What a ponderous first effort from Toyota. The definition of “meh” in a car. Ona separate note, good commentary from Tom regarding realistic carbon footprint of EVs.
I like it when reviewers make their own measurements, like you did both on the charging and boot space as too many reviewers just repeat manufacturers often very optimistic claims (sometimes outright lies)
The issue is there is no industry standard on how to measure. Some manufacturers will measure the entire volume available behind a seat, others may only go up to the top of the back of the seat (as piling things above the top of the back seat means they'll come flying forward the minute you apply a brake.
@@jeffer1101 that’s true indeed, and in Europe « generally » one is supposed to mesure up to the cover, which lead to ridiculous comparaison between the Skodaq Enyaq and the Model Y, when one is mesured up to cover while the Tesla is up to the roof. TH-camr Bjorn Nyland has his banana box test which help put things in perspective (just one more banana box in the Model Y and not quasi double the size as some would have you believe…
So I saw one of these in Limited AWD trim with all the options at my local dealer today. I sat in it and turned it on. The driver’s seat heater and steering wheel heater are slightly better than my loaded 2021 RAV4 Prime XSE. I had to lower the steering wheel a little to comfortably look at the gauges.(I’m six foot tall). There’s no power adjustments for the passenger seat and no camera for the rear view mirror. No glove compartment in front of passenger. Pleasant enough interior to sit in. 222 miles per tank is pretty disappointing.
Tom, thank you for your balanced approach. I'm an EV owner and I tell people all the time, that they're better for the environment than ICEs; not "good" for the environment. Mass transit, esp electrified rail travel, and certainly walking or biking, are much better for the environment. I live somewhere I have to have a car, but as soon as I retire, I'm moving where I won't need a car and can rely on public transit.
Always felt that way about hand washing. Washing a new car of mine for the first time fells like learning the curves of your significant other for the first time. ;)
Yeah... I agree with your concerns about lack of a rear wiper. That angle may allow rain in warm climates to flow off the back window, but up here in Québec we have ice and snow that will certainly stick and be a pain on long drives.
Hi Tom, Thank you for the full tour of the BZ4X!! At the start you said Toyota said the battery resource ratio was 900,000 Prii : 600,000 RAV Primes : 10,000 BZ4X’s. Seems off. Simplified ratio would be: 90 Prii : 60 RAV4 Primes : 1 BZ4X. Prius battery is >= 1kWh, RAV4 Prime = 18.1 kWh, BZ4X (FWD) = 71.4 kWh Toyota’s #’s are approximate or worse, esp for the RAV4 Prime vs BZ4X. Only 3.9X battery in BZ4X, not. 60X more. Maybe they meant RAV4 hybrid?? Otherwise, it’s ‘Koolaid’ #’s they’re handing out….
Ayo you have the best reviews I’ve ever seen/heard. My favorite and something I always look for but never got: the road noise differences, Seattle weather comparison, how the wheel feels driving, and my favorite yet, a Costco haul comparison for the trunk size visual. F A V O R I T E. You’re awesome and now I’m only watching your review vids
I think some people might by the Solterra version simply because they can pronounce it. Anyway, Toyota doesn't do anything until they are sure it will be profitable. This should sell well enough to justify further investments in future EVs for the brand. How this company can be accused of not caring about the environment while producing the most hybrids on the planet makes no sense. I'll bet all those models have save billions and billions of gallons of gas not to mention tons upon tons of emissions, but whatever. This is a nice effort but it does little to excite. The RAV4 Prime will probably continue to outsell it. The new Prius actually looks more attractive and appealing, the Yaris GR even more. EV or not, I wish they would sell that one here! Still love your 'Red Light/Green' summary. So perfect.
On the Toyota back-up beep, which is profoundly annoying and distracting. Had a 2005 Prius with the same "feature". Fortunately, there was a hack to stop it, and I suspect there's one for the bZ4x as well. Great review, as usual, Tom.
I was surprised to see a BZ4X on our local Toyota dealer’s lot the other day. This is rural western Colorado and I figured it would be years before they stocked one. I’ve yet to see an EV at the local Ford, Chevy, or Nissan dealers.
Hello Tom, the noise in reverse is annoying as you say, but as a long time Prius owner and very recent BMW I3 owner, I'm glad its there, car is so quiet, its easy to be confused, well at least for some of us.
The Kirkland 30 roll pack (KTRP) is the new SI unit of volume replacing the liter!!! We have milliKTRP, microKTRP, kiloKTRP, etc. Scientists worldwide are re-calibrating instruments to this new standard. Honestly though, I’d love to know how that works…does he buy those packs and return them for every review? Does he have an agreement with Costco and this is some kind of promotion for them? Does the person at the register think he’s nuts checking out with 360 rolls of TP?
It is so cool these days in Montreal. I have now seen several nice BZ4X and Solterra BEVs in and around the local electron munching grounds. It is great to see them becoming more and more common on our roads!
I've taken this car for a test drive and really enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately, it fails in China. The EV-car market here is extremly cruel especially to oversea brands.
I have a Bolt and this must be slower than 7 seconds to 60. A bolt has the same power and 50 more lb/ft of torque and weighs hundreds of pounds less. I can't help thinking this was a little half hearted as a first effort. I do like the styling though.
Carbon footprint of EVs beats ICE in about 1.5 years based on US average electricity mix. In states with a lot of wind and solar, like CA and Texas, it is even faster.
Your reviews are always informative and enjoyable. I have a question about all wheel and 4 wheel drive systems, living in snow and ice country. Some newer cars claim rear wheel dominant, others are front drivers that add the rear wheels. Can you comment on the differences and advantages?
