Standfirst: Ian Lamming lives his sci-fi dream in the latest SUV from Toyota
IT’S only taken 50 years or so but we are finally living a Supermarionation dream.
As a child of the 60s I would tune into the visionary TV programmes created by genius Gerry Anderson which used electric moving parts in puppet characters who became embroiled in exciting sci-fi adventures.
Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Stingray, would have me mesmerised on the first-of-their-kind colour television sets. Those vehicles would be the ones I would be driving one day, not dad’s Singer Vogue, and half a century later, I am.
Take Toyota’s new fully electric vehicle, the bZ4X (wow, that even sounds like one of Gerry’s), it is every bit the car of the future.
If you wonder what it means then bZ stands for ‘beyond zero’, 4 is for mid-size and X tells you it’s a crossover SUV.
It’s electric so no great need for gaping, air-sucking grilles and the front is sleek and minimalist. Toyota call this signature look “hammerhead” with any unnecessary decoration removed and distinctive slim LED headlights telling observers this is an EV of the moment.
At the rear, the design emphasises the corners, with a distinguishing taillight bridging the width of the vehicle. From the side, bZ4X is tail up, nose down to give the impression of forward movement. It is sleek, squat and purposeful from any angle and does attract attention and comment in the school car park.
The bZ4X is not an adaptation of an existing model, it is wholly original and the first of what will be a series of different bZ electric vehicles.
Toyota first electrified vehicles 25 years ago with the Prius, a world-first hybrid, so it knows its stuff, in fact, since then, it has put more than 20 million electrified vehicles on the road.
The latest features ‘eTNGA’ which integrates the battery unit into the chassis, entirely beneath the vehicle floor, resulting in a strong and highly rigid framework and a low centre of gravity.
Depending on your choice you can opt for the 150kW front-mounted eAxle that produces 201bhp and 266Nm maximum torque, or there’s a twin 80kW axle (4×4) option with a bit more poke and better off road ability.
Thanks to its 11kW unit the battery takes charge from the three-pin mains socket incredibly well. Range, like all EVs, varies. Toyota claims 317 miles but the maximum I manage on a 100 per cent charge is 244 – and that’s with the heater off. Stick it on for a warm and this drops to below 200 unless you press the ‘eco’ button on the touchscreen at which point it jumps back up to 214. For most people that will be enough. For my 125 mile a day school run it’s on the cusp.
The reason I don’t become stressed is two-fold; the range readout is accurate, what it states is genuinely what is left, and secondly the bZ4X is so good to drive that I’d forgive it any sin.
Climbing in to the spacious cockpit it is every bit a car for Captain Scarlet. The steering wheel is small and low-set so you actually look over the top to the slimline TFT clocks, your eyes channelled in by the woven trim – I absolutely love it.
The centre console has two decks, a lower one for storage the upper for drinks, phone charger and, instead of a conventional shift lever, a new dial control which you depress and turn to the left or right to select drive or reverse. The P (Park) setting is a one-touch button.
On the road bZ4X is a marvel. It is breath-takingly swift with seamless power and a controlled nature making it the perfect car for safe overtakes. It is supremely quiet with next to no noise from the motor, wind or road. It’s handling, ride and poise make it a superb driver’s car. The centre of gravity is so low that it hugs the ground like a magnet. The quality of the suspension is so high that it masks the very worst of our shocking roads and the steering is incredibly sharp and positive.
Passengers are spoilt too with the open and spacious cabin offering home-like comfort. The floor is flat and legroom particularly generous in the rear.
Even the boot is well thought through with a two-level deck board and an underfloor space that can add an extra 71mm to the load height. It will swallow three 82-litre suitcases or two mountain bikes.
It’s been five decades since a young boy was captivated by the transport designs of the 21st century but with a car as good as Toyota’s bZ4X it has actually been worth the wait.
Fact file
Toyota bZ4X
Motor: 150kW electric, Lithium-ion battery
Power: 201bhp
Max speed: 100mph
0-62mph: 7.5 secs
Transmission: CVT, front-wheel-drive
Range: 317
CO2 g/km: 0
Price: £49,510.00
