In addition to the adrenaline-pumping acceleration sensation of a pure electric car, what can be more abundant and delicate driving pleasure? The Toyota bZ4X gives the answer.
On April 28, FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota began to pre-sell bZ4X, with the pre-sale prices of the three two-wheel drive models being 220,000, 240,000 yuan and 260,000 yuan respectively, and the four-wheel drive version of the two models being pre-sold at 280,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan.
As traditional car companies accelerate their transformation to electrification and intelligence, they will give the traditional value of the car - the driving pleasure to the electric vehicle, so that those who like to drive and cherish the traditional value of the car have more choices, and will also change the current competitive situation in China's new energy vehicle market.
bZ4X first experience: This is the driving pleasure that an electric car should have
One day in mid-April, THE EV Jun test-drove the bZ4X at the Beijing Goldenport Circuit. This car has two power versions of front-drive and four-wheel drive, ev Jun test drive is a four-wheel drive version of the model, its front and rear axles are equipped with an 80kW, maximum torque of 169N·m permanent magnet synchronous motor (the front-drive version of the single-motor model maximum power 150kW, maximum torque 266N·m), 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds (two-wheel drive version of the model is 7.5 seconds), power level and 2.0T fuel engine equivalent.
From the book data, the bZ4X is not pursuing the most powerful acceleration capabilities, but finding the right balance between vehicle performance and occupant comfort, which is also in line with Toyota's consistent product development philosophy. After all, the acceleration scene of breaking through the hundred in three seconds is very rare, which will make passengers extremely uncomfortable and increase the risk of accidents.
But even so, when you press down on the accelerator pedal with all your might, a strong sense of pushback immediately hits, the vehicle shoots out like an arrow, and the four wheels cling to the ground without the slightest slippage, which means that there is no loss of power, indicating that the electronic control system is very accurate in the distribution of torque. At the same time, the output of power is very linear, the whole acceleration process is smooth, the steering is precise, and the direction feedback is moderate.
The chassis of the bZ4X is moderately hard and soft, more comfortable, and the suspension structure is front McPherson independent suspension and rear double wishbone independent suspension. When driving through the bumpy road with large potholes, the suspension can filter out the vibration very well, the whole process has no stiff feeling, after passing through the potholed road, the suspension quickly rebounds, and the body immediately returns to normal posture. The suspension support is also in place when cornering at high speeds, and the body posture is stable without obvious roll.
Kinetic energy recovery has two intensities, the weaker intensity, after releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle enters a natural coasting state, the same as the fuel vehicle experience. Another recovery intensity is similar to the single pedal mode, after releasing the accelerator pedal, kinetic energy recovery intervenes until the vehicle enters a creeping state. It is commendable that the recycling intensity is gradually increasing, not obtrusive at all, and let people have a process of adaptation.
Thanks to the X-MODE 4WD off-road assist mode jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, the bZ4X also has stronger off-road capabilities than most pure electric 4WD models, and can adapt to most use scenarios except heavy off-road.
In order to experience the off-road ability, the test driving field prepared a three-pulley group obstacle, the vehicle stopped on the pulley group, at this time only one tire has grip, lightly pedaled on the accelerator pedal, the limit slip function quickly intervened, the vehicle quickly passed through the obstacle, the whole process is very calm.
Most of the day experience, whether it is the rapid power response, smooth power output, linear acceleration, stable high-speed cornering, strong off-road relief, smooth energy recovery braking, or easy and convenient steering by wire, people feel that it is not exhausted, it turns out that this is the driving pleasure that electric vehicles should have.
e-TNGA architecture: The source of fun handling for the Toyota bZ4X
How does the Toyota bZ4X's rich handling fun come about? This has to mention Toyota's e-TNGA architecture and the BEV-exclusive platform based on this architecture.
First of all, the body structure based on the BEV exclusive platform and the integrated design of the battery chassis fundamentally ensures the driving quality of the bZ4X.
