Toyota BZ4X full specs and a yoke

[mhoward1]

Toyota bZ4X electric crossover gets official specs, available yoke

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/10/29/...steering-yoke/

After its reveal a few months ago, the Toyota bZ4X electric crossover finally has a comprehensive set of specifications before it goes on sale next year. The futuristic looking EV angular exterior panels and a grille-less front end stretches 184.6 inches from bumper to bumper, 73.2 inches wide, and 64.9 inches tall. For context, that's about three inches longer, almost exactly as wide, and roughly half an inch narrower than the current RAV4, yet the wheelbase is around six inches longer.

The sheet metal hides an architecture called e-TNGA that was developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru. In its standard configuration, the 4,232-pound bZ4X is powered by a single electric motor that zaps the front wheels with 201 horsepower. Optionally, buyers can add an electric motor to the rear axle for through-the-road all-wheel-drive and a 214-horsepower output, with each motor making 107 horses. That doubling the motor count only adds 13 horses underlines this wasn't designed as a sports car; hitting 62 mph from a stop takes 8.4 seconds with one motor and 7.7 with two.

Regardless of motor count, the bZ4X rides on a 71.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack said to deliver about 310 miles of maximum driving range in the front-wheel-drive model and 285 miles in the all-wheel-drive version. Both numbers were obtained on the Japanese testing cycle, and figures for the American-spec model won't be released until after the EPA puts the bZ4X through its paces. In the meantime, Toyota notes that plugging the crossover into a 150-kilowatt charger zaps the battery pack to 80% in about 30 minutes.

Step inside, and the 22nd-century vibe is just as strong. Every variant of the bZ4X gets a digital instrument cluster mounted relatively high in the name of visibility, and some are available with an optional yoke-like steering wheel connected to a steer-by-wire system, which is a first for the Japanese brand. We've somewhat surprisingly already weighed the pros and cons of putting a yoke in a car. Regarding steer-by-wire, Toyota points out that it's a technology that improves steering feel and ensures road and tire vibrations don't make their way to the driver. Our experience with existing steer-by-wire systems says otherwise regarding steering feel, but we'll reserve judgement until we try it. The climate control gets attention, too, with a more efficient heat pump-powered air conditioning system and a radiant foot heater for the front passengers. There's also a touchscreen-based infotainment system that helps the driver find a charging station and that can receive over-the-air software updates.

Toyota will release details about the American-spec version of the bZ4X in November 2021. Looking ahead, the crossover will spawn a Subaru-badged model named Solterra that will look very much like its Toyota-badged sibling. More details about it will be announced soon.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[arghx7]

anyone else having trouble trusting Toyota to make a decent BEV? They've been ****ting on BEVs for years an lobbying politicians against them.

[moshter11]

According to this article, Toyota has a 20% stake on the joint development with Subaru.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Aut...-15-new-models

[subyski]

Originally Posted by moshter11

According to this article, Toyota has a 20% stake on the joint development with Subaru.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Aut...-15-new-models

It's just stating that Toyota has a 20% stake in Subaru and has jointly developed the EV with them.

[moshter11]

I think it is assumed that Toyota is outsourcing most of the EV development to comply with upcoming regulations while keeping its main (in-house) trajectory towards hydrogen fuel.
They probably have break-through tech already and waiting for the right moment to unveil it.

[Scooby-Doode]

Originally Posted by moshter11

According to this article, Toyota has a 20% stake on the joint development with Subaru.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Aut...-15-new-models

Originally Posted by subyski

It's just stating that Toyota has a 20% stake in Subaru and has jointly developed the EV with them.

In other words Toyota has a 20% stake in Subaru and has jointly developed the EV with them.

[chanomatik]

Okay, so for Toyota, the fender and bumper area aren't black plastic, but actually painted a different body color? So odd.

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

Fingerprint magnet interior.

[Sid03SVT]

I wonder if the BZ4X & Soltera will undercut current EV crossovers by a significant margin? Maybe they will come in somewhere in the window of more than the Rav4 hybrid, but less than the Rav4 prime? I can't think of any other reason for the tiny motor(s), which don't help efficiency all that much in the grand scheme of things compared to larger motors which would provide more performance.

