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By Jonathan Crouch

Toyota's first EV, the bZ4x mid-sized SUV, has been very usefully improved. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 83

The bZ4X mid-sized SUV was Toyota's first purpose-built EV. It got mixed reactions at its original 2022 launch, but still went on to become one of Europe's top three best-selling models in its segment. The Japanese maker's listened to feedback on this car and brought us this much improved version, with significant enhancements in almost every area. Since its engineering draws on over two decades of electrified automotive experience, you'd expect it to be a very complete product indeed. You shouldn't be disappointed.

Backgroundword count: 150

What kind of purpose-built EV might the world's biggest car maker bring us? Here's the answer - the bZ4X. Silly name perhaps, but this car has a very serious remit. At launch, it was Toyota's first all-new Battery Electric Vehicle. The less-than-catchy name references the size of car ('4' designates the brand's mid-sized models) - and the vehicle type (in this case 'X' for Crossover/SUV). We certainly waited long enough for this contender. Given that Toyota's been making electrified vehicles for over a quarter of a century and experimented with a full-electric concept version of the RAV4 as long ago as 1997, it was surprising that this bZ4X took so long to arrive. It didn't actually go on sale here until the end of 2022, the launch delayed by a detaching wheel hub scandal that the brand took months to fix. A Touring estate version was announced in Spring 2025.

Driving Experienceword count: 396

There are various powertrains available. For the mainstream SUV body shape, things kick off with a new entry-level front-driven variant, which has a single motor with 165hp energised by a 57.7kWh battery offering a 275 mile range. This base version gets to 62mph in 8.6s en route to a top speed of just 87mph. Most though, will opt for a bZ4X with the bigger battery, now rated at 73.1kWh and available with either front or four-wheel drive. The front-driven version puts out 221bhp and offers a 354 mile range, with 62mph possible in 7.4s en route to 99mph. Choose to have the 73.1kWh battery in concert with weightier dual motor AWD and range falls to 314 miles, but because output rises to 338bhp, the 62mph sprint time lowers to 5.1s. It's worth pointing out that the alternative body shape, the bZ4X Touring estate version, uses a slightly different 74.4kWh battery pack. A front-driven Touring mates that to the usual 221bhp motor, but the dual motor AWD Touring model puts out more power than any Toyota EV has to date - 376bhp. With both body shapes, the dual motor versions use the four-wheel-drive system the brand developed with Subaru. That set-up is called X-MODE and is supposed to give the bZ4X what the brand calls 'class leading off roading driving capability'; which is presumably what Subaru felt they needed for their version of this car, the Solterra. The dual motor versions have 'X-MODE' branded 'Snow/Dirt' or 'Deep Snow/Mud' drive settings that give this EV an unusual level of capability on the slippery stuff. There have been a few handling changes to this updated model, centred around tweaks to the front subframe and extra adhesive in the floor to increase chassis rigidity. In addition, the springs, dampers and bushings have all been retuned to make the ride feel more settled, especially for rear passengers. Whether you order your bZ4X with front or four-wheel drive, you'd expect selectable brake regen settings, which can now be operated by steering wheel paddleshifters and which still include a 'Regeneration Boost' feature, which slows your off-throttle progress by up to 0.15g, in the process harvesting more energy to recharge the battery as you drive. This Toyota needs that, given that its mileage range figures are still hardly class-leading, but in terms of refinement and ride quality, it remains up with the class leaders.

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