Tom's Guide's John Velasco test-drove the 2024 Toyota bZ4X for a week to find out how the company’s first EV performs after perfecting the hybrid car. The Toyota bZ4X is a crossover SUV with an estimated range of 236 miles and 201hp performance, so it's the kind of thing that should get you from place to place with ease. Its futuristic look makes it a stark contrast on the road, while the driver’s seat has a unique cockpit style design.
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00:00It's like a video game, arcane machine. Toyota's legendary when it comes to
00:05reliability and they're one of the pioneers of hybrid cars but they've been
00:09noticeably absent in the EV space. They're hoping to change that with this,
00:13the BZ4X. It's their first all-electric vehicle.
00:21This is the Toyota BZ4X. It starts at 48,000, the limited version that I'm
00:26driving here but they also make a base version, the XLE which is at $41,000.
00:32They both have a 201 horsepower electric motor and they have also a 74.1
00:38kilowatt-hour battery. In comparison, the Kona has a 64.8 kilowatt-hour battery. So
00:43the XLE has a range of 252 miles versus this one which has 236. There could be a
00:49couple of reasons why that's the case because this one has larger wheels, 20
00:53inch wheels versus 18 and it's also heavier. Even though it has less range,
00:58you still get a lot more features with the limited. For example, you have the
01:02multi-LED projector headlights, you have the power liftgate with foot activation,
01:07you have powered seats with lumbar support with the driver's seat only, you
01:12also have cooling ventilation with the seats, power moonroof, 20-inch alloy wheels,
01:17heated and ventilated front seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, and you
01:22also get a backup camera with 360-degree views.
01:33I'm headed to the charging station right now because I've been driving for most of
01:37the afternoon. I'm roughly at 15% battery left, giving me a range of 31 miles so
01:42really low. Once it gets close to 10%, it's going to notify me with a warning.
01:55While it's great that you can charge an EV at home with just an ordinary 120 volt
02:01outlet, that's level one charging, the more practical thing to do is invest into a
02:05level two charger because for overnight, you charge it up roughly around eight hours,
02:09you'll have a full battery by the time you wake up. We started at 15% battery and
02:14right now after 30 minutes, it's showing 67%. To put that into perspective, when I was
02:19charging this at home with level one charging, it gave back 17% battery in over
02:2410 plus hours. But here we got 52% in 30 minutes. You can probably get by with
02:29level one charging if your commute is short, but if you plan on doing a lot of
02:33long distance driving, it's not really practical. In the week I've been driving this,
02:37it's giving me an efficiency of 3.1 miles per kilowatt hour, which I think is
02:42average for an EV. Again, there are some EVs that get better efficiency like the
02:46Lucid Air Pure, which gets closer to four miles per kilowatt hour. But to me, I think
02:51it's good enough here. This efficiency is better than I expected given the larger
02:56size because it is a crossover SUV. When it comes to efficiency, three miles per
03:01kilowatt hour is the sweet spot for most EVs. If you get anything more greater than four,
03:06that's great, but anything less than three is pretty bad. I didn't quite get the peak I
03:10got with the Kono, which got a little bit above four miles per kilowatt hour. One of
03:15the things I do like about this is the design. It has those RAV4 cues, but in a
03:20more sleeker, more futuristic look. When you see the front, it has a really nice
03:24grille, sleek lines. You have also the projector LED lights that stand out, and just
03:30the way the angles are cut. You could see how it's very angular with its design. The
03:33two-tone finish of the car also makes it pop. You could see it here near the wheels, and
03:38also around the back. For being a futuristic vehicle, it has some antiquated features. For
03:44example, the handlebars, usually they're flush and hidden inside, but not here. It's a regular
03:49standard handlebar. And with the charging port, it's a manual operation. It doesn't open
03:54up by itself. I got to press it and open it like that. And on the inside, it has a tiny screen.
03:59It kind of reminds me of the original Prius, which came out over 10-plus years ago.
04:07In the week that I've been driving it, I really like the performance and handling of the BZ4X.
04:13There's only one mode here, which is Eco Mode. You could turn it on or off.
04:16Even when I have it turned on, though, the acceleration is pretty responsive and zippy.
04:21I will give Toyota credit. It has one of the better implementations of smart cruise control
04:29because it's very soft with its acceleration and braking. It anticipates also what's ahead.
04:35When I had someone actually cut me off a little bit, it didn't apply to brakes really hard. It
04:40was subtle. It also comes with many of the standard safety features that I enjoy. For example, you have
04:47parking assist. You have the blindside sensors to notify someone's there. Smart cruise control that
04:52I already mentioned and lane assist. On the flip side, the cabin space could be a lot quieter. I'm
04:59disappointed that the passenger seat has manual adjustment. And for the price, I was expecting
05:05more features like blind spot cameras. Oh, and a final note, the most irritating I've had with the
05:11VZ4X is the infrared camera that's built into the steering wheel. It's a safety feature. So I keep my eyes on the road,
05:17but it's just way too nagging. One of the really cool features it has, though, is self-parking.
05:24So basically, it'll automatically park for me. Well, whether it's parallel parking or parking lot parking.
05:30Let's try. I guess hit that one. Okay. Hit start.
05:37Okay, it's gonna do it all hands-free.
05:41There we go. In between the lines, perfect parking. Not better than me, though.
06:02Toyota's first EV is in a home run. I think it's on the pricier side and it's also shorter on range.
06:08For a little bit less, there are some other EVs I've tested that have better range,
06:12like the Kona. But knowing that, there's always the better reliability and resale value down the road.
06:18What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below. Make sure to watch my other videos,
06:22like my Kona review and the other EVs I've tested on the channel. Follow us on social at Tom's Guide.
06:28I'm John B., and I'll see you in my next video.