Toyota bZ4X Revealed As All-New Mustang Mach-E Rival

November 17, 2021 7:32 am

A photo showing the exterior of the Toyota bZ4X from a front three quarters angle.

As an all-electric crossover, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has its fair share of existing and future competition to deal with, including the Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.4, Nissan Ariya, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Subaru Solterra, to name a few. However, while most all automakers have fully committed to electric vehicles, Toyota has long maintained the position that it would continue to develop multiple types of powertrains until a clear winner emerged. That tone has changed in recent months, however, and that is clear from the newly revealed U.S. spec version of the Toyota bZ4X.

The Toyota bZ4X is a full-electric vehicle that shares its e-TNGA platform with the Solterra and is the first vehicle to join Toyota’s “Beyond Zero” EV lineup, which will eventually include six other vehicles. The bZ4X is close in terms of size and shape to the popular RAV4, and will be available in both front- and all-wheel drive configurations. The latter utilizes Subaru’s X-mode, which controls each wheel individually to provide superior traction in all sorts of conditions.

The front-wheel drive bZ4X is most economical, however, and is equipped with a 64.0 kWh lithium-ion battery that is expected to give it up to 250 miles of range. All-wheel drive models get a larger 66 kWh battery, though Toyota hasn’t yet provided an estimated range figure for those. Front-wheel drive bZ4X models get by with a single electric motor providing 201 horsepower, while the all-wheel drive versions have two electric motors with a combined output of 215 horsepower.

Inside, the yoke steering wheel found in global markets isn’t present in the U.S. version, but Toyota says that it could be offered later on down the road. Otherwise, the cabin is fairly conventional, with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen running the automaker’s latest Audio Multimedia system and a digital instrument cluster that sits above the dash. Unlike most other EVs, however, there is no front trunk, or frunk.

The Toyota bZ4X is expected to enter production in mid-2022 and launch by the end of the summer, with a starting price of around $37,000.

We’ll have more on what Ford and Lincoln’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for non-stop Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.