In my experience, after owning 2 EVs in Colorado & NY… my 2¢ is the regen braking might be more important. AWD Model Y for example, being rear wheel dominant, has decent traction to start but stopping becomes the issue. And in most teslas you cannot adjust regen brake level. Meaning you’ll slide all over barely releasing the pedal whereas a front wheel only Bolt you may have more control especially with good tires. And specific to your question, with BEVs, computer adjustments for traction are so incredibly fast, noticing the difference of power distribution will be negligible in regards to manufacturers choice of weighted distribution. I think maybe only Rivian and F150 ⚡️has ability to “lock” 50/50 like a traditional 4x4 would do. Idk. It’s a good question.
Tom mentioned the “cold” conditions-mid 30’sF haha-affecting range. It was -7F this morning in WI, it would be interesting to know how an ev works in that condition. People have them here, so it must “work”, but I wonder for how far?
It effects it by the tune of about 30% on range - I have an older Leaf, very small battery, but great for our local runner. Never go back, 48k miles and only a set of tires and wiper blades - BEST ever
I know that weather, I grew up in Duluth. bZ4X has a heat pump, that will help efficiency some. But this from the Toyota FAQ site- As temperatures decrease below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, charging time will increase significantly. For bZ4X AWD, DC Charging will slow down further than other models when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and may not be possible when the temperature drops to around -4 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
It's not as simple as that. It depends on what you compare with what. In warm weather you'll get the most range when driving in a city. City range is important regarding energy usage but doesn't really matter for what everybody seems to worry about - not being able to make it there. Because every EV has enough range for city driving. On the motorway, EVs have less range because it takes more energy to drive at higher speeds. In cold weather things change. There are three reasons why you loose range in cold weather: 1) higher driving resistance. 2) energy use for heating. 3) the battery has less energy accessible when cold. Therefore you'll get the least range on short commutes / city driving. You'll get more range the further you drive, because the portion of energy used to heat the cabin and battery will decrease relative to the energy used for driving and more of the energy stored in the battery becomes accessible as it gets heated up. So if you just commute to work and get some groceries with a 280miles EPA rated car, you may get 300miles in summer vs 120 in very low temperature. On a long distance trip @70mph OTOH, you look at say 220miles vs 160.
I saw a video (can't remember from which TH-camr) where someone didn't realize he was in reverse and backed up into some water with an EV. Can't remember what water it was. Japanese manufacturers have been using this beep for decades. Don't know if not in the USA but surely it's used in other parts of the world. Like it or not it is a safety feature.
It is almost like Toyota is trying to discourage people from buying an EV. Their public statements seem to confirm that. But the low range, slow charging, slow 0-60 speeds, and only 10k a year in selected states, just to name a few, make it a last choice when shopping an EV. I recently traded my aging Tesla in for a KIA EV6. Talk about giant steps forward in the EV market.
thanks for the review, excellent format per usual Tom ! Toyota’s spin on promoting hybrids is absurd. They have been caught with their pants down on EV development. Styling is subjective however that car is ugly both inside and out in my opinion. The uber plastic and monochrome interior looks cheap. 4400 lbs ! charge speed is an embarrassment, No one-pedal driving option, substandard range … why would anyone purchase this vehicle over the competition? I think the Bz4X is Toyota’s compliance EV with a ridiculous name …
Ok, so the big question ;) Did you enjoy the Solterra more or the BZ4X? I have only been able to check out a Solterra so far. I currently own a 2023 Crosstrek PHEV and absolutely love it. I am excited to see what happens in the future when they refresh the Solterra.
@@DrivenCarReviews Oh ok. I look forward to your video then if you manage to get a hold of one ;) I have not test driven one, but I was able to see one inside and out when I took my Crosstrek in for its last maintenance check-up. I am also interested to see how the 1st gen Solterra holds up to the -25 to -30 degree temps that we see up here in winter. This weekend is forecasted to hit -40 with windchill, so that will likely take a huge 30-50% bite out of the range on most EV's.
I want an ev CH-R. I live in LA and having a small, but practical, ev would be ideal. It seems like the manufacturers are prioritizing larger and more expensive EV’s.
Did the 5th Gen Prius beep in Reverse like the bZ4X? I have had 3rd gen Prius and 4th Gen Prime, and you can get the annoying reverse beep in the cabin turned down to 1 beep. But that is much more pleasant to the ears. Thanks for all you do in your videos! =)
I will never use a subscription service on a car I own. Absolutely ridiculous. But, I guess they will have this be the norm for future generations…sad. I remember my dad saying in the early 80’s, that he’d never pay for TV….lol. So there ya have it…
My dad said the same. Also only bought one car, a 66 Coronet. It remains with me today. Completely analog driving experience. Only thing power is steering.
I agree with you concerning the "Large carbon imprint" of EVs. We live in a disposable culture nowadays with people wanting the newest and shiniest thing whether it be a new computer, a car, or a state-of-an-art house. We forget that every time that we buy something new, we consume resources... and that includes EVs or ICE automobiles. There is one correction to be made, however. An EV can be gentler on the environment, even if a dirty coal or oil powered plant is providing the power, for millions of dinosaur-juiced vehicles pollute every time they are refueled, with oil and lubrication changes, and with CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions. It is also much more efficient for a large power plant to make power than millions of petrol powered engines. But any new auto pollutes, maybe EVs slightly more with battery manufacture, just from the metallurgy and chemicals involved, and with the transport from faraway places. And what happens to the less-than-shiny car that is replaced?
