Say hello to…
…the Toyota BZ4X, the brand’s first all-electric car available in the UK. Hitting the heartland of UK sales, the BZ4X is a mid-size SUV rivalling cars such as the Nissan Ariya, Genesis GV60, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Toyota offers the BZ4X with a 71.4kWh battery with a useable capacity of 64kW. Available with either a 204hp single motor and front-wheel drive or as a twin motor all-wheel drive car with 218hp, the first Toyota BEV is available in three trim levels.
- Pure
- Motion
- Vision
Standard equipment on the Pure includes emergency steering assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, road sign assist, speed limiter, auto high beam, 7-inch digital driver’s display, reversing camera, parking assist, auto headlights, keyless entry and start, dual-zone aircon, heat pump, 8-inch infotainment screen, satnav, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 3x USB sockets, Bluetooth, connected services, LED headlights, front fog lights and 18-inch alloys.
Motion adds safe exit assist, blind spot monitor, front and rear parking sensors with auto braking, auto wipers, powered boot, wireless phone charging, powered driver’s seat, uprated upholstery, 12-inch infotainment screen and rear privacy glass.
Vision adds advanced parking assist with remote operation, heated steering wheel, kick sensor for boot lid, memory for seat and mirrors, ventilated front seats and 20-inch alloys.
Is The Toyota BZ4X Suitable For My Fleet
On paper the combination of a mid-size SUV EV with an official range of 277 miles, a good equipment list and a boot of 452 litres should be near ideal for fleet use.
Unfortunately the real-world range is less than 200 miles, partly because if you turn on the any part of the ventilation – fan or air-conditioning – it saps 50 miles immediately.
And while the level of safety features is astonishingly high, so are the number of beeps and bongs that distract the driver from paying attention to the road.
The boot is a plus in terms of practicality and the rear seats fold 60:40 easily and to form a flat load bed. But everything isn’t perfect here with the retractable load cover missing a handle meaning its lead edge can get dirty with hand prints very easily.
The underfloor battery also means that rear-seat passengers sit quite high, which is great for visibility for your kids, but taller adults will find headroom lacking.
Leasing A Toyota BZ4X
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the BZ4X for £813 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year for the Vision specification car we tested. By comparison, its rival the Nissan Ariya we tested a month ago is available for just over £500 a month.
Driving A Toyota BZ4X
Most electric vehicles offer a serene driving experience thanks to the lack of a noisy internal combustion engine. In the case of the BZ4X, while the powertrain is very quiet, as is the suspension and there’s very little wind noise at speed either, Toyota’s safety systems take every opportunity to chime and ping warning which means journeys are spent distracted and puzzled as to what the various sounds mean.
The ride comfort is good, if a little upset by potholes and the seats offer good support and comfort too. Body control is good too with little roll in the corners.
Toyota doesn’t offer one-pedal driving but you can adjust the level of regenerative braking. Unfortunately you can’t have any regen braking when the battery is full. This means you either need to get used to two different modes or just not worry about the higher regen mode.
The brakes themselves also feel wooden and unresponsive unless greater pressure is applied.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Toyota BZ4X
Disappointing range and distracting safety features pull down an otherwise practical EV
Toyota BZ4X
- Model: BZ4X Vision 150kW FWD
- Power: 201hp
- Torque: 266Nm
- Max speed: 100mph
- 0-62mph: 7.5s
- Official range: 277miles
- Test range: 198 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 2%
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