Toyota to update bZ4X electric vehicle
The intriguingly named Toyota bZ4X EV is not yet 12 months old but there’s already a facelift in the wings.
Toyota has announced a raft of updates for its slow-selling bZ4X medium-SUV just 12 months after its first ever battery-electric model launched here.
The updated bZ4X isn’t due until the fourth quarter of this year, boasting a larger battery, improved motor output, fresh interior design, a larger multimedia screen, and refreshed exterior styling.
The new model boasts a larger 74.7kWh battery compared with the current model’s 71.4kWh lithium-ion unit, along with more power, starting with the 2WD grade which increases front motor output from 150 to 165kW (up from 150kW/266Nm), while the bZ4X AWD receives a 92kW increase in combined output to 252kW (up from 160kW/337Nm).
Toyota says the increased outputs for the bZ4X AWD are now comparable to other sport-focused SUVs currently in the Australian market.
Presumably, the car maker is referring to ICE-powered sport-focused models, as the rival electric Tesla Model Y AWD boasts a far higher 378kW/493Nm.
The power hike boosts the performance of the bZ4X AWD, cutting its 0–100km/h acceleration time by 1.8 seconds to a nimble 5.1 seconds.
That’s quicker than the 5.9-second acceleration time for the updated MY25 Tesla Model Y RWD, but still off the pace of Tesla’s Long Range AWD model which gets Acceleration Boost software on the Launch Edition variants to cut its sprint time to 4.3 seconds.
There’s no mention of the extra battery capacity improving the range of the updated bZ4X, with the current model claiming 436km (WLTP) for the 2WD variant and 411km (WLTP) for the AWD.
By way of comparison, the updated MY25 Tesla Model, due here mid-year, boasts a smaller 60kWh battery in the single motor RWD version but is capable of a superior 466km (WLTP), while the Long-Range AWD model gets a 79kWh battery for range of 551km (WLTP).
There’s also no mention of any change to DC charging rates, which is currently up to 150kW for both variants, although Toyota has said its engineers have improved the battery thermal control and pre-conditioning to offer better charging performance in cold temperatures.
Exterior styling changes include an updated iteration of Toyota’s Hammerhead front design language, and the adoption of new gloss black fenders on both grades.
Inside, the bZ4X’s cabin has been updated with a more modern and premium design, centred around a new 14.0-inch multimedia screen.
Pricing information has not yet been released but the current lineup comprises the bZ4X 2WD (front-wheel drive) and bZ4X AWD (all-wheel drive), costing $66,000 and $74,900 respectively, plus on-road costs.
Even if Toyota does manage to hold these prices for the updated model the bZ4X will still be more expensive than the MY25 Teslas which have come in for flak from some quarters for price rises that push the Launch Series RWD to $63,400 (+$7500) plus on-road, and the Launch Series Long Range AWD to $73,400 (+$3500).
Such ambitious pricing for the original, unproven bZ4X might help explain why the Toyota EV hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since launching here in March 2024, with sales that year of just 977 units compared with 12,517 sales for the Tesla Model Y, albeit the latter achieved over a full 12-months.
Sales of the bZ4X have been similarly subdued so far in 2025 with a total of 146 units for the first two months representing an almost 30% decline on 2024, while the broader EV segment has fallen from 9.6 per cent of total new vehicle sales in February 2024 to just 5.9 per cent so far this year.
Toyota is promising further information on the updated bZ4X range closer to Australian model release expected in Q4 of this year.
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