As the world's highest-selling car company in 2021, Toyota is facing an unprecedented crisis. Due to the rapid advancement of the global electrification process, new energy brands such as Tesla and BYD are growing exponentially every year, so if Toyota still wants to sit down in the position of the global car company boss for a long time, it is bound to do something.
So in April last year, Toyota released the pure electric brand bZ (beyond zero beyond zero emissions) series, accompanied by the debut of the bZ series of the first concept car bZ4X. In December of the same year, Toyota held a grand press conference and released 16 bZ series concept cars in one go, which also meant that the veteran car company officially opened the electric curtain of the 21st century.
As the first model of the bZ series, the mass production version of the bZ4X has completed the localization process, and both GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota will produce this car, of which the FAW Toyota version will open pre-sale in April this year. Before the vehicle was launched, we had a static experience of FAW Toyota's bZ4X test car, so does this pure electric vehicle, which has been pinned high hopes by the Toyota Group, have the strength to help Toyota continue to dominate the world?
Previously, when I test drove the Toyota Harrier Lingfang, I used to say that it was Toyota's most handsome SUV at present, but after seeing the bZ4X's real car, I must admit that the title of Toyota's most handsome SUV has changed hands. The front face of the bZ4X adopts the closed design common to electric vehicles, but in order to reflect the recognition, the bZ4X does not use a minimalist style, but adds a large number of edges and polylines, making the front face of the vehicle look very sharp and agile.
The sporty envelopment of the front face is not an ornament, but a really ventilated structure that helps to direct the airflow from the front of the car to the sides of the wheels, reducing wind resistance and noise.
Above the headlights there is an upward LED eyebrow, connected to the silver strip of the middle net, four groups of LED lamp beads, which look bright and energetic. To say that the most controversial design of the whole vehicle, I believe it must be the double color matching of the front face and the front fender part. From the actual perception, the black wheel eyebrows and front bracket structure weaken the visual height of the engine cabin very well, which is quite futuristic, and the recognition is even more explosive.
In addition, from the perspective of the side of the vehicle, it can also be seen that the front overhang length of the bZ4X is not long, which is also a consistent feature of pure electric vehicles. As for the tires, the trial car for this experience is a mid-size model, using 18-inch two-color wheels and 235/60 R18 tires. Although the visual appearance is not domineering enough, the thicker tires can also provide better comfort and endurance. And it is also less likely to burst tires and bulge.
Of course, if you like "Bigfoot" friends do not have to worry, the domestic version of the bZ4X high-end model will also provide the same overseas 20-inch double five-spoke wheels, with 235/50 R20 specifications of tires, more in line with the car's sci-fi, domineering appearance.
The side of the bZ4X continues the sharp style of the front of the car, complex, tough waistline, with the tail of the large angle of the back design, the consistently moderate Toyota finally broke through itself in the field of electric vehicles, and found a good balance between the future, science fiction and public aesthetics, and unlike some new forces, it will give the viewer a feeling of excessive force. In addition, the rear arch of the bZ4X is also blackened, which further compresses the visual thickness of the rear of the vehicle and avoids the rear of the car from appearing too bloated.
In terms of size, the bZ4X is positioned in a compact SUV, compared with its own fuel car RAV4, it has increased by 90mm in terms of length, but the wheelbase has increased by a full 160mm, the proportion of wheelbase and length is larger, and the vehicle will look more solid and coordinated. If you compare the volkswagen ID.4 with the same positioning, it is not difficult to find that the bZ4X has a wheelbase of nearly 10cm longer than the ID.4 in the case that the length is nearly 10cm, and the ratio is very close.
The rear of the bZ4X echoes the aggressive style of the front, with a wide angled slip-back tailgate and dual tail fin design at the roof and taillights that look sporty. Below, it is surrounded by a large area of black, and is shaped like a sports diffuser, matching the style of aggressive movement of the whole vehicle.
