Louth Motors: Toyota’s bZ facelift gets it right
The changes Toyota has made are welcome
Toyota have facelifted the bZ4X and in true facelift fashion they have removed some lines.
In this case it’s letters. They have dropped the 4X and the car is now called the bZ. But the facelift hasn't been entirely successful as the bZ4X still appears on the back of the car for some reason, probably because it is marketed with that full name in other markets around the world with just America and ourselves getting the shorter name. Go figure.
The changes Toyota has made are welcome. They have reduced the 10% to 80% charging time on a fast DC charger to 30mins from typically one hour, and through thermal pre-conditioning they have eased the max 3 DC charges per day limit. They have also upgraded the onboard AC charger from 7.6kW to 11kW. The battery has been increased to 73.1 kWh with a claimed range of 567km. Power via the front wheels has been increased to 224hp via a 165kW motor driving the front wheels. There is no 4WD model on sale, yet. That motor provides 269 Nm of torque giving the bZ a performance time of 7.4s to 100km/h. There are two trims available Sport (€42,460) and Premier (€54,587) with the Premier getting the option of a bi-tone roof (€55,640). That's quite a leap from the entry Sport model to the Premier model. For that approximately €14k extra you get better safety features, a digital rear-view mirror, a panoramic roof, a JBL 9 speaker sound system, 20” alloy wheels, electric leather front seats that are heated and air ventilated.
It feels like these should be on the Sport model but that would stop Toyota getting the car to a price point closer to €40k making the pricier car the one you want. Nowadays, there is always a premium to pay for Toyota ownership and it’s something that their customers, it seems from their sales, are continually prepared to pay.
The looks changes are not radical with a new hammerhead fascia and the overhangs instead of matte black plastic are now glossy. From their website it looks like Toyota are not offering these as a colour coded option here. Toyota has listened to owner feedback on the inside and removed the plastic frame that separated the steering wheel from the driver instrument cluster, increased the size of the infotainment display to 14 inches and they now give you physical knobs and buttons for volume and climate control. They are listening.
The cabin feels spacious and airy and most importantly, relaxed. The controls are well laid out and intuitive. The 452l boot takes most of your stuff and if you need more space the rear seats fold forward but surprisingly not completely flat. There’s another surprise with the absence of a frunk that should be a given these days.
On the road the bZ shines for me. Toyota has zeroed in on comfort and refinement. Electric cars all feel sporty because the torque is available all the time and expected. But that has led to harder riding cars from all manufacturers. With the bZ that's not the case since it absorbs bumps brilliantly and for a tallish car it doesn’t lean too much either. Everything is done in hushed quietness for maximum passenger comfort. That's what I want and so do the passengers.
Where Toyota scores incredibly well is with the warranty they offer. They guarantee, via their extended care programme, the battery will retain 70% of its original capacity over the first 10 years of ownership or one million kilometres driven. You just have to have it serviced at an official Toyota dealer - sure where else would you go with a complex electric car? For those making the leap to all-electric driving that’s some peace of mind and no less than Toyota buyers expect. If Toyota can offer that level of assurance it puts it up to all manufacturers of electric cars to at least match this or preferably exceed it.
As facelifts go the best ones are the ones you don’t quite notice. With the bZ the subtle changes make the bZ a much better proposition overall, addresses owner feedback and positions Toyota to tempt virgin electric car buyers.