Speaking of Toyota, fans and friends may be the first to think of its world-leading hybrid technology, then in addition to hybrid, Toyota also has a very deep technical accumulation in the field of plug-in hybrid, fuel cells and pure electric. At the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, Toyota's pure electric concept car, the bZ4X, made its world premiere, when the car earned enough eyeballs with its outstanding appearance. Now, the mass production version of the bZ4X has officially met with us! On April 28, bZ4X officially opened pre-sale in China, with a pre-sale range of 220,000-300,000 yuan. So as the first model of Toyota's exclusive series of pure electric vehicles, what kind of experience can it bring us?
1. What kind of car is the Toyota bZ4X?
Before talking about the static performance of this car, let's take a moment to share with you the origin of the bZ4X name. According to Toyota's official introduction, in the car name bZ4X, b and Z are abbreviations for "beyond Zero", translated as Chinese is "the value of exceeding zero emissions", while 4 and X are abbreviations for body size and body type.
Based on the Toyota e-TNGA pure electric platform to build the bZ series of models, the future will be fully rolled out to the market, Toyota plans to launch 7 bZ series models worldwide in 2025, and China will become the market with the largest introduction of this series of models. In the next few years, Toyota will take the bZ4X as a starting point to fully promote the development of pure electric models, and expand its product lineup to bring consumers more diversified choices.
2. How does toyota bZ4X perform?
When you first see Toyota bZ4X, many people will be attracted by its radical design, this car basically 100% restores the design of the concept car, and the original design essence of the continuation, the body line is elegant and aesthetic, while ensuring the proportion of the body as far as possible to achieve the design to the extreme, each shape is connected by sharp lines, creating a clear sense of layering, two-color collocation is also very recognizable.
The uniquely shaped headlight group raises the front face to a new level, and the four light groups with lenses are arranged side by side and integrated with the L-shaped daytime running lights on both sides, which have a strong recognition after lighting.
Like other pure electric models on the market, the Toyota bZ4X's grille is also closed, and the air intakes under the front surround can cool the power and battery system during driving.
On the side, toyota bZ4X line design is very rich, from A, B pillar under the two waist lines, the overall visual experience is very outstanding, and the wheel arch used in the black design can create a wide body effect, the sense of sport is more prominent. In terms of body size, the length, width and height of this car are 4690*1860*1650mm, and the wheelbase is 2850mm.
The design of the rear is still sharp, the sharp lines divide the tail into a variety of levels, the through-type taillight group shape is not ordinary, and the narrow and long headlight group forms a sharp contrast, and the two small spoilers on both sides of the rear of the roof also add some dynamic atmosphere, and these unique design elements will be applied to more Toyota models in the future.
3. What are the highlights of the interior of Toyota bZ4X?
Through the models in recent years, it is not difficult to see that Toyota is very the creation of a sense of atmosphere in the interior of the product, and in the bZ4X pure electric model, Toyota has raised technology and luxury to a new height. The interior of the new car adopts the design concept called "Activity Hub", it can be said that Toyota has put a large number of forward-looking designs into this model, the division of each functional area is more reasonable, and it is worth mentioning that this car still retains some commonly used physical buttons, which will be more convenient to use.
The new shape of the three-spoke steering wheel adopts a circular design, and the newly developed OMG (One Motion Grip) driving control set, which is composed of the racer's steering wheel and the steering system by wire, cancels the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the tire in the structure, and the steering wheel rotation angle is set to plus or minus 150 °, which can complete the steering operation without changing hands and wheels, which greatly reduces the burden of the driver in the operation process of driving in the corner, making a U-turn, entering the warehouse, etc. Toyota is actively exploring the introduction of the suit into the Chinese market. This technology-like configuration is believed to attract the attention of more young consumers.
Today, when the world is vigorously promoting sustainable development, Toyota is also strictly practicing this social responsibility, the materials in the bZ4X car are not luxurious, such as the center console area is wrapped in a similar woven fabric, but the sense of grade is still guaranteed, and other areas are also decorated with piano paint and chrome materials.
