Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

New Toyota bZ4X 2022 review

We’ve waited a while for Toyota’s first full EV, the bZ4X, but it’s been worth it

Verdict

Toyota’s first electric car is a good one. It may be no more of a head-turner than rival EV SUVs, but the way it drives will get people talking. It’s super-comfortable and has plenty of space inside, it’s well made and comes with plenty of tech. It’s not the cheapest electric SUV on the block, but with Toyota’s reputation for reliability and the prospect of ten year’s warranty cover if you have it cared for by Toyota, this is one of the most appealing new EVs you can buy.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/toyota/bz4x/357429/new-toyota-bz4x-2022-review

Grumpy_chap

JKenH said:

New Toyota bZ4X 2022 review

I just saw and advert for that on the TV and the car is listed on the Toyota website with a far more generous warranty than most EV's seem to have.

I can't make out from the web how large a vehicle it is - some views it looks like an electric RAV4, so quite large, but other views it seems more akin to the Lexus UX EV.  Except possibly better because of the larger battery capacity / range.

Could be an interesting disruptor.  I might walk through the local Toyota dealer some point soon and see what this actually looks like once they get one on display.

Martyn1981

Grumpy_chap said:

JKenH said:

New Toyota bZ4X 2022 review

I just saw and advert for that on the TV and the car is listed on the Toyota website with a far more generous warranty than most EV's seem to have.

I can't make out from the web how large a vehicle it is - some views it looks like an electric RAV4, so quite large, but other views it seems more akin to the Lexus UX EV.  Except possibly better because of the larger battery capacity / range.

Could be an interesting disruptor.  I might walk through the local Toyota dealer some point soon and see what this actually looks like once they get one on display.

I think it looks like a good car and package. US news seems to focus on the very low delivery targets, suggesting a compliance car, or perhaps fears that folk will buy the Subaru version instead as that still gets the full $7,500 tax credit, whereas Toyota have now reached the point where their credit starts to drop, due to PHEV sales reaching the 200,000 plug in figure..

Personally, I think this will be a very pleasant wake up call for Toyota, and they will start to get on board the BEV train ..... so to speak.

[Edit - Forgot, one small concern about the 'busy forks', which may be the same for Europe as the US, the FWD model has a charge rate of upto 150kW, which isn't brilliant, but seems enough to me. However the AWD with 30 miles less range only charges at 100kW (again, US specs, so may have changed). That seems low, especially for a long distance BEV, and one that consumes more energy per mile, than the FWD version.

Hard to believe I'm criticising 100kW charge rate, my how things are changing, and for a 30 min lunch stop, that would probably do 10%-80%, so no major issue for most. M.]

Grumpy_chap

The Toyota looks to be a good option with range / price balance.  
Maybe Toyota marketing dept and advertising is slightly ahead of things as the data available seems inconsistent (different range quoted in the brochure vs article linked above) and incomplete (brochure says four different trim levels but no information on what the equipment and specification changes are between trim levels).
The photos online don't look to have total "wow" factor but overall it looks a nice package.
I will walk down to see if there is one in the flesh at the local dealer.  Just for interest-sake as I am not going to buy any new car for the time being.

Grumpy_chap

Had a look at the Toyota EV and there is a lot going for it. 

High safety equipment specification, long warranty, long range (especially at the price point), nice interior (though the Dealer only had the top "Premium 1st Edition" model on show) and perfectly adequate styling (with design cues possibly taken from the Lexus RX).

It is an absolutely enormous car - at least as large as the RAV4, possibly bigger.  The sheer size of it would be too big for me really.

For me, it would probably make most sense at the entry level trim, but that is hard to be certain on as Toyota do not seem to have published a data sheet allowing the equipment specifications for each trim level to be compared.  The Dealer also did not have this information.