Perhaps budget cuts in marketing is the reason for the name. Yikes. How much time does having Evil Twin involved add to the production time? Assume feeding costs could be effected as well. Thanks to all 3 of you on another fine job!
I was in the Lexus variant (RZ) last year and I found it very spacious inside! A better set up versus the first electric Lexus which was based off the UX and was very cramped for its 50k price tag.
Range and charging speed are a little lower than competitors, but that can be explained by the extra ground clearance and Toyota’s reliability standards. Seems like the rest of the car is great; comfortable and enjoyable to drive.
No, they’re significantly worse. Range is ok compared to competitors but still about the lowest in the class. Charge speeds are straight up garbage, 100kWh on a $50k EV is laughable, not to mention the charging curve sucks, 0-80% taking an hour and charging speeds past 80% are bordering unusable. All of its competitors are also comfortable and enjoyable to drive, and aren’t trash at being an EV. Also, I wouldn’t bet on Toyotas reliability when this car came out of the gate with its wheels falling off.
I appreciate your thorough & methodical review(s) with great camera staging. Kudo's for stating the George Carlin take on saving the planet. I'd rather have the charging port on curbside, rear flank to future proof for street-light pole-charging access & for visual observation via the outside right rearview mirror. Otherwise, it's time for a test drive on my part ;-)
Hey Tom, any chance for your EV reviews you can put in a blurb about how long it personally took you to go from 10% to 80%? People may not want to watch a full charging curve video or believe the brochure, instead just getting the info from a trusted source is the preferred way to go.
Toyota really does have the right idea regarding mass production of hybrids and dipping its toes in EVs. The battery resources needed to make 1 EV can instead be used to make about 65 Hybrid vehicles. In terms of improving CAFE numbers and reducing emissions, 1 EV reduces the impact of one 1 gas vehicle by 100%, whereas the same resources can be used in 65 Hybrids to cut 65 gas vehicles fuel/emissions in half. In terms of "helping the environment", that is significantly better than 1 EV.
In theory this is correct, and if Toyota was selling millions of plug in hybrids they would have a point. But in reality most of their plug in hybrids are way backordered, which shows that whole explanation is just an excuse for their inability to secure enough batteries.
@@leos7471 It doesn't have to be a plug in hybrid. Their regular hybrids are mass market and have been for over 2 decades. Yes, current supply is restricted, but everything is now and likely will be for another year or two anyway.
Seems like a bizarre argument. Yes you use less batteries in hybrid than a BEV, but it's also true that you use far less batteries in a pure ICE than a hybrid. If the goal is to reduce battery usage then the best choice is a pure ICE. However, if the goal is to reduce pollution and emissions then a BEV beats a hybrid hands down. Ditto for basing your argument about CAFE numbers on battery usage. Just to change this around, a BEV doesn't have an engine, so 1 BEVs will eliminate infinitely more polluting engines than a million hybrids. These are just arguments Toyota uses to justify doing what they are good at, namely, hybrids. All the environmental arguments are just excuses. FYI a hybrid is not going to eliminate 50% of gas usage and batteries use less objectionable material all the time, and they are almost all recyclable.
@@doncooper2344 That’s not the argument. Toyota says it can reduce gasoline use more by spreading battery resources across a vast number of hybrids compared to a small number of EVs. Most battery capacity is unused in EVs. No one drives 200 miles a day. So those materials are going to waste. Put them on a hybrid with a smaller battery and they are used on every drive, no matter how short.
@@mart0225 You've concisely made Toyota's argument but that doesn't make it any less stupid. The only way to make it less than stupid would be to have a justification for "spreading battery resources across" more vehicles. AFAIK there is no justification for this. Batteries are not a precious commodity. Tesla certainly doesn't think so as it ramps up production. GM doesn't think so as it unleashes a host of new EVs. And Ford doesn't think so, announcing large increases in production of the Mach-E and Ford Lightning. If batteries are not in short supply, then there is no advantage in "spreading battery resources". Moreover, and this is rather technical, the only hybrid that uses significantly less gas than an ICE is a serial hybrid, and Toyota has opposed those for years (though it has now grudgingly come on board). Serial hybrids are a fine idea but the reality is they are more expensive than pure EVs because they require a large battery AND two propulsion systems. This is why GM sells Bolts and not Volts.
The Ioniq 5 has more range and a lot more horsepower. It also charges faster and looks fantastic inside and out. The Bz4x looks like a Rav4 that got into an accident and the auto shop didn’t have the right parts to put it back together. Reviewers seem to like it okay, but the main reason to buy it would be if you couldn’t get something else. It rides a bit higher than most of the competition, but I don’t think that’s too compelling. The Bz4x tells me that Toyota still doesn’t believe in Electric cars.
Your Minnesota past showed up in this review - you used "different" (which can mean anything from "different" to "this sucks") as a true Minnesotan would. It's very evident that Toyota is being dragged kicking and screaming into the EV market. This bZ4X is such a half-hearted effort for a company that has the resources and the engineering to eventually dominate the market if it wanted to. It's pretty clear that Toyota doesn't think EV's are the future yet. Really enjoy your reviews.
@@costarrricense Yeah, a Corolla is a "hearted" car, but they have refined the Corolla for..what...30 years? I agree...it's looks like a Toyota. My point is....they have the resources and the technical knowledge to put out an EV that could complete with ...whoever (Tesla, Ford, Volvo/Polestar, Hyundai)...but they chose to put out something with limited range and a battery that's already outdated. Toyota is renowned for being incremental in improvements in order to ensure reliability, but this vehicle isn't even competitive.