[chanomatik]

I think most people are okay with mid-200 miles of range if the car's affordable. They'll just plug it in whenever they're home.

Now, for the Solterra being touted as something that can be taken off-road, 250 miles really doesn't sound wonderful. I feel like at least a third of the range would be used to travel to the destination and back, probably more than a third. I dunno. Doesn't instill a lot of confidence.

For groceries, though, it's good range. If you shop at farms to keep things natural and healthy for the sake of the animals, then it'd be 2-in-1 because you'd get to drive it off the main road and on to a dirt driveway when you pick up your food. Off-roading dreams would be realized!

[dwf137]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

I think most people are okay with mid-200 miles of range if the car's affordable.

awaiting my leaf plus in a few weeks, and I can say that the 200 mark is about right at least for my family. All we want is something that can do the around town stuff. Get us back and forth to work for our 25-30 mile round trip commute. Get to the grocery store, pool, zoo, gym, sports fields, restaurants, etc. and not have to worry about charging it up every single night. But really, anything that's stepping over 100 miles round trip, we'll be taking our ICE.

But I'll be honest, for a car that can handle those functions - around town putzing, short highway drives, etc. I REALLY can't justify the price tags for these CUV EV's. I fully expect this to be priced out in line with the ID.4.. 2wd models might come in in high 30's base (that's pushing it) but you'll never find those, reasonably appointed they'll be in the mid 40's. Want awd and some reasonable features and you're going to be over 50K.

Maybe, 10 years down the line when there are more rapid chargers around and I could start to look at these cars beyond just regional commuters, I can justify those prices. Look at the line of Teslas parked up at superchargers on busy travel days. I'm sorry but I just don't got time for that.

So we bit the bullet and an EV that meets me where I'm at, for a price that I won't feel bad if I want to flip it in a few years when charging infrastructure improves.

[Calamity Jesus]

Dirt roads aren't off-road, though. Dirt and farm roads are what I drive lowered autocross cars and Miatas down.

This whole off-road thing is ridiculous. Nobody is going to go bashing over obstacles in the desert or on a logging trail with a compact SUV EV where a puncture of the battery pack will likely result in a total loss fire at worst or at best a $10,000 repair bill. There's no off-roadability here. These are for people that park by feel against curbs at the strip malls and want that high hip point for ingress/egress.

I bet these will be able to back up over a curb tho, so they've got that going for them.

[SCRAPPYDO]

Originally Posted by dwf137

awaiting my leaf plus in a few weeks, and I can say that the 200 mark is about right at least for my family. All we want is something that can do the around town stuff. Get us back and forth to work for our 25-30 mile round trip commute. Get to the grocery store, pool, zoo, gym, sports fields, restaurants, etc. and not have to worry about charging it up every single night. But really, anything that's stepping over 100 miles round trip, we'll be taking our ICE.

But I'll be honest, for a car that can handle those functions - around town putzing, short highway drives, etc. I REALLY can't justify the price tags for these CUV EV's. I fully expect this to be priced out in line with the ID.4.. 2wd models might come in in high 30's base (that's pushing it) but you'll never find those, reasonably appointed they'll be in the mid 40's. Want awd and some reasonable features and you're going to be over 50K.

Maybe, 10 years down the line when there are more rapid chargers around and I could start to look at these cars beyond just regional commuters, I can justify those prices. Look at the line of Teslas parked up at superchargers on busy travel days. I'm sorry but I just don't got time for that.

So we bit the bullet and an EV that meets me where I'm at, for a price that I won't feel bad if I want to flip it in a few years when charging infrastructure improves.

I think you nailed it. If you are hell bent on wanting an EV, patience is going to be your friend. Waiting 5-10 years will only improve the technology, infrastructure, cost, availability. There is zero penalty for waiting unless you are walking back and forth from work.

The vehicles of today will be complete jokes in 10 years if technology keeps improving on its current moderate level.

