Toyota BZ4X: They'd Rather Make Hybrids!
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses Toyota's fully electric vehicle, the bz4X, which, despite its appealing design and solid build quality, suffers from a significant flaw: a limited electric range of approximately 220 miles. The reviewer compares it to the Prius and other electric vehicles in its class, noting that while the bz4X has a good interior and storage space, its range and charging speed are not competitive, making it a less attractive option. The reviewer also touches on Toyota's strategy, which seems to favor hybrids over fully electric vehicles, and questions whether this approach is the best in the current market. The script also includes a sponsored segment on a versatile tire inflator and power bank by Denix.
Takeaways
- π Toyota is manufacturing a fully electric vehicle called the bZ4X, which is a crossover SUV with a hatchback style and higher ground clearance.
- π The bZ4X has a limited fully electric range of approximately 220 miles, which reduces to 199 miles in winter, making it less competitive compared to other EVs in its class.
- β‘ Despite its range, the bZ4X is not the fastest charging vehicle, which is a significant drawback for potential buyers looking for convenience.
- π° Priced between $40,000 and $50,000, the bZ4X offers a solid interior and good space, but its range issue might be a deal breaker for some consumers.
- π The bZ4X has a unique and appealing look with angular headlights and a significant amount of black contrast, giving it a stylish appearance.
- π The vehicle comes with a good amount of standard features, including a JBL sound system, heated seats, and physical air vents, which add to its appeal.
- π€ The term 'compliance vehicle' is mentioned, suggesting that the bZ4X might have been produced to meet emissions regulations rather than to excel as an EV.
- π Toyota's strategy seems to be focused on hybrids, with the bZ4X being their only fully electric vehicle in a lineup that includes popular hybrids like the Prius.
- π± The bZ4X has a wide center console with multiple storage spaces for phones and USB ports, but the design might make the car feel more cramped than it should for its size.
- π£οΈ The driving experience is smooth with soft dampers, and the car has good visibility and a comfortable driver's position, similar to the Prius.
- π The bZ4X lacks a one-pedal driving option, which might be a disappointment for drivers who prefer that feature in an electric vehicle.
Q & A
What is the name of Toyota's fully electric vehicle mentioned in the transcript?
-The fully electric vehicle mentioned is called the bz4X.
What is the estimated range of the Toyota bz4X on a full charge during winter conditions?
-The estimated range of the Toyota bz4X during winter conditions is about 199 miles.
What is the main flaw mentioned about the Toyota bz4X that prevents the reviewer from recommending it over others in its class?
-The main flaw is the bz4X's limited fully electric range and not being the fastest charging vehicle.
What is the price range of the Toyota bz4X?
-The price range of the Toyota bz4X is from $40,000 to $50,000.
What term did the reviewer use to describe a vehicle that is made to comply with emissions regulations, often resulting in a less desirable car?
-The term used is 'compliance vehicle'.
How does the Toyota bz4X compare to the Prius in terms of design and features?
-The bz4X has a Prius-like steering wheel, a similar display in the front, and shares some design elements with the Prius, but is a taller, higher off the ground hatchback.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the Toyota bz4X's interior and space?
-The reviewer finds the interior to be good, with a good amount of space, and appreciates the physical buttons despite them being capacitive.
What feature of the Toyota bz4X does the reviewer wish was available?
-The reviewer wishes the bz4X had full one-pedal driving as an option.
What is the reviewer's final thought on Toyota's strategy with the bz4X and their focus on hybrid vehicles?
-The reviewer thinks that Toyota's strategy is fascinating, as they are heavily invested in hybrids, and wonders if this is the right approach given the current state of EV technology and costs.
What is the role of the Denix tire inflator and power bank mentioned in the transcript?
-The Denix tire inflator doubles as a massive USB battery bank, which the reviewer finds useful for keeping in the car at all times for various charging needs and as an emergency tool.
What does the reviewer like about the Toyota bz4X's driving experience?
-The reviewer likes the smooth ride, the visibility, and the JBL sound system in the bz4X.
