Compared to ~2/3s of the other vehicles in the test, the FWD model is above average—and this is a good thing (though to be fair, some models beneath it are AWD).
However, what's interesting to note is that in the original article, Toyota's Norwegian representative commented after the test that he was pleased because the BZ4X's efficiency during the test appeared to be 'good' and that it compared favorably to other vehicles with similarly sized battery packs.
What's missed in that statement, and in the table above, is that if you do the math, the vehicle's efficiency is—just like its range—down by 36% as compared with its claims. In other words, though the FWD model's average efficiency inches it into the top 1/3d of the pack, the real scandal is that it's >1/3 less efficient than officially claimed—and so its range is not diminished by having a smaller than average battery pack, but by having much higher consumption than it's supposed to.
And again—this was one of the vehicle's ostensible selling points; that with a modestly sized battery pack, its high efficiency would nevertheless allow it to compete favorably with other vehicles in its class with larger batteries.
More worryingly, however, is that Toyota and Subaru completely pulled their AWD models from the test at the last minute. I suspect that they realized the potential results for those models would have been downright embarrassing. From our own experiences here, and from other Scandinavian tests, we know that the AWD model's range is down by ~35-40% of its already much less optimistic EPA range estimates. If they'd have included it in the above tests, it would have [unfortunately] been dead last in every category; it would have covered the least distance (by at least 70 km; it would have been the only vehicle incapable of hitting 300 km), had the lowest efficiency—or perhaps tied for last with the Hongqi, and would have had the highest deviation from official estimates, beating out only the FWD BZ4X for that distinction.
One of my concerns is that although Toyota seems amenable to salvaging this vehicle's reputation in Europe—by making several statements regarding their intentions to release fixes and updates after these tests, and even agreeing in some countries to allow customers to return their vehicles if dissatisfied—I have heard no official statements of the sort from Toyota in North America. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and in Europe, these EV car magazines are really being good advocates on this front. In North America, I am not so sure we have any such advocate at the moment, and Toyota is still practically acting as if the car doesn't even exist—there are essentially no ad campaigns for the BZ4X. That doesn't bode well for the probability that Toyota is prioritizing fixes for our North American vehicles.
Of course, I hope that I am wrong.
