2023 Toyota bZ4X Motion UK review – does it work as a family EV SUV… thing?

The 2023 Toyota bZ4X might have a word-soup name, but on many levels it ticks the family EV boxes. It's spacious inside, has a decent boot, an up-to-date infotainment system… it's even rather comfy. But there is one thing that you might need to check before you buy. I guess you'll have to watch this and find out? Please? Go on.

00:00 Losing your virginity on a stage intro
00:30 What does bZ4X mean?
00:57 How much does it cost?
01:29 What's the range and charging speed?
02:24 Styling and looks
04:28 Cows
04:38 Interior and infotainment shenanigans
07:11 Back seat space
08:21 Boot space frolics
09:52 Driving: turning circle and visibility
11:24 Annoyances and comfort
12:41 Is it noisy at motorway speeds?
14:14 Is it fun on a country road?
16:08 Summing up

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[TimRodieDrivesStuff]

⭐ If you didn't utterly hate this video and feel I've earned it, please subscribe so you don't miss any new car waffles!

[carwaffle]

Toyota build an extra 30 miles of range into the battery when it reads zero….which not many people know about. Apparently they are planning to change this OTA so that you can ‘see’ the additional range all the time. Also the ‘predicted range’ function is way too cautious and will also be refined in their next OTA update.

[benjaminsmith]

You were fair in your review. I appreciate that. I think Toyota has some misses in the interior like the glossy black and some of the materials could be nicer. Overall, it's like a RAV4 in some ways. It gets the job done. People want more range. But frankly I'd like to see a better charging network and batteries and range go smaller. In terms of longevity and resources, Toyota has the better idea of as much as you need IMO. I think the next bZs will be nicer vehicles inside. Also, the reason for no glovebox is radiant heating. That's the other area Toyota needs to address, not so much range reduction with the heating on. That or up the radiant heating. But if you need a/c in the summer, the range again will fall.

[philtomlinson]

There's also a mount for the boot cover under the boot floor. Handy to have somewhere to put it if you need to remove it to maximise load space.

[ISuperTed]

Great review Tim! There’s been a lot of bad press about this car, what with the wheels falling off and terrible real world range. Glad to see someone giving a proper real world review.

I don’t think the exterior styling is that bad but the interior looks ugly to me. I think the problem though is it’s all a bit meh and for £50k it’s easily beaten by several other big EV’s. Now the Tesla Model Y starts at £44K it looks way overpriced and just far too late to the party. The days of many people buying EV’s like this for £50k are over I’m afraid.

[DontPanicDear]

I still can’t quite believe the company that gave us the Prius so long ago, has only just started building a (credible) EV 😮

[skincareaddicted]

As of this comment, you can get a new 2024 BZ4X XLE for about $30-$33k USD with Toyota’s lease special, giving over $16k in rebates and option to buy at the end of the 36 month lease for about $20k. My payment will be about $200 a month. Free charging for a year also. I just placed a deposit on mine as it is being shipped straight from Japan. These cars are all made in Japan. As a longtime Toyota driver (Prius and Camry hybrid), I am very excited to go all electric

[spsmith]

Given the Tesla price drops, this looks too expensive.

[BearsinGamesNeo-qtww]

Just picked up a 2024, they must have fixed some of the AC issues because running it on eco mode doesn't really ding my mileage much at all. Weird?

[MarcHumphriesUK]

US reviewer (out of spec reviews) did a 70mph range check on AWD US battery. It did 215 miles at 70mph, apart from the last dregs when it was doing 30mph max around the charger car park! Surely that is an impressive result? Nearly 3.6 miles per kWh at 70 mph... European cars have a more efficient battery and recent changes to battery buffer software give up more usable capacity to the driver. I'm biased - I've just ordered one on a ridiculously attractive salary sacrifice lease deal.

[lupislune]

I'm not a fan of the plastic quarter panels. I'm surprised, though.They have been doing the Prius for ages, I would have thought that they would have made something with more range.

[Stronic]

At least the wheels stayed on, shame they ran out of paint on the wheel arches though.

[_MS__]

I feel that the charging system needs work otherwise this is a good attempt by Toyota

[shaunm]

Great review Tim - too expensive for what it is imho !

[richardsmith]

48k for a car that’s all right… not really. I looked at one before the wonky wheels thing and after initially being almost impressed I was bored by it. After I noticed there was no glove box I just thought, no. It’s just another car with zero wow factor.

[untruenorth]

Those wheel arches & those (seemingly deliberate) panel gaps around the headlights... well, it’s all a bit brave isn’t it? A long way from the elegance of the gen 4 Supra.

[rotoehu]

Nailed it? Well if that is how they fixed the wheels coming off than objectively it’s a yes. Otherwise, hmmm….

[antonoat]

It would be worth considering if it came with a modern, efficient diesel!

[pigeonpoo]

For 29k this is a really good family car and well worth one's consideration.

[AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Looks like a snow plow
EV's have far far less parts than an ICE yet they cost more. Go figure.