Some paddles have sprouted from the steering wheel to control the regenerative braking. There’s a free-wheeling mode but true one-pedal and adaptive modes remain absent. The by-wire brake pedal is nicely progressive.
I was slightly surprised that Toyota tinkered with the dynamics, because I always thought the bZ4X drove quite nicely, albeit in a slightly forgettable way. Thankfully, the car’s character hasn’t changed radically. It still treads a middle ground between the overtly boaty Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the more try-hard sporty Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y that suits it well. Mostly the ride is nicely settled and the handling unexcitingly competent.
Wheel size (18in or 20in) has a negligible impact on ride comfort, although the car seems slightly quieter on the motorway with the smaller wheels. This may just be down to the different tyres, though.
Since its launch, the hot topic with the bZ4X has been range and charging. WLTP range has jumped from 286 to 314 miles for the dual-motor version on 18in wheels and from 312 to 354 miles for the single-motor version. The 20in wheels inflict a 20-30 mile penalty.
I didn’t get enough time in the dual-motor version to get a representative economy figure, but the single-motor version on 18in wheels returned 3.9mpkWh. For a big car like this, even in perfect weather, that’s pretty impressive, and it means that even though the battery is over 10kWh smaller than some rivals’, range is competitive. How the new car will hold up in the cold is the critical question; thankfully, it will be winter by the time we can deliver our UK verdict.
It should at least fast-charge better in cold conditions, which used to be a problem. The peak charging speed stays at 150kW, but the bZ4X has gained a pre-conditioning function to make sure it can hit that rate even in winter.
It’s too early for prices, but given that the bZ4X is currently a bit more expensive than the equivalent Ioniq 5 or Renault Scenic, I’d hope that Toyota would nibble at it a bit.
Toyota hasn’t been the most enthusiastic adopter of EVs, and that has shown in the product. This update doesn’t suddenly propel the bZ4X to the top of its class but has been quite effective in keeping it a solid, no-nonsense option with, in the case of the dual-motor version, some off-roadability. We’re still waiting for that breakout EV from Toyota, though.