Outlines
π Introduction to the Toyota bZ4X Electric Vehicle
The video introduces the Toyota bZ4X, an all-electric vehicle that is part of Toyota's lineup alongside their well-known hybrids. The host has been living with the bZ4X for a week and shares their initial impressions. While the vehicle has a lot of positives such as a good interior, space, and unique styling, there's one major flaw - its limited electric range of about 220 miles, which is a deal breaker for the host when compared to other EVs in its class. The bZ4X is priced between $40,000 and $50,000, similar to competitors like the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The host also discusses the concept of a 'compliance vehicle' made to meet emissions regulations and wonders if the bZ4X fits that bill for Toyota, as the company seems to be focusing more on hybrids than fully electric vehicles.
π Charging and Features of the bZ4X
The video dives deeper into the bZ4X's features, comparing it to the popular Toyota Prius. The bZ4X has a similar driver's seat position and display layout to the Prius. The host appreciates the physical buttons for controls, despite them being capacitive rather than actual buttons. The vehicle has a wide center console which provides ample storage but makes the cabin feel slightly cramped. The infotainment system supports wireless Android Auto and has a clear top-down camera view. The bZ4X also has an 'X mode' for off-roading and the host discusses the driving experience, noting the smooth ride and good visibility. However, the host misses the option for true one-pedal driving. The video also features a sponsored segment on a versatile tire inflator and power bank from Denix.
π Toyota's Strategy with Hybrids vs Electric Vehicles
The host reflects on Toyota's current strategy, which heavily favors hybrids over fully electric vehicles. While other manufacturers are pushing EVs, Toyota seems to be taking a more cautious approach. The bZ4X, despite being a decent EV, suffers from a limited range of about 230 miles, which is less than what a Prius hybrid can achieve with a full tank of gas. The host questions if Toyota's hybrid-focused strategy is the right move, considering the current state of EV technology and their high costs relative to the range they offer. The video concludes by asking viewers for their thoughts on whether Toyota should lean more into EVs or continue prioritizing hybrids.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Toyota bz 4X
π‘Electric Vehicle Range
π‘Charging Speed
π‘Hybrid Vehicles
π‘Compliance Vehicle
π‘Interior Quality
π‘One Pedal Driving
π‘Prius
π‘Regenerative Braking
π‘Crossover Vehicle
π‘Price Range
Highlights
Toyota is producing a fully electric vehicle, the bz4X, in addition to their well-known hybrid models.
The bz4X is a crossover with a hatchback style, higher ground clearance, and good storage capacity.
Despite being a reputable manufacturer, Toyota's bz4X has a limited fully electric range of approximately 220 miles.
The bz4X is not the fastest charging vehicle, which is a significant drawback for a crossover in its price range.
The vehicle offers a solid interior, good space, and starts at a price point of $43,000, going up to the $50,000 range.
The bz4X has a unique look with angular headlights and a black contrast design element.
The car is compared to the Prius in terms of design and functionality, with a similar driver's position and display.
The bz4X is considered by some as a 'compliance vehicle', made to meet emissions regulations rather than for consumer demand.
Toyota's strategy appears to be focused on hybrids rather than fully committing to electric vehicles.
The review suggests that Toyota may have missed an opportunity to showcase a great EV drivetrain with the bz4X.
The car has heated seats in the back, USB-C ports, physical air vents, and a fixed sunroof.
The bz4X features a JBL sound system with good sound quality and loud volume.
The vehicle's infotainment software includes wireless Android Auto and a clear top-down camera view.
The car does not offer full one-pedal driving, which is a feature the reviewer wishes was included.
Visibility in the bz4X is praised, and the ride is smooth with soft dampers.
The review ends with a discussion on whether Toyota's focus on hybrids is the right strategy, considering the limited range of the bz4X compared to other EVs and hybrids.
The reviewer questions if Toyota's approach to EVs isιε€± (missed the mark) compared to other manufacturers that are more aggressive with their EV lineups.