Ha! Ok this is a good vid covering Toyotas EV foray. Weirdly enough I like model and the solaraaaaaa, it’s still too early to call Toyota’s long term battery 🔋 life w this really slow charging rate. This was a very practical and non judgmental vid. A++ from the peanut gallery.
I don’t know why you’d buy one of these. The competition, from Ford, VW, Hyundai, Kia is all better and not much more if not at all more. 100kWh fast charging is garbage at this price point and it doesn’t help that the charge curve sucks.
Great review Tom, thank you for this look at the BZ4X. I have to say that Toyota have a half baked offering here. Less space than a Rav 4, weird instrument cluster, cheaped out rear passenger space, no lever to fold down rear seats from the trunk, not to mention the ordinary range and $42k USD price tag, its complete weak sauce. This is highlighted with neon lights and underlined when compared with a great EV option that is Hyundai's Ioniq. To your hydrogen point, and Toyota previously betting on that technology, I saw recently that the Toyota boss, Akio Toyoda, stood down. Perhaps Toyota will now embrace EV's, as opposed to shunning them.
Hope ‘the Toyota way’ changes to a dedicated EV design. e-TNGA is clearly a port of TNGA -the pack is slung under the structural frame instead of being integral to / inside the frame structure; no front trunk is just packaging ‘stuff’ the same way as in an IC setup. A dedicated EV platform CAN make storage & weight savings available, Unconstrained by IC base structure. For the maker of the most efficient cars and SUVs, the BZ4X fails the company Credo to efficiency too. Range is short for >70kWh available. Hope next GEN Toyota EVs are more purpose built/focussed so they can BE more Toyota.
Bz4x is nice EV if it were priced at $40K loaded out of the door. I’d rather keep driving my 234k miles 2005 Toyota Sienna which is still running flawlessly and the Sienna offers room for 8 plus luggage and camping gears for extended long road trips into the Wilderness something that no EV can. More importantly, I don’t have to worry about car payments nor expensive registration & high premium insurance because insurance for Sienna is less than $60/m full coverage. Additionally, time is the most valuable thing to me in life and I don’t have half of an hour to waste waiting for an EV charging to 70%. I fill up from empty to full in less than 4 minutes. No to BZ4X😢
I agree with you on price. I will never pay $50k for a vehicle that is near useless outside of a 100 mile radius. I will never pay $50K for a car, period. This needs to be under 40 for the XLE.
Too bad they marked up 10,000 in my area. I decided at that point to just get a model y last week for 53k plus around 5,400 dollar taxes, but I also get the ev tax credit. Model y is so much better. I was hesitant whether to get the Tesla or the bZ4x, but as soon as Tesla dropped the prices, I had my answer. If they didn’t mark up 10,000, I would have a bZ4x in my driveway today. Their range and performance is also not as good as Tesla. Especially their technology. Model y wins in every category, but when it comes to design the Toyota bZ4x wins hands down. It just looks so good especially the front and sides.
Modern vehicles from Japan look as though designers threw a bunch of triangles into a box and shook it. Random Ugly. (Hey, good movie name!) Delegating the design to an Italian studio would be an interesting strategy. Super review. 😊
Why does Toyota think buyers of their electrified car are too dumb to know when they are going backwards? The noise is as you say distracting which make it more dangerous.
What a ponderous first effort from Toyota. The definition of “meh” in a car.
Ona separate note, good commentary from Tom regarding realistic carbon footprint of EVs.
Even their compliance RAV4 EVs from both 2000 and 2012 were a better attempt than this...
The comment at the end regarding how EV fits in the effort to "save the planet" is well-done.
I like it when reviewers make their own measurements, like you did both on the charging and boot space as too many reviewers just repeat manufacturers often very optimistic claims (sometimes outright lies)
The issue is there is no industry standard on how to measure. Some manufacturers will measure the entire volume available behind a seat, others may only go up to the top of the back of the seat (as piling things above the top of the back seat means they'll come flying forward the minute you apply a brake.
@@jeffer1101 that’s true indeed, and in Europe « generally » one is supposed to mesure up to the cover, which lead to ridiculous comparaison between the Skodaq Enyaq and the Model Y, when one is mesured up to cover while the Tesla is up to the roof. TH-camr Bjorn Nyland has his banana box test which help put things in perspective (just one more banana box in the Model Y and not quasi double the size as some would have you believe…
So I saw one of these in Limited AWD trim with all the options at my local dealer today. I sat in it and turned it on. The driver’s seat heater and steering wheel heater are slightly better than my loaded 2021 RAV4 Prime XSE. I had to lower the steering wheel a little to comfortably look at the gauges.(I’m six foot tall). There’s no power adjustments for the passenger seat and no camera for the rear view mirror. No glove compartment in front of passenger. Pleasant enough interior to sit in. 222 miles per tank is pretty disappointing.
Really love the end comments! Not a single lie told!
Thanks Martin, we couldn't view these videos without you.
Love your endings. Especially the discussion about the pros and cons of EV’e such a breath of fresh air.
Tom, thank you for your balanced approach. I'm an EV owner and I tell people all the time, that they're better for the environment than ICEs; not "good" for the environment. Mass transit, esp electrified rail travel, and certainly walking or biking, are much better for the environment. I live somewhere I have to have a car, but as soon as I retire, I'm moving where I won't need a car and can rely on public transit.
100 kW max DCFC in 2023 is a sign Toyota put “C” team on this thing.
Always felt that way about hand washing. Washing a new car of mine for the first time fells like learning the curves of your significant other for the first time. ;)
Great comments about saving the environment and ourselves. You hit the nail on the head. Nice review too
George Carlin quote!