I wonder whether there is some haste in the Toyota launch?  The Dealer I spoke with said they'd only received the car into the showroom and training on Tuesday this week.  That training was possibly not complete as I asked about range and how it would vary in a cold, wet, icy, dark, winter morning only for him to say "it is 317 miles, it does not vary on conditions or driving style - that's what we were told, I wouldn't say it unless I had been told that because I would not lie to you, if that is not true then it means I have been lied to also."

I asked again about the difference in equipment between the trim levels and the Dealer confirmed he could not provide that, but really why wouldn't I just go ahead for the top-of-the-range type he had in the showroom, which is lovely and all he has sold so far since the car arrived on Tuesday.  They are very popular apparently, the Dealer sold three already today (before I went in at 2 o'clock and they only open at 11, so that's one per hour) and has now sold all allocation until at least April 2023.  That is such a long period that I assume the statement must be true as, IMO, it would only serve to encourage you to buy something else from a different brand - possibly the Dealer says that long lead time thinking it stimulates demand.

The push was to buy via PCH (which is not buying at all) - that was an expensive option at over £600 per month and the PCP is even more per month apparently.  I did not understand why that was so high as a typical £40k car (Audi A5) would be around £440 monthly on PCP.

I certainly liked the car more than some other EV's I've seen with far higher price tag and more than other SUV-EV's at similar price tag.  The lack of data on the specification is simply unforgiveable and Toyota should have that to provide.  Nonsense about range not varying with conditions is annoying, it really is a monster of a car and the lead time is phenomenal.

Having said all that, if I was to go out and buy a new car now, this would certainly make it to my shortlist.

Martyn1981

Links to the busy forks on EV database, with weather and usage range "estimates":

bZ4X FWD model

bZ4X AWD model  [The page suggests the AWD can charge at 150kW]

ABrass

Toyota are targeting 60,000 production this financial year and 50,000 next year. That's not awful, twice the volume of Ford Mustang Mach E (27,000 ish) and the same as the average number of Nissan leafs in it's first decade.

But it's less than the iD3, (78,000 in 2021) or id4 (120,000) let alone the big boys of the Tesla model 3/Y which had 900,000 between them last year.

They aren't trying to compete in volume yet.

JKenH

Martyn1981 said:

Links to the busy forks on EV database, with weather and usage range "estimates":

bZ4X FWD model

bZ4X AWD model  [The page suggests the AWD can charge at 150kW]

FWD model has similar range to the Tesla Model 3 (link below) which is quite impressive for the price. Obviously they are very different cars but against this benchmark it’s not a bad first effort. Shame about the waiting lists (but I’m not an SUV fan so probably not for me).

https://ev-database.uk/car/1555/Tesla-Model-3

JKenH

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/autocar-awards/autocar-awards-2022-tesla-model-3-named-best-company-car

Martyn1981

Forgot about this 'new' car. Skim read the article and all of the stats look perfectly reasonable.

New Smart #1 SUV available to order in December 2022

From launch the #1 is installed with a 66kWh battery, for a claimed headline range of up to 440km (273 miles). It’s likely that more affordable, smaller battery options will be available in time, too. 

With 150kW rapid charge capability, the 66kWh car’s battery can be topped up from 10-80 per cent in less than 30 minutes, while plugging in to a 22kW AC charger will return a 10-80 per cent charge in around three hours.

The battery feeds a single rear-mounted motor, producing 268bhp and 343Nm of torque - and while Smart hasn’t outlined a 0-62mph time it has confirmed a top speed of 112mph. Weighing 1,820kg, the #1 should be able to cover the benchmark sprint in less than seven seconds.

At 4.27 metres long the #1 is the largest Smart ever, highlighting that the brand will expand beyond its city car roots into more larger segments. Unlike the four-seat Concept #1, the production #1 is a full five-seat SUV, and it places an emphasis on practicality as well as style. 

This points to the #1 starting from around £32,000 in base form, with the Launch Edition commanding a premium when it goes on sale in December this year. Customers will be able to order their car entirely online or through a physical dealer network, with each car arriving with an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the electric powertrain.