Toyota has priced the bZ4X Touring, a longer and more powerful version of its electric SUV, and it arrives as the most powerful Toyota SUV on sale in Australia. It opens at $69,990 plus on road costs and sits at the top of Toyota's electric range.
What changed
The Touring runs a dual motor setup making 280kW, up from 252kW in the standard all wheel drive bZ4X, and it reaches 100km/h from rest in 4.4 seconds. That is genuinely quick for a family SUV. Toyota has stretched the body 140mm behind the rear axle and swapped the fastback tail for a more upright wagon shape, which lifts boot space from 452 litres to 550. Claimed range is 488km on the WLTP cycle. DC charging runs at up to 150kW, and there is a 22kW AC charger fitted as standard, which is faster than most rivals and useful if you have three phase power at home.
The price problem
At $69,990 plus on road costs, the Touring lands close to $75,000 on the road in most states. That is a lot of money in a market where the Tesla Model Y, which just topped the national sales chart, starts well under it, and where a Kia EV5 or a sharply priced Chinese SUV offers similar space for less. Toyota is asking buyers to pay a premium for the badge, the dealer network and a reputation for reliability that the brand has earned over decades but has not yet proven on a battery electric car.
Cartell Assessment
The extra power is nice and the bigger boot is genuinely useful for a family, but 280kW is not the reason anyone buys a Toyota. The reason is that it will start every morning for fifteen years, and on an EV that promise is still unwritten. Toyota came late to electric and the first bZ4X was a soft effort. The Touring is a better car, but the price assumes a loyalty premium that the Model Y sitting at the top of the sales chart suggests buyers are no longer guaranteed to pay. It is the most capable electric Toyota yet. It is also the one with the most to prove.
AU Outlook
Stock is arriving now as the new flagship of Toyota's EV line up. The interesting test is whether Toyota loyalists trade their petrol RAV4 for one, or whether they wait for the brand's next electric SUV. If the Touring sells slowly, expect drive away offers before the end of the year.