Video Summary
The 2023 Toyota BZ4X is Toyota’s all-new electric crossover. This limited, front-wheel-drive trim comes in XLE or limited trims and also comes in all-wheel-drive. It has a range of about 242 miles and makes about 201 horsepower from its front electric motor. It costs around $47,000. “BZ” stands for Beyond Zero, Toyota’s marketing language for their electric vehicles, and 4 refers to the size of the vehicle, roughly that of the RAV4. The X means it is an SUV.It comes with X-Mode all-wheel drive, shared with Subaru. With the X-Mode, the vehicle offers a slightly different design, but they are essentially the same vehicle. Ground clearance is less in the BZ4X than with the Solterra, with 8.1 inches and 8.3 inches respectively.
It has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, and a heat pump up front. It also features an option for a radiant heating system powered by the 12-volt battery so it does not reduce range, that warms your knees and legs if you spec it with the weather package.
The center stack and how it relates to the steering wheel may be controversial. At 5’10”, you can see over this and see the gauge cluster pretty easily, but the wheel may block it depending on driving position. The driver’s seat is eight-way power adjustable, and can sit high up for good road visibility. The roof height is pretty good and the car is a little lower, longer, and wider than the RAV4 for a sleeker, more aerodynamic design.
It can be spec’d for the best range out of the front-wheel-drive XLE, which has 18-inch wheels. With this limited trim, it has 20-inch alloy wheels. You lose about 8 to 10 miles of range with the 20s.
The particular BZ4X is painted in Heavy Metal Gray. Its back design combines the elements of a RAV4 and a Prius, an interesting design, and comes in less funky looking than it does in photos. As a Limited trim, it comes with a power liftgate. All BZ4Xs will come with a charge cable. This one also has a JBL sound system.
The back seat has a very flat floor for passengers. It has a slightly higher seat because it is making room for the battery pack, and the two USB C ports are for rear seat passengers. There’s also a good amount of headroom.
This is one of Toyota’s first all-electric crossover and seems like a tightly screwed-together cabin. There’s zero rattle and zero noise. And the steering wheel reminds one a little of the first-generation Prius. The 12.3-inch or 12.1-inch touchscreen seems similar to what we’ve seen on new Tundras and it’s got the same basic system settings, which might have you doing most driving through CarPlay for most functions. The BZ4X also comes with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which has improved sensors and cameras. Toyota also offers one year of complimentary EVGo charging and three years of a free trial of the Toyota Connect app for remote functions like starting the car.
Finally, one complaint is the paddle controls in the steering wheel. The paddle controls are more intuitive and easier to manage than the button set up in this model.