The taillights are very large in size, but the Y-shaped area that extends to the rear fenders does not emit light, but only serves as a decoration. The middle-running strip and the energy bar-like design on both sides are the main light-emitting areas of the taillights.
Sitting in the bZ4X car, a strong sense of strangeness swept over the face, and the simple and unpretentious style of the previous Toyota models no longer existed, and finally added a touch of science fiction in the era of electric vehicles. And this sense of science fiction is different from the style of some new forces to remove all lines and buttons and only retain a large screen, bZ4X relies more on the wrap-around cockpit, as well as a more in-depth dashboard, to create a feeling of a spaceship cockpit.
The most eye-catching design in the car is naturally the dashboard, bZ4X for the dashboard area to design a separate shape, the LCD screen in front of the line of sight higher position, inherently has a HUD-like head-up display effect.
The size of the LCD meter is not large, and it is not a full LCD design, and the traditional backlit warning lights are retained on both sides. Fortunately, the display effect of the screen is very delicate, the UI design is also clear and intuitive, and the driver can easily obtain driving-related information.
The 12.3-inch touch screen in the center is closer to the driver's position than the previous Toyota, and the easy access to the driver improves the convenience. Its built-in car machine system is similar to the previous experience on the Harrier Lingfang, which is Toyota's newly developed localization design, supporting voice interaction, Car Networking, OTA and other functions, the interface design is clear and intuitive, and the fluency is also very good, which can be said to be the best car system in domestic Toyota cars so far. Below the screen is a set of capacitive touch buttons that control the functions of seat heating, steering wheel heating, and air conditioning systems. Unfortunately, the volume control of the car machine has also become touch operation and the buttons are small, if you can design a separate physical knob is better.
Interestingly, perhaps in order to reflect the environmentally friendly and zero-emission concept of the bZ series, the bZ4X's co-pilot instrument panel is coated with fabric material, which is warm to the touch and very skin-friendly. Just using fabric materials on the dashboard inevitably makes people worry about its stain resistance and durability.
Below the central control screen is a knob-type gear shift mechanism, and the bZ4X is also Toyota's first model to use knob shifting. It is worth mentioning that Toyota, which has always focused on the humanized experience, is obviously not as aggressive as Tesla, so the kinetic energy recovery system of the bZ4X is adjustable. When adjusted to the strongest, the vehicle will achieve single-pedal logic to maximize energy recovery; and when adjusted to the weakest gear, the vehicle will have the ability to compete with or even surpass the traditional fuel vehicle, which can avoid passengers from motion sickness due to too strong kinetic energy recovery.
Behind the gear shift knob is a wireless charging panel for mobile phones with a cover, and there is an additional USB power supply, which is still very easy to use.
Since the electric car does not have a traditional transmission mechanism, the bZ4X has a large storage slot under the center console, and two USB Type-C power supplies are also provided, as well as a 12 volt 120 watt cigarette lighter power supply.
The bZ4X features a non-opening split sunroof, and the addition of reinforcing beams in the middle can enhance the rigidity of the vehicle and the safety of side impacts. And these two sunroofs also do a dark insulation design, even if the sunshade is opened, the car will not be exposed to the sun in the summer.
As mentioned earlier when comparing the size, the wheelbase of the bZ4X has increased by 16cm compared to the RAV4, but from the actual experience, the space of the bZ4X is actually not much improved compared to the RAV4. After adjusting my driving posture with my 183cm and 80kg figure, there is still a margin of 4 fingers above the head of the front row from the lower edge of the skylight, which can only be said to be decent.
At this time, sitting in the back of the vehicle, the legroom is 1 punch and 4 fingers, and the head space is 3 fingers, which is not as amazing as its 2850mm wheelbase. Compared with the 2690mm wheelbase RAV4, the rear space is about 4 fingers, and even because of the slipback shape, the head space is compressed.
