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My Solterra just got pushed back to March and my dealership doesn't think they will have their demo vehicle available by then. I was browsing around and noticed my local Toyota dealership had multiple BZ4X's sitting on their lot. I called and was able to go test drive a Red Limited BZ4X AWD the same day. Took it out for a spin on the highway and some local roads. Parked it right next to my Outback to compare. Very similar overall size but when seeing them in person next to each other I got more disappointed in the difference in cargo space due to the slope of the rear windshield.
Speaking of the rear windshield....it was raining out and what's with the lack of a rear wiper? That was really annoying and I'm quite worried about taking this vehicle up to VT where we regularly driving on dirt roads that kick up mud when it rains and dirty snow in the winter!
That's of course, if I can ever get it up to VT! While not quite as drastic as some reports had shown, I appeared to be getting ~2.5mi/kwh after like 10mi on the highway and a few small roads to and from the dealership. That works out to around 182mi total range, in 42°F weather with the heat set to 72°F (the heated seat and steering wheels came on automatically so I left them on too). I worry about when it's below freezing how much the range would drop. I pointed this out to the Toyota salesperson that I was only getting around 180mi range in these conditions and he says "no that's because it's not fully charged, it says right here on the window sticker - 220mi range!" He kept repeating that when I mentioned it was the onboard computer telling me it was 2.5mi/kwh, which is like saying the Prius is advertised as getting over 50mpg but only getting 35mpg on a test drive.
A few other things I wouldn't have noticed before a test drive. I know I'd heard reports about the steering wheel size --and they're true. It definitely felt small! I didn't seem to mind it by the end of the drive, but it was weird at first. I didn't seem to have any problems seeing the display behind the steering wheel, but it was an adjustment after positioning the seat and the steering wheel height so I could see over it. Also, my Google Pixel 7 Pro with a thin case on it BARELY fit inside the Qi charger slot. Makes me worried with the long term trend of phones getting bigger!
Overall though, the ride was pretty smooth an while it's not knock your socks off fast acceleration, merging onto the highway felt so much easier than on my '15 Outback 2.5. It did feel like the type of EV I'd expect from Toyota, in that it drives much more like a normal car. Felt kinda similar to the Rav4 Prime.
Oh, and while I didn't order the Touring model with the moon roof, the bz4x Limited I test drove had one. Having recently test driven the id.4, I have to say the VW moon roof blows this one out of the water. having that bar across in the middle seems pointless.
Speaking of the rear windshield....it was raining out and what's with the lack of a rear wiper? That was really annoying and I'm quite worried about taking this vehicle up to VT where we regularly driving on dirt roads that kick up mud when it rains and dirty snow in the winter!
That's of course, if I can ever get it up to VT! While not quite as drastic as some reports had shown, I appeared to be getting ~2.5mi/kwh after like 10mi on the highway and a few small roads to and from the dealership. That works out to around 182mi total range, in 42°F weather with the heat set to 72°F (the heated seat and steering wheels came on automatically so I left them on too). I worry about when it's below freezing how much the range would drop. I pointed this out to the Toyota salesperson that I was only getting around 180mi range in these conditions and he says "no that's because it's not fully charged, it says right here on the window sticker - 220mi range!" He kept repeating that when I mentioned it was the onboard computer telling me it was 2.5mi/kwh, which is like saying the Prius is advertised as getting over 50mpg but only getting 35mpg on a test drive.
A few other things I wouldn't have noticed before a test drive. I know I'd heard reports about the steering wheel size --and they're true. It definitely felt small! I didn't seem to mind it by the end of the drive, but it was weird at first. I didn't seem to have any problems seeing the display behind the steering wheel, but it was an adjustment after positioning the seat and the steering wheel height so I could see over it. Also, my Google Pixel 7 Pro with a thin case on it BARELY fit inside the Qi charger slot. Makes me worried with the long term trend of phones getting bigger!
Overall though, the ride was pretty smooth an while it's not knock your socks off fast acceleration, merging onto the highway felt so much easier than on my '15 Outback 2.5. It did feel like the type of EV I'd expect from Toyota, in that it drives much more like a normal car. Felt kinda similar to the Rav4 Prime.
Oh, and while I didn't order the Touring model with the moon roof, the bz4x Limited I test drove had one. Having recently test driven the id.4, I have to say the VW moon roof blows this one out of the water. having that bar across in the middle seems pointless.
