00:00It's like a video game, arcane machine. Toyota is legendary when it comes to
00:05reliability and they're one of the pioneers of hybrid cars but they've been
00:09noticeably absent in the EV space. They're hoping to change that with this,
00:13the BZ4X. It's their first all-electric vehicle.
00:21This is the Toyota BZ4X. It starts at 48,000, the limited version that I'm
00:26driving here but they also make a base version, the XLE which is at $41,000.
00:32They both have a 201 horsepower electric motor and they have also a 74.1
00:38kilowatt-hour battery. In comparison, the Kona has a 64.8 kilowatt-hour battery. So
00:43the XLE has a range of 252 miles versus this one which has 236. There could be a
00:49couple of reasons why that's the case because this one has larger wheels, 20
00:53inch wheels versus 18 and it's also heavier. Even though it has less range,
00:58you still get a lot more features with the limited. For example, you have the
01:02multi-LED projector headlights, you have the power liftgate with foot activation,
01:07you have powered seats with lumbar support with the driver's seat only, you
01:12also have cooling ventilation with the seats, power moonroof, 20-inch alloy wheels,
01:17heated and ventilated front seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, and you
01:22also get a backup camera with 360-degree views.
01:33I'm headed to the charging station right now because I've been driving for most of
01:37the afternoon. I'm roughly at 15% battery left, giving me a range of 31 miles so
01:42really low. Once it gets close to 10%, it's going to notify me with a warning.
01:55Well, it's great that you could charge an EV at home with just an ordinary 120 volt
02:01outlet. That's level one charging. The more practical thing to do is invest into a
02:05level two charger because for overnight, you charge it up roughly around eight hours,
02:09you'll have a full battery by the time you wake up. We started at 15% battery and
02:14right now after 30 minutes, it's showing 67%. To put that into perspective, when I was
02:19charging this at home with level one charging, it gave back 17% battery in over
02:2410 plus hours. But here we got 52% in 30 minutes. You can probably get by with
02:30level one charging if your commute is short, but if you plan on doing a lot of
02:33long distance driving, it's not really practical. In the week I've been driving this,
02:37it's giving me an efficiency of 3.1 miles per kilowatt hour, which I think is average
02:42for an EV. Again, there are some EVs that get better efficiency like the Lucid Air
02:47Pure, which gets closer to four miles per kilowatt hour. But to me, I think it's good
02:52enough here. This efficiency is better than I expected given the larger size because
02:56it is a crossover SUV. When it comes to efficiency, three miles per kilowatt hour is
03:01the sweet spot for most EVs. If you get anything more, greater than four, that's great, but anything less,
03:07three is pretty bad. I didn't quite get the peak I got with the Kono, which got a
03:12little bit above four miles per kilowatt hour. One of the things I do like about
03:16this is the design. It has those RAV4Qs, but in a more sleeker, more futuristic look.
03:22When you see the front, it has a really nice grill, sleek lines. You have also the
03:27projector LED lights that stand out, and just the way the angles are cut. You can see
03:31how it's very angular with its design. The two-tone finish of the car also makes it pop.
03:36You can see it here near the wheels and also around the back. For being a futuristic
03:41vehicle, it has some antiquated features. For example, the handlebars, usually they're
03:46flush and hidden inside, but not here. It's a regular standard handlebar. And with
03:51the charging port, it's a manual operation. It doesn't open up by itself. I got to press
03:55it and open it like that. And on the inside, it has a tiny screen. Kind of reminds me of the
04:00original Prius, which came out over 10 plus years ago. In the week that I've been driving
04:09it, I really like the performance and handling of the BZ4X. There's only one mode here, which
04:14is Eco Mode. You could turn it on or off. Even when I have it turned on though, the acceleration
04:19is pretty responsive and zippy. I will give Toyota credit. It has one of the better implementations
04:27of smart cruise control because it's very soft with its acceleration and braking. It anticipates
04:34also what's ahead. When I had someone actually cut me off a little bit, it didn't apply to
04:39brakes really hard. It was subtle. It also comes with many of the standard safety features that
04:44I enjoy. For example, you have parking assist, you have the blindside sensors to notify someone's
04:50there, smart cruise control that I already mentioned, and lane assist. On the flip side,
04:56the cabin space could be a lot quieter. I'm disappointed that the passenger seat has manual
05:02adjustment. And for the price, I was expecting more features like blind spot cameras. Oh, and
05:08a final note, the most irritating I've had with the BZ4X is the infrared camera that's built
05:14up to the steering wheel. It's a safety feature, so I keep my eyes on the road, but it's just
05:18way too nagging. One of the really cool features it has though is self-parking. So basically it'll
05:25automatically park for me, well, whether it's parallel parking or parking lot parking. Let's try,
05:31I guess hit that one. Okay. Hit start. Okay. It's gonna do it all hands-free.
05:44There we go. In between the lines, perfect parking. Not better than me though.
06:02Toyota's first EV is in a home run. I think it's on the pricier side and it's also shorter on range.
06:08For a little bit less, there are some other EVs I've tested that have better range like the Kona,
06:13but knowing that there's always the better reliability and resale value down the road.
06:18What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below. Make sure to watch my other
06:22videos like my Kona review and the other EVs I've tested on the channel. Follow us on social
06:27at Tom's Guide. I'm John B. And I'll see you in my next video.
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