bike carriers.  The one thing I did not like is the big black unpainted plastic around wheel arches and front bumper, it is smooth and already has a few marks on it, that cannot be wiped off. This will be a nightmare to keep in good condition and unlike painted parts, light scratches cannot be polished off. It reminded me of older days, when you had to pay extra for the painted bumpers.

[HSDish]

7 hours ago, Rav4ster said:

Was at the dealers today, and they have red Vision in the showroom. It is spacious inside and the boot (smaller than RAV4) is big enough. Was told that you can still put tow bar for bike carriers.  The one thing I did not like is the big black unpainted plastic around wheel arches and front bumper, it is smooth and already has a few marks on it, that cannot be wiped off. This will be a nightmare to keep in good condition and unlike painted parts, light scratches cannot be polished off. It reminded me of older days, when you had to pay extra for the painted bumpers.

Did You notice if the passenger seat was fully (hight, back/forward, tiltable seat ) adjustable ? 

[Rav4ster]

Hi, not checked the passenger seat. Just the driver and the rear seats. With the driver seat moved back fully, there is plenty of leg space in the back.

[HSDish]

6 hours ago, Rav4ster said:

Hi, not checked the passenger seat. Just the driver and the rear seats. With the driver seat moved back fully, there is plenty of leg space in the back.

Think Swedish dealers will get their showroom cars 16 june.

Will check out then