Transcripts
all right so I'd heard I'd heard that
Toyota is in fact making one fully
electric vehicle I mean we know them to
make all kinds of great hybrids but they
are actually making one EV called the bz
4X but i' never seen them on the road I
feel like it's super rare to actually
see a bz 4X or a sutera which I'll talk
about in later but I finally have come
to understand why I've been living with
the b4x for the past couple days about a
week now and uh crazy thing is it's it's
actually pretty nice in a lot of ways
but there's one major flaw one major
reason why I could never recommend it
over others in its class so let's just
jump right into that so this is the bz
4X right here it's this model yiz ionic
5 sized ev6 Siz you know crossover it's
got the hatchback style it's higher off
the ground it's got a good amount of
storage and it's fully electric all
right so Toyota being a pretty reputable
manufacturer you'd think would have a
lot of the fundamentals down and it does
but the one flaw is the bz 4x's fully
electric range is I'll put it right here
it's about 220 mil I'm driving it in the
winter it's showing me 199 mil of range
on a full charge and it's not the
fastest charging vehicle in the world
that is its major flaw because as a
crossover for $40 to
$50,000 the rest of it is actually
pretty solid it's a Toyota they know how
to make good cars it's a good interior
good space all that stuff but everything
else I'm about to say is kind of in
spite of the deal breaker range if you
can live with that sort of tiny range
then actually this is probably a fine
commuter vehicle for you but yeah that
that was a deal breaker for me but aside
from that I mean look look at this thing
it's got a fairly Unique Look I feel
like it's actually a really good-looking
car it's got these similar to the Prius
these angular looking headlights that
slant down here to the middle and it
does have a lot of this black contrast
uh which actually interestingly goes
over this huge uh charge port door so
that's kind of cool and then there's a
whole bunch of black contrast back here
and then this huge double spoiler back
here and all the slanted glass I think
it actually looks pretty nice this thing
starts at
$43,000 base and goes up to uh right
into the 50s so $40 to $50,000 let's say
which is the same class as ionic 5 and
and ionic 5 has a lot of the same Styles
but is a little bit of a weaker more
plasticky interior but if you're just
talking pure fundamentals you know power
lift gate the premium trim has bigger
wheels and a little bit more power but
in general I mean nothing lacking here
this big subwoofer in the back for the
JBL sound system these hold flat you can
see super easy ton of space for long
items and
uh always got to show the sub trunk here
there you go a little bit of sub trunk
now have you ever heard the term
compliance vehicle before it's not a
compliment but you know in the US
especially we have all these regulations
where the average of a vehicle lineup
for an entire company has to reach a
certain level as far as emissions and in
order to keep making the cars that have
more higher emissions they they end up
making some that are way below the line
to average it out better and usually you
don't want to buy those way below the-
line cars those compliance cars that
bring the average down weirdly I don't
think this is technically one of those
cars for Toyota but it feels like they
made an EV cuz they had to and then sort
of just shipped it and didn't care too
much I mean Toyota's strategy is pretty
notably to ship a lot of hybrids and so
that's what they're doing but this being
their one EV it kind of feels like they
missed out on an opportunity to show a
really great EV drivet train or what
it's like to build an electric car from
the ground up but I say all that and I
also think there's a lot of great things
about the rest of this car just cuz
Toyota's good at making cars they do a
good job of making it feel like you get
a bunch of different materials
especially on the inside I'll sit in the
back seat here and I do have a good
amount of leg room it's not the most
foot room ever but you get this uh
heated seats in the back you get the
USBC ports for power real physical air
vents and a fixed sunroof but this uh
cover here will slide forward if you
want it to but hey speaking of USBC
ports they're always great to have
obviously but uh shout out to denix for
sponsoring this video they make this
right here which is a tire inflator but
also a massive USB battery bank which
I've just defaulted to keeping in my car
all the time no matter what because it's
just something I want to have with me
everywhere so this right here it's a
15,000 milliamp hour battery and a
compressor so it's all going to fit in
this little box right here this is good
for inflating up to seven standard tires
which it can actually do at they're
claiming like twice the rate of a normal
portable tire inflator but then if you
actually flip this little flap open
right here that is a USBC port and a
usba port and this thing will do up to
45 Watts out to fast charge whether you
have a a phone or a tablet or literally
a laptop so it's pretty clear how it
works you can choose whatever PSI you
want or go through a bunch of different
presets but I think my favorite feature
underrated back here on the back is
actually a light it's like an ultra
bright light like side of the highway
finishing up inflating your tires super
useful or a little camping light or an
emergency side of the road light that'll
blink red for you so all in all I'm not
taking this out of my car anytime soon
I'll leave a link in the description if
you want to check it out but yeah that's
it now back to the bz 4X but it gets
even more obvious when you sit in the