Yeah... I agree with your concerns about lack of a rear wiper. That angle may allow rain in warm climates to flow off the back window, but up here in Québec we have ice and snow that will certainly stick and be a pain on long drives.
I want to (gently) shake the designer who decided, "glove boxes bad, shiny black plastic good!"
Hi Tom,
Thank you for the full tour of the BZ4X!!
At the start you said Toyota said the battery resource ratio was 900,000 Prii : 600,000 RAV Primes : 10,000 BZ4X’s. Seems off.
Simplified ratio would be: 90 Prii : 60 RAV4 Primes : 1 BZ4X. Prius battery is >= 1kWh, RAV4 Prime = 18.1 kWh, BZ4X (FWD) = 71.4 kWh
Toyota’s #’s are approximate or worse, esp for the RAV4 Prime vs BZ4X. Only 3.9X battery in BZ4X, not. 60X more. Maybe they meant RAV4 hybrid?? Otherwise, it’s ‘Koolaid’ #’s they’re handing out….
Ayo you have the best reviews I’ve ever seen/heard. My favorite and something I always look for but never got: the road noise differences, Seattle weather comparison, how the wheel feels driving, and my favorite yet, a Costco haul comparison for the trunk size visual. F A V O R I T E. You’re awesome and now I’m only watching your review vids
I think some people might by the Solterra version simply because they can pronounce it. Anyway, Toyota doesn't do anything until they are sure it will be profitable. This should sell well enough to justify further investments in future EVs for the brand. How this company can be accused of not caring about the environment while producing the most hybrids on the planet makes no sense. I'll bet all those models have save billions and billions of gallons of gas not to mention tons upon tons of emissions, but whatever. This is a nice effort but it does little to excite. The RAV4 Prime will probably continue to outsell it. The new Prius actually looks more attractive and appealing, the Yaris GR even more. EV or not, I wish they would sell that one here! Still love your 'Red Light/Green' summary. So perfect.
On the Toyota back-up beep, which is profoundly annoying and distracting. Had a 2005 Prius with the same "feature". Fortunately, there was a hack to stop it, and I suspect there's one for the bZ4x as well. Great review, as usual, Tom.
I was surprised to see a BZ4X on our local Toyota dealer’s lot the other day. This is rural western Colorado and I figured it would be years before they stocked one. I’ve yet to see an EV at the local Ford, Chevy, or Nissan dealers.
Probably because those all vaporize off the lot. The waiting list for a Bolt is over 6 months in my neck of the woods.
that is cool!
youll probably see lots of them around with a price tag of $43-49k. stupidness....
Hello Tom, the noise in reverse is annoying as you say, but as a long time Prius owner and very recent BMW I3 owner, I'm glad its there, car is so quiet, its easy to be confused, well at least for some of us.
The Kirkland 30 roll pack (KTRP) is the new SI unit of volume replacing the liter!!! We have milliKTRP, microKTRP, kiloKTRP, etc. Scientists worldwide are re-calibrating instruments to this new standard.
Honestly though, I’d love to know how that works…does he buy those packs and return them for every review? Does he have an agreement with Costco and this is some kind of promotion for them? Does the person at the register think he’s nuts checking out with 360 rolls of TP?
Finally, someone understands my genius.
It is so cool these days in Montreal. I have now seen several nice BZ4X and Solterra BEVs in and around the local electron munching grounds. It is great to see them becoming more and more common on our roads!
I've taken this car for a test drive and really enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately, it fails in China. The EV-car market here is extremly cruel especially to oversea brands.
I have a Bolt and this must be slower than 7 seconds to 60. A bolt has the same power and 50 more lb/ft of torque and weighs hundreds of pounds less. I can't help thinking this was a little half hearted as a first effort. I do like the styling though.
Thanks Mr. Campbell for your help with making this great content happen! Very nice work as always, Tom!
This is the by far the most intelligent review channel on cars. There! I said it.
Carbon footprint of EVs beats ICE in about 1.5 years based on US average electricity mix. In states with a lot of wind and solar, like CA and Texas, it is even faster.
Your reviews are always informative and enjoyable. I have a question about all wheel and 4 wheel drive systems, living in snow and ice country. Some newer cars claim rear wheel dominant, others are front drivers that add the rear wheels. Can you comment on the differences and advantages?
In my experience, after owning 2 EVs in Colorado & NY… my 2¢ is the regen braking might be more important. AWD Model Y for example, being rear wheel dominant, has decent traction to start but stopping becomes the issue. And in most teslas you cannot adjust regen brake level. Meaning you’ll slide all over barely releasing the pedal whereas a front wheel only Bolt you may have more control especially with good tires.
And specific to your question, with BEVs, computer adjustments for traction are so incredibly fast, noticing the difference of power distribution will be negligible in regards to manufacturers choice of weighted distribution. I think maybe only Rivian and F150 ⚡️has ability to “lock” 50/50 like a traditional 4x4 would do. Idk. It’s a good question.
Another great review, very interesting!!
More of a reminder that the Chevy Bolt is a really good deal.
Not if you want a long lasting, anything.
Not here in Quebec Canada the prizes are about the same 😮
Tom mentioned the “cold” conditions-mid 30’sF haha-affecting range. It was -7F this morning in WI, it would be interesting to know how an ev works in that condition. People have them here, so it must “work”, but I wonder for how far?
