New top grade for Toyota's EV tested

I don't think it's unfair to say that, for many, the Toyota bZ4X was underwhelming when it launched.  It was fairly pricey, didn't break ground in terms of range or features, and here in Australia we were so late to the party it had been updated overseas before it even landed.. Toyota has some catching up to do, and the Touring variant of the bZ4X might be just what it needs to do that.. Or at least it might be if it wasn't $14,000 more expensive than the base 2WD bZ4X..

Starting from $69,990 before on-road costs, the Touring with its larger body is the priciest of the three bZ4X grades, with the base starting at $55,990 and the standard AWD at $67,990.. Admittedly, the Touring only being $2000 more expensive than the standard AWD is fair, it's just a big jump up from the starting point for the 2WD.. Also consider the bZ4X once started from $66,000 before on-roads for the 2WD and suddenly a sub-$70K top-spec seems okay, even if it's not that competitive against the likes of the BYD Sealion 7 (tops out at $63,990) or the Mazda CX-6e ($56,990 for the highest spec)..

For the $70,000-plus price you'll end up paying drive-away for the Toyota bZ4X Touring, you could probably get the same for less:. Under all that there's a 74.7kWh battery that powers two electric motors, one front and one rear, for an all-wheel-drive system that makes 280kW of power (each motor has a max 269Nm output) and feels pretty peppy - 0-100km/h arrives in just 4.4 seconds.. Test that out too many times, though, and you'll not get near Toyota's claimed range of 488km, which can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in about 28 minutes thanks to its fairly standard 150kW DC fast-charging (as opposed to the also-decent 22kW AC charging speed)..

The Touring rides on 20-inch alloy wheels with aero inserts, weighs 2065kg and is 4830mm long - 140mm longer than the standard bZ4X.. It's 1860mm wide and 1675mm tall, and thanks to its stretched dimensions gets a 603-litre boot with the rear seats up.. Given the bZ4X Touring rides on the same TNGA platform as the standard bZ4X, it should be no surprise the driving experience is similar..

The Touring feels very sensible.. Its steering is direct without being too sharp, and makes it easy to get into a nice flow on a winding road.. The ride is compliant, though not wallowy, striking a nice balance of control and comfort - though something between the contact point and cabin is causing a bit of unnecessary road noise..

Aside from the 4.4sec sprint to 100km/h, however, there's something a bit frustrating about controlling the bZ4X's speed, and that's a lack of one-pedal driving.. The option for stronger regen and a one-pedal driving mode would help recover more energy but also make those used to EV driving more comfortable behind the wheel.. Ergonomically, the driver display will probably bother some drivers - it's visible over the steering wheel rather than through it..

Peugeot has done the same for some time and the lower wheel position is said to be less tiring for your arms, but people do not like change.. I don't mind it.. Oh, and if anything goes awry there are eight airbags and a very well-tuned safety system that doesn't interfere with your driving - trust Toyota to get stuff like this right, thankfully Toyota's standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty covers the bZ4X Touring, of course, but the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years/160,000km, and two years of extra motor warranty can be added by servicing annually with Toyota dealers..

Servicing is capped at $190 for the first five years with intervals every 12 months or 15,000km.. Hats should come off to Toyota for addressing some of the issues with the bZ4X (especially the price), but there's still some work to be done.. However, if you were considering a bZ4X at its original price, the bZ4X Touring is a better offering and could be, with a slightly more competitive price, a very convincing family-friendly Toyota EV..