front cuz you remember the Prius right
the Prius is one of actually the most
popular videos on this entire Channel
but also one of the most recognizable
common cars on the street and uh the
driver's seat of the bz 4X has a lot of
Prius to it so here's the driver's
position of the bz 4X and right away you
probably see what I'm talking about as
far as you know there's some cloth up
here and some plastic and some piano
black I don't love all this piano black
that cars are doing lately but this is
what I mean when I say Prius like this
is that display that they put up front
right in your line of sight just like
the Prius does you have a very Prius
like steering wheel you have a power
button right here and then you get the
normal Toyota software which does do
wireless Android auto which I've been
using but it's actually pretty good
software too and you jump up there and
you can see all the stuff you'd normally
want to see while driving right now what
is it saying 60% battery 125 miles of
range so 250ish Miles full that's it's a
little generous in the cold and then
here's your software so it's probably
going to start showing yeah the music
that I was listening to and then just
looking around at materials I mean it's
solid so again I'm going to compare this
mentally to ionic 5 which had a lot of
that fabric and that plastic here this
is going to be showing me a lot of the
same stuff but I've got some real
physical buttons here which I like
they're a little bit annoying that
they're capacitive and not just like
actual buttons but you can at least see
them and they're in the same exact spot
every single time and they're not
horrible please don't make this piano
black next time Toyota uh this is your
drive mode selector you shift down and
then turn or hit the button here to park
and then you've got X mode which is kind
kind of like a off-road mode you have
eco mode you have a button to view the
cameras quickly and the cameras are
really nice it's got this clear top down
view where you can see everything around
the car but the car is clear it's really
clever I like it and then this button
right here is it's kind of like one
pedal driving but not quite basically
this button means add the liftoff regen
please and then this button is your
brake hold but it's not exactly one
pedal driving you still will have to go
down to like 2 3 mil hour and then use
the brakes to finish I wish I could do
full one pedal driving at least as an
option in this car but it doesn't do it
and then just as far as pure layout I do
like the driver's position and all the
stuff that's very Prius likee I don't
actually love how wide this center
console is it's really really wide left
to right it does have this little spot
where you can put your phone and it will
charge almost any phone it didn't like
agree with the positioning of the s24
Ultra it would turn on and then back off
see it's not wireless charging but for
the iPhone it would line up perfectly
every time and I guess that's probably
the phone a lot of people are going to
have here but there's this storage
underneath here very shallow but another
spot for your phone up here and a USB
port cool it's just really wide and so
it makes it feel like this car is a
little more uptight cramped than it
maybe should be for this size but then
you drive it you know it is a smooth
ride the dampers are pretty soft I mean
this is going to be a totally regular
car to drive not in any fancy way um
I'll show you this too cuz this a little
bit
unique
huh huh um and then I'll say I do like I
said I wish it had one pedal driving but
visibility is really good you can I'm
actually going to close this sunroof
because the sun is shining directly on
my forehead right now and I kind of wish
it would open as a moon roof but that's
totally cool that it doesn't I I think a
lot of cars in this price range just
have the fixed glass roof and the JBL
speakers do sound pretty good they get
quite loud and the volume on the
steering wheel is right here and this is
your forward and backward for your music
overall solid fundamental so I'm driving
this car around and the more I drive it
the more I feel like it's more or less a
Prius XL like this is a taller higher
off the ground hatchback super efficient
decently quick if you stab it but that
range the Prius has like a bazillion
miles of range if you fill it with gas
and this one no solar no extra trinkets
or tidbits about it it's just 230 is
Miles absolute maximum and then find a
public charger and good luck that's its
weakness that's its Achilles but really
the thought I'm left with after this
experience is Toyota's strategy it's a
fascinating one they are so Allin with
hybrids I mean we all know about Prius
Prime Rav 4 prime a bunch of other
hybrids in their lineup I used to drive
a a Camry Hybrid for a while and that's
that's just what they do but meanwhile
you look across the aisle you've got
Hyundai you've got Kia you've got a
bunch of others that are putting out a
bunch of electric cars right now and it
feels like they're flag shipping those
electric cars they're really making a
big deal out of them running tons of ads
for them I think I may have seen one ad
for the bz 4X but it's clear that
Toyota's still in hybrid camp and I
wonder if
I wonder if that's the way to go right
now because EES are still so young in
their Tech and so expensive for what you
get out of them and this feels like a
good example of that only 220 230 miles
of range when you can get a Prius right
now that does a lot of the same stuff
and for less money so let me know what
you think hybrid camp and make an
example out of the EV or EV forward let
me know what you think thanks for
watching catch you in the next one peace
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