Toyota

bZ4X/bZ4X Touring

Toyota has proved it is still perfectly acceptable to be fashionably late to the party with the arrival of its first fully electrified vehicle. It’s called the bZ4X and is a full-sized SUV that offers impressive performance, a very decent driving range and a wealth of on-board tech. And a newly-launched estate-styled Touring version offers added versatility too.

Test Drive

Toyota bZ4X Touring (2026)

The bZ4X Touring blends rugged off-road looks with estate car-like practicality. And now with updates made to the whole bZ4X range, is Toyota finally taking the electric car market seriously?

Toyota has been criticised in recent years for being extremely late to join the EV bandwagon, and when it did with the original bZ4X in 2022, it was seen as a rather lacklustre breakthrough in the market.

Fast forward four years and the bZ4X range has gone through some big changes and now is a serious contender in the overcrowded world of electric SUVs. To broaden its appeal, Toyota is now offering the car in a family-friendly Touring estate body style.

The Touring is 140mm longer than the bZ4X SUV but is exactly the same height. It features Toyota’s ‘Hammerhead’ front end design with narrow headlights that are joined by an LED light bar. The front grille and bumper have a 3D effect, while the car still retains its chunky and boxy wheel arches.

Its cabin design will be instantly recognisable if you’ve driven a standard bZ4X with its uncluttered layout and lots of on-board technology. The centre piece of the interior is the 14.3-inch infotainment screen that sits high in the middle of the dashboard and features an in-built satellite navigation system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, Bluetooth and DAB radio.

In terms of trims, the Touring is only available in two guises called Design and Excel. The former features a front-wheel drive set-up and is priced from £44,495, while the latter gets a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain and comes in at £50,195. Standard kit includes 18-inch alloy wheels, six speakers, heated front seats and ambient interior lighting.

The bZ4X Touring is only available with one battery option and that’s a 74.7kWh unit that delivers a claimed WLTP range of up to 366 miles in the front-wheel drive Design model and 297 miles in the all-wheel drive range-topping Excel car.

For a one-week test drive, we opted for the entry-level Design grade which produces 221bhp and 268Nm of torque from its electric motor. The dash from 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds and the car will reach a top speed of 99mph. If you go for the all-wheel drive model, its faster acceleration means 62mph comes around in 4.5 seconds and it maxes out at 112mph.

Despite the all-wheel drive Excel model having more power, our two-wheel drive Design car is more than capable on a day-to-day basis with plenty of grunt coming from its electric motor. With instant power on tap, it makes very light work of overtaking, while on twisty roads it feels confident, well-balanced and provides lots of grip from the front end. Some rivals are sharper to drive, but the Toyota feels more restrained and refined, while the high, elongated driving position results in excellent all-round visibility.

There are three driving modes called Eco, Normal and Snow, along with steering wheel-mounted paddles to allow you to adjust the strength of the regenerative braking. Unfortunately, there is no one-pedal drive function, which would make driving in stop-and-go city traffic much more relaxing.

In the practicality stakes, the Touring scores highly as two six-footers can easily get comfortable in the front, and the back seats can accommodate three young adults perfectly well, though the middle-seat is much narrower.

Sadly there is no frunk, but that’s made up for with storage under the boot floor and plenty of cabin storage compartments, including a well-sized, double-hinged central cubby box that can be accessed by both the driver and front passenger. There is a large area beneath the centre console where there are two USB-C ports, plus dual wireless charging pads, front and rear cup holders, door bins, trays and seat back pockets. But more noticeably is the lack of a traditional glovebox, though this creates extra space up in the front for the passenger.

The boot is electrically operated and reveals a generous 669 litres of cargo volume, which can almost triple to 1,718 litres when the 60:40 split-folding rear seats are pushed down. This is considerably more than the 452 litres of room you get from the standard bZ4X.

Charging the Touring’s 74.7kWh battery can be topped up at speeds of 160kW from a DC rapid charger, boosting a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 28 minutes. Our Design test car comes as standard with an 11kW on-board charger, while the flagship Excel car comes with a 22kW unit. That means a 10 to 100 per cent replenishment from an AC home charger will take seven hours for the Design car, dropping to three hours, 30 minutes on Excel grades.

There’s no shortage of safety equipment with the Touring featuring all of the latest driver assist systems, and while it hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP, the SUV model last year was awarded the maximum five-star rating. All models come with a three-year, 60,000-mile manufacturer warranty and an eight-year or 100,000-mile guarantee on its battery. Plus, for added peace of mind, the policy can be extended to 10 years or 100,000 miles if you continue to have the vehicle serviced at an approved franchised Toyota dealer.

All in all, the updated bZ4X is a vast improvement over the outgoing model and this new Touring variant just adds even more appeal. We’d stick to the entry-level car as it’s much more affordable, yet still comes with plenty of standard kit, performance and range.

Test Drive

Toyota bZ4X – First Drive (2022)

It almost beggars belief that Toyota is only now launching its first fully electrified model – after all this is the company that has decades of hybrid know-how under its belt and has been a pioneer in developing cleaner vehicles.

But the timing may have been perfectly planned as the rather curiously named bZ4X is an electric SUV that can confidently cope with off-road challenges and the demand for electrified SUVs is growing at quite a pace right now.

If the name looks confusing it is easily explained. The ‘bZ’ stands for Beyond Zero which is Toyota’s sub brand name for its battery-powered vehicles. The ‘4’ refers to the vehicle size – so it is mid-size, and ‘X’ means it’s a crossover.

