Roomy 2023 Toyota bZ4X EV Impresses on the Road
But there are numerous shortcomings, including omitted features and modest electric specs
By Jeff S. Bartlett
The Toyota bZ4X strikes at the heart of the burgeoning electric vehicle market. This new SUV is a popular size, a few inches longer than the RAV4 and a couple of inches shorter than the Venza.
Toyota says the bZ4X falls under its Toyota bZ “beyond zero” brand umbrella, a name that’s a reference to zero emissions. There are six other bZ models to be introduced by 2025. Its major electrification initiative promises 30 battery-electric models globally across the Toyota and Lexus brands.
The bZ4X kicks off this electric revolution when it goes on sale this month in California and other states that adopted California’s emissions regulations, mostly in the northwest and northeast. It will be available nationwide in late 2023.
To gain early experience with this significant new model, we rented a preproduction vehicle from the automaker.
If you’re a Consumer Reports member, our initial expert assessment of the 2023 Toyota bZ4X is available to you below. Once we purchase our own model and complete 2,000 break-in miles, we’ll put the 2023 Toyota bZ4X through more than 50 tests at the CR Auto Test Center and assess things like acceleration, braking, handling, car-seat fit, and usability. CR members will have access to the full road-test results as soon as they’re available.
If you haven’t signed up to be a member yet, click below and become a member to access this full article and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test. Joining also gives you full access to exclusive ratings for the other products our experts evaluate in several categories, including electronics and home appliances.
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What we rented: 2023 Toyota bZ4X XLE FWD
Powertrain: 201-hp single motor, front-wheel drive, 71.4 kWh battery
MSRP: $42,000
Options: Weather Package ($500), premium color ($425)
Destination fee: $1,215
Total cost: $44,140
CR's Take
The bZ4X has its merits, but it comes across as embodying the reluctance Toyota has demonstrated—until recently—for embracing battery-electric vehicles. For instance, the instrument panel lacks prominent state-of-charge and range indicators when the door is open, as is common on other EVs. Modest battery size, power, and an onboard charger put the bZ4X at a disadvantage right off the bat. Plus, it lacks a few common conveniences on the XLE trim, like power front seats and a power rear hatch, which will probably push buyers to the pricier Limited trim, currently the only other option. (With Toyota models, the XLE is often the popular sweet spot.)
But the automaker got the big stuff right. The bZ4X uses a dedicated electric vehicle platform; dynamically, it’s quite pleasant to drive, and the interior space is quite good given its exterior dimensions. Various shortcomings noted below could be readily addressed in the future, with ongoing refinements making this model more desirable.
The key draw for the bZ4X may be the brand’s well-deserved reputation for reliability. Even though this is Toyota’s first nationwide EV, the company’s historical leadership in hybrids may give it some credibility, too. As shoppers consider making a move to an EV, the promise of solid brand reliability may factor heavily for some buyers. It may be hard to say “bZ4X,” and some people may pause over the SUV’s look, but it’s quite enjoyable to drive. And that bodes well for the numerous electric models in development that will share this platform, including the Subaru Solterra.
The interior feels a bit like a starfighter's, with the instrument panel back near the windshield and flanking shapes guiding the view to those digital gauges.
Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports
What We Like
Acceleration: The bZ4X is much more entertaining to drive than the specs make it sound. The acceleration is smooth and linear, as is typical with an EV. It could even be considered invigorating because of how urgently that power is delivered and how it’s readily available. We drove the front-drive version. Toyota estimates it can run 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. That makes it quicker than any other current Toyota SUV in our ratings that doesn’t plug in. The AWD version, with 13 more hp and an extra motor on the rear axle, is said to sprint to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, just shy of the time we recorded with a RAV4 Prime.
Ride: The suspension skews a bit firm, but it has good bump absorption and controls body motions well. You do feel some smaller road aberrations, although large impacts, like potholes, are managed admirably. The ride quality puts the bZ4X among the better Toyotas of all stripes and ahead of some electric competitors. The XLE gets modest 18-inch wheels while the Limited comes with 20s, which will likely hurt the ride quality.
Handling: It’s better than expected. The steering is quite responsive, with a nice weight (aka resistance) that increases naturally as you turn the wheel. This steering acumen combines with the low center of gravity from the battery pack to contribute to a rather nimble SUV that’s inviting to push on curvy roads and through sharp highway exit ramps.
Interior space: The space for the front and second row is admirable for a vehicle of this size. The packaging is aided by a long wheelbase compared with, say, the RAV4, and a flat floor design that’s allowed by the electric platform, rather than being a converted gas-powered vehicle with all the bumps and intrusions such designs typically require.
Quiet cabin: EVs are inherently quiet, as they benefit from the absence of a revving engine. Our drivers felt that the bZ4X was even more hushed than some of its peers, with minimal electric sounds. Toyota loves to inform drivers who put the car in Reverse that it’s now going backward.
