Something to know about some numbers. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Some people spend a lot of time searching out stats before buying a vehicle, which is certainly a good thing to do because there is that very big stat, which is the MSRP, which then comes along with plenty of additions that make what might have started out as a reasonable number a whole lot higher.

When it comes to electric vehicles, one of the stats that is highly significant is range: how many miles the vehicle is expected to go on a full charge of its battery.

(It has occurred to me that there are few vehicles powered by gasoline that ever even talked about range. Miles per gallon, which is more about efficiency than anything else, yes, but range? The only ad I can remember touting range was in the mid-teens, pre-Dieselgate, when two guys were driving a VW Golf TDI across country and refueling wasn’t an issue because the vehicle had a combined range of nearly 500 miles.)

So if someone looks at the range stat for a 2023 Toyota bZ4X XLE FWD they’re going to see a range of 252 miles. Since that 2023 model Toyota has dropped the last two alphanumerics on the name and made some other changes.

Like the range of the 2026 bZ XLE FWD being 235 miles.

Clearly a move in the wrong direction, right?

What’s more (or less) is that the power output of the 2023 model is 201 hp. It is 168 hp in the 2026 model.

But then we get to the really important number, the base MSRP for each of the vehicles.

For the 2023 XLE FWD it was $42,000.

For the 2026 XLE FWD it is $34,600.

Toyota did something else for the 2026 model.

It added the XLE FWD Plus model.

It provides 314 miles of range. It generates 221 hp. And it has a starting price of $39,100.

And it—and the other bZ trims—has the NACS charging port (a.k.a., the Tesla port) so the bZ can use Tesla Superchargers. (It also comes with an adapter so it can use the non-Tesla CCS stations, too.).

A most interesting feature of the bZ is it offers support for Apple Maps EV Routing via Apple CarPlay. What this means is that Apple Maps has access to real-time vehicle information so that drivers can get routed to chargers on their way to wherever they’re going. Not only does it take into account the battery performance and charge, but any elevation changes along the way (which, again, is something that drivers of ICE vehicles pay little attention to unless they are traversing the Alps or something). This is displayed on the bZ’s 14-inch multimedia screen.

Know that Toyota has developed its own operating system (Arene) so it is not wholly relying on third parties like Apple.

But it clearly recognizes lots of customers—including customers of EVs—are part of the Apple ecosystem and want to use it, something that General Motors thinks isn’t particularly important.

The 2026 bZ is a competent car crossover. (It looks like an enlarged hatch, not like any of the other Toyota crossovers, with the exception of the Crown, which also seems very car-like to me.)

Going back to the spreadsheet, there are a total five variants of the bZ, the two mentioned, as well as the XLE AWD (288 miles; 338 hp), Limited FWD (299 miles; 221 hp), and Limited AWD (278 miles, 338 hp).

Yes, Toyota has been, continues to be, and will be all about getting things better. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

When the model year Toyota bZ4X was launched in the U.S. it was roundly reviled for its range and its name. The range ranged from a low of 222 miles for a Limited AWD to a high of 252 for an XLE with FWD. And those, of course, are the EPA estimated numbers, so in the real world they vary—often going in the wrong direction.

And the horsepower wasn’t any great shakes, either: 201 hp for FWD and 214 for AWD.

Guffaws Galore

People scoffed at Toyota for putting out the vehicle. They dusted off the term “compliance car” for the midsize SUV, claiming that Toyota put out what they considered a pathetic attempt at an electric vehicle.

As for the other aspect of low dudgeon: What kind of name is “bZ4X”? It sounds like the name of a ‘droid in a knock-off Star Wars movie.

The explanation was:

• bZ: Toyota’s “Beyond Zero” initiative for zero-emissions vehicles. (Why it isn’t “BZ” isn’t clear, nor is the whole notion of “beyond zero”: given that positive integers beyond zero are things like 1, 2, 3, etc., might that not indicate positive emissions?)
• 4: This is reportedly meant to indicate that it is approximately the same size as a RAV4 (although the bZ4X is longer (184.6 in. vs. 180.9 in.), wider (at 73.2 in., up by 0.2 in.), but lower (65 in. vs. 67 in.)).
• X: Crossover.

When you have to explain something at several levels it is more like hermeneutical analysis than something you’re going to do at your local dealership.

This Is How They Do It

But anyone who knows approximately anything about Toyota knows that the company is all about “continuous improvement,” a philosophy and methodology that is still highly important even though people sometimes claim that Tesla’s nonlinear improvement (i.e., “great leaps forward”) is the name of the game.

Toyota has introduced the 2026 bZ. Yes, half the nomenclature has been eliminated. Given that the Lexus side of the house has used two letters for names since its start, two is good for the name of this model.

Long(er) Run

But then there’s the ranges offered by the new model.

The least range is 235 miles for the XLE FWD. The top end is 314 miles for the XLE FWD Plus model.

There are horsepower improvements, too: the Limited AWD and XLE AWD are both at 338 miles. On the low end there’s the XLE FWD, with a curiously low 168 miles. The XLE FWD has a 57.7-kWh lithium-ion battery, while the other models have a 74.7-kWh battery, which explains the low range.

While pricing hasn’t been announced yet, I wouldn’t bet against that XLE FWD having an exceedingly economic MSRP. (The vehicle becomes available later this year.)

The Stuff

The 2026 bZ comes with a NACS charging port that allows high-speed charging (e.g., at Tesla Super Chargers). The company estimates that with DC fast charging the battery can go from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes.

In terms of overall dimensions, there is no change.

While there are some exterior mods—mainly to the fascias—compared to the bZ4X, the major changes are found in the interior.

The dashboard is redesigned—which is no trivial change from an engineering perspective. All trims have a 14-in. touchscreen for infotainment. It runs the Toyota Audio Multimedia system, developed by Toyota in Texas, so its functionality is what Americans have come to expect (“Hey Toyota take me home”).

Because this is an “environmental” vehicle, the seating surfaces are either cloth or Toyota’s synthetic leather, SoftTex, which is made with thermoplastic polyurethane, which is actually a good facsimile or the real thing.

Driven

As for driving the bZ: quite honestly, the bZ4X drives well. After all, this is a vehicle that is primarily meant to be appropriate transportation for those who are inclined to reduce their carbon footprint, not a hot vehicle that one is going to put one’s foot to the floor in.

And the bZ, albeit quicker, also drives well. Generally, it drives for a longer period and you’re in more comfort while doing that driving.

Bottom Line

Now the real question comes down to the price. At present the Toyota shopping site has the MSRP for an 2025 XLE $37,070. That model has an estimated range of 252 miles.  The company is going to have to meet or beat that with the 2026 models.