I think there will be a time when vehicles with 400 and 500 miles of range will become more of a norm rather than a noteworthy exception.

Just how things work. Products tend to keep improving or they get dropped. When the novelty of EV wears off, and they are more standard fare, they will be forced to compete with each other on a wider scale. That will drive the technology faster and what was once outstanding will be common place.

Patience at this time will prove very valuable.

[dwf137]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

I think you nailed it. If you are hell bent on wanting an EV, patience is going to be your friend. Waiting 5-10 years will only improve the technology, infrastructure, cost, availability. There is zero penalty for waiting unless you are walking back and forth from work.

There's not really a "penalty", but there are some savings out there for commuter cars. We're currently spending about $150/month just for our daily commute in our ICE cars... With EV, that'll be about $20 worth of electricity - and I have a free charger at work so we'll barely need to charge at home. Since we have so much equity in our Outback right now, it makes a lot of sense financially for us. With the gas savings, it's basically going to be a like for like swap.

In 5-6 years or so when there's some fun performance EV's on the market, I'll trade up.

But I'm not spending 50K+ for a commuter car, and that's all these EV's are good for right now (for my comfort level).

[chanomatik]

Napkin maths. Expect to pay a pretty penny.

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

[nogger]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

Napkin maths. Expect to pay a pretty penny.

http://youtu.be/_fHUMtbU-uQ

Price doesn’t seem to bad to me if his calculations are close to reality. Looks like it will very similar to the Rav4 Prime and EV competitors like the ID4.

[chanomatik]

"Toyota BZ4X Prototype First Drive Review:" https://www.motor1.com/reviews/56955...rst-drive/amp/

[4S-TURBO]

The ID4 I saw yesterday on the lot was less than $50k. Cheaper than I expected honestly. The much smaller Hyundai Ioniq will start under $45k. So that window in price would make sense. For now anyway. The world is broke.

[godfather2112]

$67k***8230; Seems pretty ****ing steep to me. That's Mach E GT money right there. I'm really wondering if EV's will stay $45k + or if technology and supply chain will eventually bring costs down. Given the options between Tesla, Ford, Kia, Chevy, I don't see a reason to buy this EV given it's high price tag, moderate range, and lack luster 0-60. It doesn't need sub 4 seconds but nearly 7 seconds to get to 60mph? No thanks.

[Kostamojen]

Originally Posted by 4S-TURBO

The ID4 I saw yesterday on the lot was less than $50k. Cheaper than I expected honestly. The much smaller Hyundai Ioniq will start under $45k. So that window in price would make sense. For now anyway. The world is broke.

Ya the Ioniq 5's I saw on the lot were around $45k but with a $7500 markup. They did actually look and feel more like a $50k+ car than a $40k car.

[quentinberg007]

Are automotive "journalists" still doing direct conversions from other currencies to USD? I'm also surprised people here still fall for that.

This is priced exactly in line with the Rav4 Prime in the UK. It will be priced right in line with the Rav4 Prime in the US. It'll start right in the ballpark of $40k before tax credit (that is likely to run out for Toyota by end of year unless something changes in congress).

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by quentinberg007

Are automotive "journalists" still doing direct conversions from other currencies to USD? I'm also surprised people here still fall for that.

This is priced exactly in line with the Rav4 Prime in the UK. It will be priced right in line with the Rav4 Prime in the US. It'll start right in the ballpark of $40k before tax credit (that is likely to run out for Toyota by end of year unless something changes in congress).

Article stated $67k for awd model. Seem steep considering other options out there.

[quentinberg007]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

Article stated $67k for awd model. Seem steep considering other options out there.

It’s motor1. They converted the price from €. It hasn’t been priced for the US.

[nogger]

The Bz4x wouldn’t be competitive at all at that price and it won’t be that price. In the UK, the top of the line Bz4x awd is the exact same price as the highlander hybrid platinum equivalent, which is $53,000 in the US. The limited Bz4x awd should be right around that price with other trims coming in a decent amount less, so again pretty close to the Rav4 Prime.

[chanomatik]

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

[Genericuser1]

One seriously ugly vehicle.