It effects it by the tune of about 30% on range - I have an older Leaf, very small battery, but great for our local runner. Never go back, 48k miles and only a set of tires and wiper blades - BEST ever
I know that weather, I grew up in Duluth. bZ4X has a heat pump, that will help efficiency some. But this from the Toyota FAQ site- As temperatures decrease below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, charging time will increase significantly. For bZ4X AWD, DC Charging will slow down further than other models when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and may not be possible when the temperature drops to around -4 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
It's not as simple as that. It depends on what you compare with what. In warm weather you'll get the most range when driving in a city. City range is important regarding energy usage but doesn't really matter for what everybody seems to worry about - not being able to make it there. Because every EV has enough range for city driving. On the motorway, EVs have less range because it takes more energy to drive at higher speeds. In cold weather things change. There are three reasons why you loose range in cold weather:
1) higher driving resistance.
2) energy use for heating.
3) the battery has less energy accessible when cold.
Therefore you'll get the least range on short commutes / city driving. You'll get more range the further you drive, because the portion of energy used to heat the cabin and battery will decrease relative to the energy used for driving and more of the energy stored in the battery becomes accessible as it gets heated up. So if you just commute to work and get some groceries with a 280miles EPA rated car, you may get 300miles in summer vs 120 in very low temperature. On a long distance trip @70mph OTOH, you look at say 220miles vs 160.
It really depends on whether you turn the heat on. If not and if you warmed the car beforehand, probably not a huge drop.
I saw a video (can't remember from which TH-camr) where someone didn't realize he was in reverse and backed up into some water with an EV. Can't remember what water it was. Japanese manufacturers have been using this beep for decades. Don't know if not in the USA but surely it's used in other parts of the world. Like it or not it is a safety feature.
My brain instantly detects when I'm going backwards, I hardly think I'm unique. If they drove any distance into water, that's totally on him.
Tom, Does the Subaru version have horizontally opposed electric motors? 🤔😉
I'm going to steal that line.
@@DrivenCarReviews You cannot steal what has already been given to you. 😁
Thanks, Martin. Best videos out there... ...in my opinion.
give this guy an oscar for the split screen scene talking to himself!🙂
It is almost like Toyota is trying to discourage people from buying an EV. Their public statements seem to confirm that. But the low range, slow charging, slow 0-60 speeds, and only 10k a year in selected states, just to name a few, make it a last choice when shopping an EV. I recently traded my aging Tesla in for a KIA EV6. Talk about giant steps forward in the EV market.
I agree 100%.
Martin! Thank you, brother. I hope you and you're loved ones are all doing well.
thanks for the review, excellent format per usual Tom ! Toyota’s spin on promoting hybrids is absurd. They have been caught with their pants down on EV development. Styling is subjective however that car is ugly both inside and out in my opinion. The uber plastic and monochrome interior looks cheap. 4400 lbs ! charge speed is an embarrassment, No one-pedal driving option, substandard range … why would anyone purchase this vehicle over the competition? I think the Bz4X is Toyota’s compliance EV with a ridiculous name …
Great video Tom!
Great review as always, Tom!!!!
Excellent video. Great style.
Gotta love those Costco rags! Another enjoyable video, thanks for the content
I still don't know why Toyota would name anything "busy forks"...
In Norway we have 150 Kwh charging also for the awd.
The model name reminds me of the random Amazon Chinese import products. Like when my cat walks all over my keyboard.
I like it and would consider buying it. It would be nice if it were built in the US, so I could get the rebate.
Ok, so the big question ;) Did you enjoy the Solterra more or the BZ4X? I have only been able to check out a Solterra so far. I currently own a 2023 Crosstrek PHEV and absolutely love it. I am excited to see what happens in the future when they refresh the Solterra.
I've not driven the Subaru version
@@DrivenCarReviews Oh ok. I look forward to your video then if you manage to get a hold of one ;) I have not test driven one, but I was able to see one inside and out when I took my Crosstrek in for its last maintenance check-up.
I am also interested to see how the 1st gen Solterra holds up to the -25 to -30 degree temps that we see up here in winter. This weekend is forecasted to hit -40 with windchill, so that will likely take a huge 30-50% bite out of the range on most EV's.
PERFECT SUV ❤👍🏻
I want an ev CH-R. I live in LA and having a small, but practical, ev would be ideal. It seems like the manufacturers are prioritizing larger and more expensive EV’s.
can u not go into system settings and put off the sound it makes wile reversing?
Did the 5th Gen Prius beep in Reverse like the bZ4X? I have had 3rd gen Prius and 4th Gen Prime, and you can get the annoying reverse beep in the cabin turned down to 1 beep. But that is much more pleasant to the ears. Thanks for all you do in your videos! =)
Going to stick with my RAV4 prime. Love that car.
I will never use a subscription service on a car I own. Absolutely ridiculous. But, I guess they will have this be the norm for future generations…sad. I remember my dad saying in the early 80’s, that he’d never pay for TV….lol. So there ya have it…
I don't subscribe to anything except a cheap Wal MART flip phone........Paid for before leaving the store.....Paul
My dad said the same. Also only bought one car, a 66 Coronet. It remains with me today. Completely analog driving experience. Only thing power is steering.
Toyota needs to work on that charging curve for DCFC especially for the AWD model. Good lord, it's like over 1 hour to 10 to 90% for the AWD model!
I agree with you concerning the "Large carbon imprint" of EVs. We live in a disposable culture nowadays with people wanting the newest and shiniest thing whether it be a new computer, a car, or a state-of-an-art house. We forget that every time that we buy something new, we consume resources... and that includes EVs or ICE automobiles. There is one correction to be made, however. An EV can be gentler on the environment, even if a dirty coal or oil powered plant is providing the power, for millions of dinosaur-juiced vehicles pollute every time they are refueled, with oil and lubrication changes, and with CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions. It is also much more efficient for a large power plant to make power than millions of petrol powered engines. But any new auto pollutes, maybe EVs slightly more with battery manufacture, just from the metallurgy and chemicals involved, and with the transport from faraway places. And what happens to the less-than-shiny car that is replaced?