The battery pack is placed on the chassis and becomes part of the body skeleton; the motor, drive bridge and inverter are integrated to form the e-Axle super drive system; and the two functions of charging and power distribution are integrated to form a power supply assembly. This reduced the height of the body's center of gravity by 34%. At the same time, the main frame part of the body structure uses a large number of hot stamping materials and high-strength steel plates, which form a better protection for the battery pack, and also strengthen the rigidity of the body, and the torsional stiffness of the car sound is 20% higher than that of ordinary gasoline vehicles.
Secondly, the bZ4X adopts the X-MODE 4WD off-road assist mode and the Grip-Control intelligent creep mode (equipped with the 4WD model) jointly developed by Toyota Motor and Subaru Automobile, which also ensures the dynamic performance and driving comfort of the vehicle.
Third, the OMG (One Motion Grip) driver's set brings a new steering experience. Due to the cancellation of the steering drive shaft, the original mechanical hard connection between the steering wheel and the tire is transformed into an electrical signal connection (controlled by the ECU), the steering ratio is no longer fixed, and the steering angle of the special-shaped racer steering wheel is set to plus or minus 150 °, whether it is driving in a corner or making a U-turn, stopping, without changing hands to play wheels, you can achieve large-angle steering. At present, Toyota is actively exploring the introduction of the kit into the Chinese market.
Finally, as a smart electric vehicle, the bZ4X is also equipped with more than 10 intelligent driving assistance functions such as the new "TOYOTA Safety Sense Safety Assistance Suite", including pre-collision safety system (PCS), lane departure warning system (LDA), dynamic radar cruise control system (DRCC), road sign recognition assistance system (RSA), pre-judgment active driver assistance system (PDA), and supports OTA remote software upgrades.
Overall, Toyota Motor has created an exclusive electric vehicle platform based on its strong technical strength, and combined with the characteristics of electric vehicles and user needs, targeted development, so as to make the bZ4X an electric vehicle with driving pleasure.
How will the Toyota bZ4X change the market landscape?
What impact will the launch of the Toyota bZ4X have on China's electric vehicle market? EV Century believes that as more and more traditional car companies launch more comprehensive and balanced electric vehicles with more comprehensive performance and experience, the range of choices for users is getting larger and larger, rather than having to be limited to the products of new car-making forces. This will gradually change the competitive situation in the new energy vehicle market, and the competition between traditional car companies and new car manufacturers will form a new balance.
Due to the short development time, the accumulation of experience and technology is not as good as that of traditional car companies, in order to quickly obtain consumer recognition, it is generally intelligent as a breakthrough, and it is inferior to traditional car companies in terms of the basic values of cars - safety performance, driving pleasure, design and so on. However, in the past few years, as traditional car companies have gradually made up for the shortcomings of intelligence, the competitive situation is changing, and traditional car companies have begun to change from defensive to offensive.
In this process, Toyota's movements deserve special attention. Although Toyota is also a traditional car company, it is the most active and outstanding achievement of the transformation to electrification among traditional car companies. In the past 25 years, from HEV to PHEV, BEV and FCV, Toyota Motor has accumulated perfect electrification technology and the advantages of the "three electric" system, and is the only car company with a full range of electrified models, with global cumulative sales exceeding 20 million vehicles, and maintaining a "three electric" system with zero accidents for 25 years.
The entry of such a strong player will definitely not underestimate the impact on China's electric vehicle market.
Summary: No matter how the car's drive system changes, as a car, driving pleasure is always one of its most essential attributes, even if it enters the era of automatic driving, it is necessary to provide options for customers who like to drive. Moreover, it is still the stage of assisted driving, and driving pleasure is indispensable.
The bZ4X showcases toyota motor' strong technical strength, the world's largest car company, a deep understanding and unremitting pursuit of electric vehicle driving pleasure and user needs. But bZ4X is just the beginning, we believe that in the future, other car companies will launch more comprehensive performance, while taking into account safety, quality, driving pleasure and intelligent experience of electric models, to give users more choices.