In addition, because there will be a battery pack under the floor of the electric vehicle, the vertical space in the electric vehicle is actually compressed compared to the same size positioning of the fuel vehicle. To alleviate the vertical height problem, electric vehicles usually lower the seat height, which also causes the bZ4X's rear seat to sit slightly lower, and the passenger's thighs near the knee bend can not be adequately supported. Of course, if your height is less than 175cm, or if the length of your calves is relatively short, you will not have too obvious perception of this.
Thanks to the electric platform, the bZ4X's rear central floor bulge is very small and relatively wide, so the middle position can also be relatively comfortable to ride an adult, and the feet can also be placed in the central floor area, without the need to fork.
In terms of rear configuration, the mid-mate model of this real-life shooting experience provides rear seat heating, rear exhaust air outlets and two USB Type-C power supplies. Among them, seat heating can give a good review, after all, electric vehicles in winter to open the warm air is more expensive, if there is seat heating, there is no need to open the warm air temperature too high.
Although the rear row is not as spacious as imagined, the trunk space of the bZ4X is very good, and there is a very good depth in the default state, which alleviates the shortcomings of the low utilization rate of the sneakback model to a certain extent. When the rear seat backrest is lowered, it can also form a relatively flat space, and it is enough to pull some large items.
As a pure electric vehicle, I believe that everyone is most concerned about its architecture, performance and endurance performance. The bZ4X uses an e-TNGA architecture jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, which Subaru calls the e-SGP architecture. Compared with the previous TNGA architecture, the new e-TNGA architecture is mainly optimized for the battery pack layout and powertrain layout of electric vehicles. However, compared with the Volkswagen MEB platform, the e-TNGA architecture model is more like a traditional fuel vehicle in terms of shape, rather than like the ID series, the wheels are arranged in the four corners of the body through the pure electric platform, so as to maximize the riding space in the car. In addition, the e-TNGA architecture can be compatible with the three drive forms of front drive, rear drive and four wheel drive at the same time, and will be distinguished according to the positioning and configuration differences of the model.
In terms of suspension structure, the bZ4X uses a very common form of front McPherson, rear multi-link independent suspension, but the bZ4X's rear suspension hem arm is also very thick like other TNGA models, and there is also an aerodynamic deflector.
Thanks to the long wheelbase of 2850mm and the structural optimization of the e-TNGA architecture, the battery pack of the bZ4X is not at the lowest point of the vehicle chassis like some other electric vehicles, and even slightly above the height of the threshold, which can avoid damage to the battery pack caused by the vehicle base to a certain extent. As for the battery capacity, the current domestic version of the model has not announced detailed parameters, but with reference to the Japanese version of the model, the bZ4X is equipped with a 71.4kWh ternary lithium battery, which can provide a comprehensive working condition of no less than 500km pure electric endurance.
In addition, Toyota officials also said that the bZ4X battery pack can still have more than 90% health after 10 years / 240,000 kilometers. Although the official did not announce too many technical details, considering that Toyota has decades of technical accumulation in the field of hybrid model batteries, we do not have to worry too much about the durability of Toyota electric vehicles. After the future manufacturers announce more technical information, we will give you a good analysis of how Toyota controls battery attenuation.
In terms of power, FAW Toyota's domestically produced bZ4X will provide single-motor front-drive and dual-motor four-wheel drive specifications. Among them, the front-drive version is equipped with a 204-horsepower motor, which accelerates by 8.4 seconds from 0-100km/h, and the front and rear dual motors of the four-wheel drive version with a total power of 218 horsepower and 0-100km/h acceleration of 7.7 seconds. It can be seen that whether it is a front-drive version or a four-wheel drive version, the bZ4X is not the positioning of the pursuit of extreme acceleration, but provides a performance level close to that of the fuel vehicle, which is enough.