Real door handles: Yes, it has honest-to-goodness traditional door handles. Many recent EVs have eschewed handles that you can grab at any time with motorized releases that recede into the body. Those may look futuristic and even impress passersby, but they tend to be inconvenient. The timing is often a half-beat off, leaving you waiting awkwardly for the handle to present itself, giving you time to ponder what happens on the day that the motor fails or is challenged by ice. Plus, there’s a place for a key to unlock the driver’s door. How novel and appreciated.
The unusual gear selector, surrounded by shiny black plastic trim.
Photo: Jeff Bartlett
What We Don't Like
Onboard charger: The new EVs come with onboard chargers that range from 7.7 to 11.5 kW. Think of them as the funnel that channels electricity to the battery from the wall. The bZ4X has a humble 6.6-kW onboard charger that limits the speed of charging when plugged into a typical Level 2 home charger. At least when it comes to DC fast charging in public places on a long trip, it’s capable of accepting up to 150 kW output, which is competitive.
Missing features: In Toyota parlance, an XLE trim tends to be one or two notches up from the base configurations and includes the most common conveniences. The bZ4X starts at XLE, yet there are some omissions that caught our attention. The front seats on our $42,000 rented example have no power adjustment. There’s no traditional glove box. The rear hatch is manual. (It does have a great grab handle, but the resistance is heavier than most.) And despite the very raked rear glass, it doesn’t have a wiper, which is a major oversight when it comes to safety in clearing snow and ice when driving during winter.
Appearance and black trim: Can we all agree to end this failed era of shiny black plastic? Used as trim material in the cabin, black plastic looks cheap, causes distracting reflections, and collects fingerprints and scratches. To make matters worse, Toyota has spread that awful material to the exterior. It made our white bZ4X look like a Star Wars storm trooper scout vehicle.
Underscoring the role black plays with the bZ4X, both trims come in black. If you want another color, that’s an added cost. On the XLE, there are four other colors (white, silver, gray, and red) to choose from at $425 apiece. The Limited adds choices for a two-tone look that includes a black roof for $925. At least a black exterior won’t show the contrasting black trim!
We hope future versions are available in a single color.
The angled rear hatch adds flair and aid aerodynamics, but it limits cargo space and begs for a wiper.
Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports
What We'll Keep an Eye On
Controls: We have mixed feelings about the various controls, which we will explore in greater detail in the full road test. The small steering wheel is packed with buttons labeled with small icons. The gear selector looks like a pig snout. It requires a push down and rotation a few degrees either way to go forward or in reverse, with Park being a push-button above it. This creative solution doesn’t seem to gain anything, and the driver needs to be mindful not to rest a palm on the snout or risk putting the transmission into Neutral.
The wide infotainment screen features next-gen software and feels contemporary, unlike the systems in many other Toyotas. In the center stack area, there’s a nice mix of buttons, toggles, and buttons. These controls are generally easy to see, reach, and operate.
Instrument panel: Toyota has been creative over the years with some instrument panels, choosing to put them at the base of the windshield or even in the center of the dash. Such placements limit the distance the driver’s eyes have to travel from peering through the windshield to reading the gauges, and they can make it easier for eyes to rapidly adjust to different focal lengths. The bZ4X’s instrument panel looks like a starfighter cockpit far ahead of the driver, with a deeply recessed screen. It’s visually interesting. But the text on the screen isn’t enlarged to compensate for its distance from the driver. Slender fonts further conspire to make the screen a challenge to read. It’s as if it was designed to be positioned right behind the steering wheel, then later slid back another 18 inches. Our drivers noted that it doesn’t seem as bright or readable as competing systems that also do without a shroud to reduce sun glare.
Range: For a brand-new electric model, the maximum range is a bit modest. The front-wheel-drive version is EPA-rated at 252 miles, on a par with the base Ford Mustang Mach-E. But the all-wheel-drive Limited is rated at 222 miles. Both figures are shorter than other models in this price range. We’re interested in seeing how the range plays out in the real world. We have seen that some automakers play the range game a bit more conservatively than others.
Back seat: Second-row comfort is mixed. Headroom is limited for taller occupants, and foot space under the front seats is pinched. The bottom cushion is short on thigh support, potentially causing knees to bend in an unpleasant fashion. The adjustable seatback helps.
And that name: It’s hard to get past it, especially typing it repeatedly for this article and desperately wanting to truncate it to “bZ.” It sounds like one of Elon Musk’s children, or the order code for the paint you wished you didn’t have to pay extra for. As more bZ models roll out, it’s easy to imagine that shoppers could confuse one name for another. Whatever happened to words like Matrix?
Split folding rear seats add cargo-toting flexibility.
Photo: Toyota
Safety and Driver Assistance Systems
The bZ4X will be the first Toyota to feature the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite of active safety and driver assistance systems. Standard features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning, lane centering assistance, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and a rear-seat reminder to avoid leaving a small child or pet behind. Blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning are also standard.
TSS 3.0 boasts improved radar and camera ability, and expands on the existing driver assistance features. For example, AEB gains motorcyclist, guard rail, and low-light cyclist detection.
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