In the midst of Covid, Toyota’s first full foray into electric cars got off to an inauspicious start. The wheels fell off. Or rather, the company was forced to recall the first few cars from the production line due to a potential fault in the wheel hub.
Then our Norwegian colleagues – fans of statistics and Excel spreadsheets – noticed a sizeable discrepancy between the official range of the battery and what it was actually delivering. In relatively cold climates – chilly but not Arctic – it was delivering up to 30 per cent lower range than suggested in the brochures.
Park these two issues, and the general tone of reviews was that it was roomy, relatively smartly styled, but struggling to stand out from the crowd. That was several years ago. Since then, a veritable fleet of rivals has landed on forecourts. What kept BZ4X sales buzzing along with the strength of the Toyota badge and its powerful dealer network.
Now, Toyota has hit the reset button. Not only has the battery been overhauled, but so has the styling, the pricing and even the name. No one really could be bothered with the algebra moniker, so now it’s simply the Toyota BZ – at least on the Irish market. It also reflects the decision to forgo the four-wheel drive version for Irish buyers, so the new BZ will only be offered in front wheel drive here.
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Is this enough to set the BZ buzzing?
First, let’s look at the battery and the motoring gubbins. Toyota engineers heard the complaints and have overhauled both. The front-mounted 165kW electric motor – dubbed the ‘e-axle’ is now claimed to be 23 per cent more efficient, while the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery pack now has 69kWh of usable power, up 7kWh on the older version. Toyota has managed to pack that extra power into the same space as the old battery.
What it means on the road is that you have 224hp and 268Nm of torque, outputs that fit well with the car’s size and weight. It means smooth acceleration, delivered in a nice linear fashion – not the erratic surge you get on some EVs.
The steering is also nicely weighted, as are the brakes, all going to offer a reassuring and confident driving dynamic.
The downsides are with the ride, which can be firmer than rivals and even a little choppy on rougher roads. And with the decision to only offer front wheel drive, the maximum towing capacity of Irish BZs will be 750kgs, which isn’t great.
In terms of range, Toyota is now claiming up to 567km on a full charge, which drops to 510km if you opt for the higher-grade Premier version.
In both instances, Toyota accepts there will be a range fall-off in the region of 20 per cent when the temperatures drop. However, they have a hat-pump system as standard, and they are making much of the battery preconditioning set-up, which they say dramatically reduces the recharging time.
During our time with the car, we did record some impressive economy figures in the BZ, averaging 17.2kWh on a mix of motorway, town and rural roads, which suggests it will match – if not really beat – its big rivals when it comes to range.
Which brings us to price. Starting at €42,460 for the Sport version, it takes a large leap to €51,087 for the Premier version – and a further €1,000 if you want bi-tone paintwork. The thinking, we’re told, is that the higher grade will suit those spending €50,000 or so on a RAV4 and want to go full electric, but with the creature comforts of leather trim.
For your circa €9,000 extra spend you get the synthetic leather, a panoramic roof, and 20-inch alloys instead of 18-inch ones. But you also lose 57km in range, due to the larger wheels and heavier weight. Frankly, I can’t see how the extra spend is worthwhile. However, Toyota clearly knows its customers – they are the bestselling car brand in Ireland, after all. So they must be confident it will sell.
Have they now got a family-sized crossover to catch up with the dominant seller, VW’s ID.4? Well, it’s certainly a much better offering. But in this crowded market, it might need a little more to take the brand towards the top of the sales league, and while it’s slightly smaller, the C-HR+ with which it shares the forecourts, is offered at the same starting price and seems a better car to look at and to drive.