Perhaps budget cuts in marketing is the reason for the name. Yikes. How much time does having Evil Twin involved add to the production time? Assume feeding costs could be effected as well. Thanks to all 3 of you on another fine job!
Glass roof is not standard. At least not here in Canada. The L trim has no sun roof
I was in the Lexus variant (RZ) last year and I found it very spacious inside! A better set up versus the first electric Lexus which was based off the UX and was very cramped for its 50k price tag.
Super! saludos desde Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Don't know if you use the same neighborhood to film the videos but is/are very cool
Hoping graphene makes strides in the industry.
This and the subaru look great from behind. I’ve been slowly seeing some on the road.
Range and charging speed are a little lower than competitors, but that can be explained by the extra ground clearance and Toyota’s reliability standards. Seems like the rest of the car is great; comfortable and enjoyable to drive.
No, they’re significantly worse. Range is ok compared to competitors but still about the lowest in the class. Charge speeds are straight up garbage, 100kWh on a $50k EV is laughable, not to mention the charging curve sucks, 0-80% taking an hour and charging speeds past 80% are bordering unusable. All of its competitors are also comfortable and enjoyable to drive, and aren’t trash at being an EV. Also, I wouldn’t bet on Toyotas reliability when this car came out of the gate with its wheels falling off.
I appreciate your thorough & methodical review(s) with great camera staging. Kudo's for stating the George Carlin take on saving the planet. I'd rather have the charging port on curbside, rear flank to future proof for street-light pole-charging access & for visual observation via the outside right rearview mirror. Otherwise, it's time for a test drive on my part ;-)
Ahh, the Breezy Forks.
Thanx, Martin!
👏👏GOOD JOB TOM AND MARTIN 👏👏....HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY EVERYONE ✌️
0:45 um no. I did the math and they can build 40,000 Primes @18kwh or 700,000k Prius@≈1.1kwh with 10k bZ materials.
The Pontiac Aztek lives again!
Hey Tom, any chance for your EV reviews you can put in a blurb about how long it personally took you to go from 10% to 80%? People may not want to watch a full charging curve video or believe the brochure, instead just getting the info from a trusted source is the preferred way to go.
THANKS MARTIN 👍
I got one ,the red color 3 weeks ago
Toyota really does have the right idea regarding mass production of hybrids and dipping its toes in EVs. The battery resources needed to make 1 EV can instead be used to make about 65 Hybrid vehicles. In terms of improving CAFE numbers and reducing emissions, 1 EV reduces the impact of one 1 gas vehicle by 100%, whereas the same resources can be used in 65 Hybrids to cut 65 gas vehicles fuel/emissions in half. In terms of "helping the environment", that is significantly better than 1 EV.
In theory this is correct, and if Toyota was selling millions of plug in hybrids they would have a point. But in reality most of their plug in hybrids are way backordered, which shows that whole explanation is just an excuse for their inability to secure enough batteries.
@@leos7471 It doesn't have to be a plug in hybrid. Their regular hybrids are mass market and have been for over 2 decades. Yes, current supply is restricted, but everything is now and likely will be for another year or two anyway.
Seems like a bizarre argument. Yes you use less batteries in hybrid than a BEV, but it's also true that you use far less batteries in a pure ICE than a hybrid. If the goal is to reduce battery usage then the best choice is a pure ICE. However, if the goal is to reduce pollution and emissions then a BEV beats a hybrid hands down. Ditto for basing your argument about CAFE numbers on battery usage. Just to change this around, a BEV doesn't have an engine, so 1 BEVs will eliminate infinitely more polluting engines than a million hybrids.
These are just arguments Toyota uses to justify doing what they are good at, namely, hybrids. All the environmental arguments are just excuses. FYI a hybrid is not going to eliminate 50% of gas usage and batteries use less objectionable material all the time, and they are almost all recyclable.
@@doncooper2344 That’s not the argument. Toyota says it can reduce gasoline use more by spreading battery resources across a vast number of hybrids compared to a small number of EVs.
Most battery capacity is unused in EVs. No one drives 200 miles a day. So those materials are going to waste. Put them on a hybrid with a smaller battery and they are used on every drive, no matter how short.
@@mart0225 You've concisely made Toyota's argument but that doesn't make it any less stupid. The only way to make it less than stupid would be to have a justification for "spreading battery resources across" more vehicles. AFAIK there is no justification for this. Batteries are not a precious commodity. Tesla certainly doesn't think so as it ramps up production. GM doesn't think so as it unleashes a host of new EVs. And Ford doesn't think so, announcing large increases in production of the Mach-E and Ford Lightning.
If batteries are not in short supply, then there is no advantage in "spreading battery resources". Moreover, and this is rather technical, the only hybrid that uses significantly less gas than an ICE is a serial hybrid, and Toyota has opposed those for years (though it has now grudgingly come on board). Serial hybrids are a fine idea but the reality is they are more expensive than pure EVs because they require a large battery AND two propulsion systems. This is why GM sells Bolts and not Volts.
Thank you Martin 😊
The Ioniq 5 has more range and a lot more horsepower. It also charges faster and looks fantastic inside and out. The Bz4x looks like a Rav4 that got into an accident and the auto shop didn’t have the right parts to put it back together. Reviewers seem to like it okay, but the main reason to buy it would be if you couldn’t get something else. It rides a bit higher than most of the competition, but I don’t think that’s too compelling. The Bz4x tells me that Toyota still doesn’t believe in Electric cars.
you tube must be having an issue, picture quality looks like 1999 pixels, and that is not normal for one of Tom's videos
How can you say "more storage room in the cabin" to the only crossover that's ever come with no glovebox??