At launch the five-door bZ4X is on sale in trim levels called Pure, Motion and Vision, plus a special limited launch Premier Edition that is available exclusively online. Prices range from £41,950 to £51,550 and customers can select from front or all-wheel drive technology.

The bZ4X cars with front-wheel drive feature a single 150kW front-mounted eAxle that produces 201bhp and 266Nm of torque. When it comes to performance, they can sprint from 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and max out at a limited 100mph while offering a driving range between charges of 317 miles.

The AWD models have front and rear 80kW eAxles with a combined output of 215bhp and 337Nm of torque. The 0-62mph sprint time is quicker at 6.9 seconds while the top speed stays the same at 100mph. The driving range is slightly less at 286 miles, but this version gains X-MODE off-road settings for confident driving in more testing conditions.

A new architecture called eTNGA has been created for the bZ4X and this will be the platform for all Toyota EVs moving forward as it can be adapted for all shapes and sizes.

One key feature is the positioning of the battery pack which is integrated into the chassis. This means it does not impact upon passenger or storage space and also helps deliver a lower sense of gravity during driving.

There’s no denying the fact that the bZ4X has a strong road presence with a bold design that simply cannot be ignored. The front end boasts a new brand-defining ‘hammerhead’ shape with signature slim LED headlights and daytime running lights. We tested the high-end Premier Edition model and it also featured a panoramic roof, rear privacy glass, a satin plated lower grille, shark fin antenna, fog lights and 20-inch alloys.

Moving inside, the interior is upmarket, clutter-free and very generously equipped, especially inside our range-topper with black synthetic leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch Toyota Smart Connect multimedia display (Pure models feature an eight-inch multimedia set-up), an upgraded eight-speaker JBL premium sound system and full navigation.

Other features include Apple CarPlay (wireless) and Android Auto (wired) smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, a wireless smartphone charger, voice assistant, three USB connections, a DAB radio, plus a seven-inch colour tft driver display that can be configured according to taste and preference.

There is a neat dial instead of a conventional shift lever, an attractive woven texture covering on the dashboard, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats, a heated three-spoke steering wheel, along with ambient lighting.

When put to the test, the bZ4X is quick out the blocks and there is always ample power on tap for sharp bursts of pace to overtake slower vehicles. With its low centre of gravity, the SUV is perfectly grounded with excellent grip into tighter corners and no sign of any body sway.

It eats up motorway miles for fun cruising effortlessly at higher speeds and it’s also deceptively agile in busier city centre settings where the raft of parking assist systems, along with impressive all-round visibility, are a real bonus.

There are driving modes called Eco and Normal that slightly alter the reactions of the car and the regenerative braking system captures energy that would otherwise be lost and this helps to boost the battery levels.

Special mention to the refinement standards within the bZ4X too. Barely a sound filters through into the cabin thanks to thickened glass, a widened gap between the mirrors and three-quarter front panels, along with top quality insulation measures. And despite riding on 20-inch alloy wheels, the test car was beautifully unruffled with all unexpected bumps and dips smoothed out along the way.

We also put the vehicle through its paces off-road with the AWD’s X MODE activated for tougher terrain. The bZ4X climbed ridiculously steep hills and descended again with fully controlled grip. It clambered over obstacles and proved it has a wading depth of up to 500mm.

Another feather in the bZ4X’s cap is its spacious cabin with ample room in the back for adults to sit comfortably – even with the front seats pushed well back. As well as its off-roading ability, it can tow a trailer weighing up to 750kg so will be ideal for family getaways.

Rather strangely, there is no glovebox to tuck away bits and pieces, but there is a massive storage compartment beneath the centre console that can swallow 20 litres of kit. In addition, you can make use of the deep door pockets with double bottle sections, front and rear cup holders, a charging pad with slightly transparent cover, a cubby box, plus seat back pockets.

The boot, accessed via a powered tailgate, has a double floor and can swallow 452 litres of kit – a limit that can be increased further by lowering the 60:40 split-folding rear seats. Unlike some pure EVs there is no frunk (front trunk) for added storage.

When it comes to charging, the bZ4X can be boosted to 80 per cent in 30 minutes via a 150kW fast charger. A full charge using a 230V/32A supply will take approximately nine-and-a-half hours. And it’s worth noting that by the end of this year, an 11kW three-phase on-board charger will replace the initial 6.6kW unit.

A MyT App can be used for all manner of functions too, such as tracking the car, checking charge levels, planning navigation routes and getting service reminders.

And although the vehicle has yet to be tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating, it boasts a wealth of features to protect occupants, other road users and help prevent accidents happening in the first place.

It has the latest generation of Toyota Safety Sense which offers a number of preventative systems including a comprehensive pre-collision system with intersection turn assist and emergency steering assist.

All models benefit from intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane trace assist, lane departure alert, automatic high beam or automatic high beam system, a full suite of airbags, hill start assist, eCall, downhill assist control, road sign assist with speed limiter, emergency driving stop system and plenty more besides. Blind spot monitor and safe exit assist are standard features on all vehicles apart from entry-level Pure trim level.

And there are no fears about the battery being damaged as it is protected by a strong aluminium cover and the voltage, current and temperature of the battery cells are constantly monitored. If any abnormal heat generation is detected, controls are automatically triggered to mitigate the issue.

All in all, the bZ4X is a most impressive all-rounder that lives up to the high expectations that Toyota would make an instant impact when it finally entered the BEV race. We look forward to the next chapter with plenty of new models on the horizon as the company drives towards its carbon neutral target.