TOYOTA BZ4X

Toyota responds to criticism of electric family crossover with big update

- 

The bZ4X, Toyota's all-important mid-size electric SUV (or Tesla fighter, if you want to be confrontational) didn't have the easiest start to life: delays, an early recall and then controversy over how big its battery actually was and how averse it was to cold weather.

Now it's facelift time, and as that original car didn't get the most rapturous reception, it's a pretty comprehensive one. The front fascia has been revised with slimmer headlights and the wheel-arch trims, which were unpainted black, are now gloss black.

More significantly, it has had a range boost, thanks to both a bigger battery and improved efficiency. By reconfiguring the shape of the pack and the gubbins surrounding it, the engineers have shoehorned in eight extra cells, taking its capacity from 71.4kWh to 73.1kWh (69.0kWh of which is usable).

There's also a new version with a smaller battery (57.7/54.0kWh), but I'm surprised that Toyota is planning to bring it to the UK at all, because that sort of thing rarely does well here.

By using silicon-carbide inverters and polishing the teeth (dentists recommend both mornings and evenings) of the gearbox, the engineers have also made the drivetrain use less energy, despite a useful bump in power.

Tweaks to the front subframe and extra adhesive in the floor have increased chassis rigidity, while the springs, dampers and bushings have been retuned to make it feel more settled and improve the ride, particularly for the rear passengers.