Do you actually have an identical twin or is it just editing? Also, great video - considering getting one.
DoA! EV needs at least a 300-mile range to effectively compete. The 250-mile range was OK 10yrs ago, but not today!
Your Minnesota past showed up in this review - you used "different" (which can mean anything from "different" to "this sucks") as a true Minnesotan would. It's very evident that Toyota is being dragged kicking and screaming into the EV market. This bZ4X is such a half-hearted effort for a company that has the resources and the engineering to eventually dominate the market if it wanted to. It's pretty clear that Toyota doesn't think EV's are the future yet. Really enjoy your reviews.
Do you consider the Corolla a hearted effort car? I look the bz4x and what I see is more than usual toyota stuff
@@costarrricense Yeah, a Corolla is a "hearted" car, but they have refined the Corolla for..what...30 years? I agree...it's looks like a Toyota. My point is....they have the resources and the technical knowledge to put out an EV that could complete with ...whoever (Tesla, Ford, Volvo/Polestar, Hyundai)...but they chose to put out something with limited range and a battery that's already outdated. Toyota is renowned for being incremental in improvements in order to ensure reliability, but this vehicle isn't even competitive.
Toyota needs to get to Hyndaí´s efficiency 4+ miles per kWh.
Ha! Ok this is a good vid covering Toyotas EV foray. Weirdly enough I like model and the solaraaaaaa, it’s still too early to call Toyota’s long term battery 🔋 life w this really slow charging rate. This was a very practical and non judgmental vid. A++ from the peanut gallery.
I just loved the natural scenery in your videos 📹
It's a car review not a nature show. 😑
is thing finally available, been seeing it online for 2 years now....the blacked out fenders is weird
Thanks Martin!
I don’t know why you’d buy one of these. The competition, from Ford, VW, Hyundai, Kia is all better and not much more if not at all more. 100kWh fast charging is garbage at this price point and it doesn’t help that the charge curve sucks.
Great review Tom, thank you for this look at the BZ4X. I have to say that Toyota have a half baked offering here. Less space than a Rav 4, weird instrument cluster, cheaped out rear passenger space, no lever to fold down rear seats from the trunk, not to mention the ordinary range and $42k USD price tag, its complete weak sauce. This is highlighted with neon lights and underlined when compared with a great EV option that is Hyundai's Ioniq.
To your hydrogen point, and Toyota previously betting on that technology, I saw recently that the Toyota boss, Akio Toyoda, stood down. Perhaps Toyota will now embrace EV's, as opposed to shunning them.
It's look nice. I love to own one some days.
just saw your comments about hand washing the car. If I really like my car, yes I hand wash it; the new, to me, BMW I3 will be hand washed.
A very good review.
Sin duda alguna wow me encanto tu punto de vista. Salvarnos a nosotros mismo.
Hope ‘the Toyota way’ changes to a dedicated EV design. e-TNGA is clearly a port of TNGA -the pack is slung under the structural frame instead of being integral to / inside the frame structure; no front trunk is just packaging ‘stuff’ the same way as in an IC setup. A dedicated EV platform CAN make storage & weight savings available, Unconstrained by IC base structure. For the maker of the most efficient cars and SUVs, the BZ4X fails the company Credo to efficiency too. Range is short for >70kWh available. Hope next GEN Toyota EVs are more purpose built/focussed so they can BE more Toyota.
Bz4x is nice EV if it were priced at $40K loaded out of the door.
I’d rather keep driving my 234k miles 2005 Toyota Sienna which is still running flawlessly and the Sienna offers room for 8 plus luggage and camping gears for extended long road trips into the Wilderness something that no EV can. More importantly, I don’t have to worry about car payments nor expensive registration & high premium insurance because insurance for Sienna is less than $60/m full coverage. Additionally, time is the most valuable thing to me in life and I don’t have half of an hour to waste waiting for an EV charging to 70%. I fill up from empty to full in less than 4 minutes. No to BZ4X😢
I agree with you on price. I will never pay $50k for a vehicle that is near useless outside of a 100 mile radius. I will never pay $50K for a car, period. This needs to be under 40 for the XLE.
Best three wheel Japanese badged made in China ev
Too bad they marked up 10,000 in my area. I decided at that point to just get a model y last week for 53k plus around 5,400 dollar taxes, but I also get the ev tax credit. Model y is so much better. I was hesitant whether to get the Tesla or the bZ4x, but as soon as Tesla dropped the prices, I had my answer. If they didn’t mark up 10,000, I would have a bZ4x in my driveway today. Their range and performance is also not as good as Tesla. Especially their technology. Model y wins in every category, but when it comes to design the Toyota bZ4x wins hands down. It just looks so good especially the front and sides.
Equinox EV will crush this. More range for same or cheaper price.
Modern vehicles from Japan look as though designers threw a bunch of triangles into a box and shook it. Random Ugly. (Hey, good movie name!) Delegating the design to an Italian studio would be an interesting strategy.
Super review. 😊
Thanks Martin 😃/*
very sweet video
This vehicle is not going to win any beauty contests.
Wheels come off when brand new, no rebate, and subpar range.
And people complain about Tesla? 🤣🤣
Why does Toyota think buyers of their electrified car are too dumb to know when they are going backwards? The noise is as you say distracting which make it more dangerous.