2024 Toyota BZ4X FWD review: The Captain Sensible alternative to a Tesla Model Y

Seen Toyota’s new ad? Barry went electric, didn’t he?

Bearded Baz is fair dinkum Aussie. Got his flannel shirt, likes a pie, likes AFL. Why’d he make the EV shift?

“Because it’s a… Toyota,” he states. As if it’s the most obvious thing that he’d ditch his diesel HiLux for the new BZ4X.

But don’t underestimate the importance of this car’s landing. Toyota’s our largest brand by a distance, and while late to market with its first full EV, the BZ4X’s arrival validates the electric car revolution to many a sceptic.

Perhaps predictably, the BZ4X is pragmatism personified. Toyota’s debut EV is firmly middle-of-the-road in terms of price, size, range, performance, charge speed and features.

In the medium SUV EV space, rivals include our runaway best-seller Tesla Model Y, but also the more visually-striking Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

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2024 Toyota BZ4X FWD price and equipment

It’s $66,000 plus on-roads for this single motor front-wheel-drive BZ4X. A better-equipped all-wheel-drive’s $74,900 plus charges, so you’re looking at around $70,000 and $79,000 respectively to drive-away.

Both FWD and AWD look near identical, and share a 71.4kWh battery. Our FWD offers 150kW and 266Nm, 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds, 436km range (WLTP) and 10-80 percent public DC charging (speed up to 150kW) in around 30 minutes. It’s all very ‘mid,’ as the Americans would say.

Your dollarbucks buys Toyota’s new “hammerhead” sharky front design, slim LED headlights, rear LED light strip and 20-inch dark alloy wheels. It won’t win many design awards, but it’s easier on the eye than the computer mouse-like Tesla Model Y.

Seats are a fabric and faux leather combo, there’s a textured fabric dash, customisable digital driver display, front chairs are heated (the driver’s power too), there’s wireless CarPlay and Android Auto through sharp 12.3-inch infotainment, dual zone climate and a power tailgate.

Missing on this FWD, but fitted to the pricier AWD, are a panoramic roof, ventilated memory seats, heated steering wheel, wireless charger, JBL audio and a handy X-Mode off-road drive setting.

2024 Toyota BZ4X FWD: What we think

It’s the daftest name, isn’t it? BZ4X feels like a working title before the marketing lot gave it a proper name. But they never did.

Hitting Canberra’s mean streets for our test, first impression is a quite firm low speed ride. Nothing to jolt the spine, but there’s not the plush, cushy suspension I’d expected.

That aside, town driving life is rather lovely. All feels reassuringly conservative: performance is ample; cabin neatly keeps city sounds hushed; there’s reasonable steering feel and a sense of safety and solid engineering. Classic Toyota.

Pin the throttle and it’ll happily zip along with a dash of urgency. The power and torque delivery calibration feel spot on for this car’s demographic. There’s no hint of vulgar wheelspin or torque steer, just a confident easy build of speed.

I’m glad. Heartland buyers of these things don’t need pinned to their chair cracking five seconds to 100km/h. If you’re moving out of something like a Toyota RAV4, the BZ4X’s performance and drive will feel cosy and familiar.

Shame there’s no one-pedal driving in town. Regen is either off or on, and when selected, it’s not got much bite. This again keeps the drive petrol-like ‘normal’ but it’s a trick missed not coming to a complete stop when off the throttle.

Radar cruise control with stop & go sorta makes up for it. It’ll follow the car in front to offer feet-free driving, which proves excellent when stuffed in city traffic.

There’s a bit of tyre noise on the highway, while a lengthy suite of driver aids are superbly non-invasive unless you do something stupid. Hyundai and Kia should take note.

Fair play to Toyota, this BZ4X doesn’t mind a corner. On country back roads it offered all the acceleration and instant torque hit I’d want in this type of car, while it felt poised and neat with only a bit of body roll in turns.

Brakes were a bit lifeless (nothing unusual there for an EV), but even big dips and mid-corner bumps it soaked up very well.

Sitting up front there’s little to grumble about, but also little wow factor by modern standards.

Seats are comfy, the widescreen infotainment classily flows into a raised centre console as a single piece, storage is mighty (especially a carpeted area under the console) and general controls and climate are a study in simplicity.

Not so great are too many hard plastics, a lack of frunk or conventional glovebox, and no V2L capability. The digital driver display’s a good ‘un in how it’s mounted almost as far back as the windscreen for easy peripheral viewing, but trade-off is I needed the steering wheel almost in my lap so I could see it.

Rear space is a bit more generous than a Toyota RAV4’s, as you’d expect with the BZ4X’s wheelbase matching a LandCruiser 300 Series’. Those out back enjoy airy head and leg room, air vents and USB-C ports.

Boot’s a bit stingy though. Only 452L isn’t much for a medium SUV – a RAV4 offers 580L – and under the floor is just a repair kit, not a spare tyre.

The latter point makes the BZ4X AWD with its impressive off-road tech and decent 212mm ground clearance a challenging sell. This dual motor version not only costs $9000 more, but it loses yet more boot space and has 25km less range than my FWD tester.

This makes the BZ4X FWD look the smarter pick. Even so, I only achieved economy of 19.1kWh/100km, next to the quoted 16.9kWh figure. I’m sure this would improve with more town driving, but even so, it looks like roughly 400km would be the true range of this EV.

2024 Toyota BZ4X FWD: Verdict

Easy to live with, good size, polished all-round drive, fair price and that all-important trusted Toyota badge on the bonnet.

But has the brand played it too safe with the BZ4X? Key rivals are sexier, rangier and better equipped for similar money.

But if a safe pair of hands can lead more down the EV path, Toyota’s played a conservative blinder here.

SCORE: 3/5

2024 Toyota BZ4X FWD specifications:

Price: $66,000 plus on-roads

Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, mid-sized crossover, FWD

Range: 436km (WLTP)

Battery capacity: 71.4kWh

Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km (70% of original capacity)

Energy consumption: 16.9kWh/100km (19.1kWh as tested)

Motor: 1 front-mounted permanent magnet synchronous, 150kW/266Nm

AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug

DC charging: 150kW, CCS combo plug

0-100km/h: 7.5 seconds