So why doesn't the bZ4X use rear-wheel drive like the ID.4? After all, as mentioned earlier, the e-TNGA platform is compatible with any form of driver. This is mainly because the bZ4X is positioned as a domestic SUV, and the front drive has better stability and safety than the rear drive. Considering that many electric vehicle users are now buying a car for the first time, the proportion of novices is very high, so the front drive is a more secure choice. If it is a sports car or even a sports car launched by the bZ series in the future, it is more reasonable to use a rear drive. In addition, since the e-TNGA architecture is a product of joint research and development by Toyota and Subaru, Toyota electric vehicles naturally have some subaru's technical advantages. For example, the four-wheel drive version of the bZ4X introduces a set of X-MODE four-wheel drive system from Subaru, which is optimized for the power output of the front and rear motors and the calibration of the electronic limiting system, so that the vehicle has better handling and off-road capabilities.
As Toyota's first model to adopt the e-TNGA pure electric architecture, the bZ4X also uses many of Toyota's latest technological achievements. First, in terms of the active safety system that attaches great importance to the TNGA architecture, the bZ4X became the world's first model equipped with the TSS3.0 Smart Mobility Safety System. Compared with toyota's current TSS2.0 system, the new 3.0 system adds a lot of intelligent functions. For example, by identifying the road speed limit logo, the speed limit of the driver assistance system can be automatically adjusted; the driver's state is monitored in real time by the sensors on the steering wheel, and once the driver is tired driving, or even asleep, fainting, etc., the vehicle will stop urgently to ensure safety; when the vehicle opens the ACC and follows the car through the curve, the speed will also be automatically reduced to ensure the smoothness of the vehicle's cornering posture.
Of course, many friends must be very concerned about the alien steering wheel on the previous concept car, after all, the shape of this thing is really sci-fi, which can greatly enhance the futuristic sense of the cockpit and bring the driver a feeling of flying a spaceship. At present, the known news is that the bZ4X for mass production and sales in the future is indeed expected to carry a special-shaped steering wheel, but it is likely to be an optional configuration, or only the top model has it, and it is still dominated by the traditional circular steering wheel by default.
In order to achieve the shape of the special-shaped steering wheel, Toyota has also made a lot of efforts. Since this steering wheel is only "half-cut", it cannot change hands like a traditional circular steering wheel when playing directions, so the vehicle must have a large steering wheel steering ratio. Therefore, the bZ4X with a special-shaped steering wheel adopts a steer-by-wire system, there is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels, but an electronic signal is used to control the steering motor to achieve a steering ratio that changes significantly at different speeds. It is also to avoid the "change of hands" operation when turning, so the steering amplitude of this special-shaped steering wheel is only ±150 °, that is to say, in the straight state to the side, the steering wheel is not even half a circle, ensuring the convenience of the vehicle at low speed turning around and stopping.
When driving at high speed, because changing the steering angle of the front wheel at a large angle is easy to cause the vehicle to lose control, the steering system will adjust the steering ratio according to the change of speed and steering angle at this time to ensure the stability of high-speed driving. Of course, the convenience of the special-shaped steering wheel and the adjustment and matching between the steer-by-wire steering system and the steering wheel will have to wait until the real test drive can be evaluated later.
In addition to the special-shaped steering wheel, bZ4X will also provide the option of roof solar cells, which can achieve 225 watts of power generation, although being exposed to the sun can only supplement the endurance of 11.6km at most a day, but if it is an emergency, the vehicle is anchored in the place where there is no village in front of the village and no shop, and the endurance of these more than ten kilometers can be life-saving! At the same time, the electricity emitted by solar panels can also power mobile devices such as hot water kettles, microwave ovens, and mobile phones, which is also another way to continue life outdoors.
In the era of electric vehicles, whether it is Volkswagen or Toyota, their brand influence is declining, and domestic consumers often give priority to domestic brands such as BYD and Wei Xiaoli when purchasing electric vehicles. Therefore, if Toyota wants to rely on bZ4X to occupy a place in the pure electric market, it must give a sincere pricing like volkswagen ID.4. As the beginning of Toyota's new era, whether bZ4X can make a good start for the bZ series may have a profound impact on Toyota's development in the next few decades.
In the era of electric vehicles, will you give priority to domestic brands, or traditional big factories like Toyota? Let's discuss it in the comments section!