The cabin stacked instrument panel has a novel design with a low 12-degree pitch angle, allowing the driver to move his sight almost without moving his sight, making driving safer. 850mm telescopic point of view for better driving visibility.
The central control screen adopts a suspension design, the size reaches 12.3 inches, built-in Toyota's latest generation of multimedia control system, resolution and fluency are done very well, in addition to the conventional navigation, Bluetooth and other basic modules, the car also supports voice recognition and OTA upgrades and other intelligent functions.
Below the central control screen, we can see a knob shift mechanism with a moderate size and very exquisite shape, here is a knowledge point: the bZ4X is Toyota's first model with a knob-type gear shift.
The front seats of the Toyota bZ4X are wide enough and maintain Toyota's consistently excellent ergonomics, both for the cushions for the thighs and for the backrest for the entire back. The rear seats are made in line with the front seats and are also equipped with a central armrest box and a mid-position headrest.
Thanks to the more boxy tail design, the Toyota bZ4X's trunk space is well guaranteed, and a large storage space is also designed under the cover, and with the rear seats that can be reclined in 4/6 ratio, the car's space performance is more flexible.
4. What technology configurations does toyota bZ4X carry?
In terms of intelligent safety configuration, the car is equipped with Toyota's latest "TOYOTA Safety Sense Safety Assistance Kit", which includes Pre-Collision Safety System (PCS), Lane Departure Warning System (LDA), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), Lane Following Assist System (LTA), Lane Change Assist Function (LCA), High Beam Automatic Control System (AHB), Door False Opening Warning System (SEA), And Road Sign Recognition Assistance System (RSA) More than 10 functions, such as emergency driving stop system (EDSS) and pre-judgment active driver assistance system (PDA), fully protect user safety.
In addition, the car is also equipped with intelligent parking assistant, support up to 6 kinds of parking and out of the garage scene, support parking space memory function, no parking line can also use this function, if you encounter inconvenient situations to get on and off, users can also remotely control the vehicle through the App.
5. What is the dynamic driving experience of Toyota bZ4X?
Toyota bZ4X is available in two different power versions, with a maximum power of 150kW for the single-motor front-drive version, 160kW for the dual-motor four-wheel drive version, and 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.5 seconds and 6.9 seconds for the two versions, respectively.
It is worth mentioning that Toyota bZ4X adopts the X-MODE four-wheel drive off-road assistance mode jointly developed with SUBARU, and is equipped with the newly developed Grip-Control intelligent creep mode, which gives full play to the characteristics of motor drive, truly subverts the inherent cognition of "electric vehicle lack of driving fun", and realizes the driving control experience and the off-road nature of the SUV. Whether it is urban driving, outdoor off-roading, or even deep snow, mud, and extreme road conditions, it can be perfectly controlled and fully expand the radius of electric travel life.
In the actual driving experience, Toyota bZ4X left a very deep impression on us, the overall comfortable sexual orientation of the tuning in line with Toyota's car-making style, in the start of a moment of motor output is not grumpy, acceleration is light and very linear, acceleration pedal also did enough heels, basically do with the pedal.
And when you need the power to overtake, the Toyota bZ4X can also give you a strong sense of confidence, when you step on the acceleration pedal to the end, this car can still give you a good feeling of pushing back. At low speeds, the Toyota bZ4X's steering feel is lighter, and as the speed increases, the steering damping will increase to keep the vehicle stable.
The chassis as a whole is still based on comfort, and it is most suitable for driving in the city, and it can be easily passed when encountering speed bumps and ramps. It is worth mentioning that although the Toyota bZ4X is an SUV model, its center of gravity position is low, which is of great help for driving stability.
Summary: As Toyota's layout of pure electric fist products, bZ4X can be said to be in the product force to achieve the same level of leadership, whether from the value, process level or scientific and technological performance, it is difficult to let people pick out the fault, and this car in the driving experience also left us a deep impression, linear power output with a strong chassis tuning, so that it is not only suitable for urban road driving, but also in the off-road can also be done with ease. If this car can be set a reasonable price in the future, it will surely become a new explosive product in the pure electric SUV market.