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Video: "Do not buy Toyota Bz4x"

2.3K views 27 replies 10 participants last post by  JSM  
#1 ·

I feel his frustrations and thought posting this might help future bz4x prospective owners to educate themselves on the issues that come with the car.

That being said I still feel the bz4x is the BEST EV out there, not because I am biased by Toyota but because a car is more than the sum of the parts. It drives phenomenal as a Toyota should and doesn't have the annoying quirks Teslas are known for. I personally bought mine and my sister's bz4x over Teslas and not because I am annoyed by Elon Musk. I wanted to love Tesla like I love Toyota, unfortunately Tesla doesn't have the quality and dependability of Toyota, nor was it fun to drive. I also looked at purchasing a Mercedes EQS/EQB, Cadillac Lyriq and many others. Hyundai ioniq 6 impressed me, might be more fun to drive than the Toyota but I preferred the higher clearance height, hatchback trunk and super rigidity of chassis. Also, Toyota's adaptive cruise control seems to be the best I have used. The seats in the XLE model (which is very hard to come by) are excellent, right below Lexus and the 18" wheels are perfect (forget the 20s).

I can see why others would want more range but I hardly ever drive more than 120 miles in a day. If using this for uber/taxi I can see range being its biggest limitation.
 
#2 ·
The sales manager's brother at our dealership got one. He drives Uber with it, living in Chicago area and he loves the thing. No issues. Doesn't even own a Level 2 charger. He uses the Level 1 it came with when he's at home.
Mentioned before, my son in law has a Tesla Y dual motor long range. He loves it. It's been dead reliable for him for over 3 years so far. Daughter hates the thing though but wants a BEV also. Guess what they're considering? Yep, a BZ like mine.
They know it will not do range as a Tesla does, but don't care.
 
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#3 ·
There are plenty of youtube videos that eloquently point out the many weak points of the bz4x. That one isn't one of them. This video is just someone who doesn't understand EVs that is mad about his buying decision.

It does point out the challenges of educating the general public about EVs. There are MANY MANY people who don't research their car buying very much. It's always been that way. EVs are different enough from what everyone is used to where buying one of the shorter range slower charging ones will definitely frustrate most people. And if you can't charge at home (like this person apparently couldn't), the vast majority of people in that situation would be as mad as he is.
 
#4 ·
Sadly it seems even this forum is made up of a lot of people who did not do their homework. Maybe I'm weird but I research the living hell outta things before I make a large purchase decision. Even the decision to move one vehicle at least in our "fleet" to BEV was over a year long exercise.
EVs (all EVs) present challenges. Some more than others if not placed into the proper application for the needs. IMO, no EV is a good fit unless you have home charging #1, and have a need to drive long distance at high speed (especially in extremes of weather). Yeah, some do this a little better than others but none of them match an ICE or hybrid vehicle.
 
#6 ·
Yep, range drop was no surprise to me. I'd been seeing people bytch and moan on the news, on YouTube and so on. But even had I not seen that. It would have been no surprise because of owning a HEV for 4.5 years through some of the worst being in the upper Midwest can throw at you like ice, snow, true -15f and lower temps. And don't let anyone tell you a HEV is not as affected as a BEV. Total BS. They ARE affected nearly if not as much as a full BEV. Because there are two powertrains losing efficiency not just one. Though even at that it's still more efficient than an ICE only vehicle.
Bottom line, I'm of the opinion either people did not test drive their vehicle choice, or did so with a sales person yapping in their ear, blinders on, or were so taken back by "new car smell" they did not pay attention.
Then they take out their buyer's remorse on forums like these, YouTube, etc.
I get it come here and warn other potential or current owners of an actual "issue" like a service center not paying attention to how to lift, or potential HVAC issues, tips on getting better experience and so on.
But for pete's sake, sick of the bytchin', finger pointing at other brands and "oh they do XYZ so much better".
And it's not just here. Owning a hybrid RAV4 I see it there as well.
 
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#7 ·
I could not agree more. I really think Toyota missed the mark completely. Horrible charging performance. 10 hour drive from Mpls to Chicago, should be 6-½ on gas. Also, I have had 2 recent cold weather failures where the car simply refused to operate. Electrical meltdown kind of thing. Yesterday, with 83% charge the car needed to be towed to the dealer, who found nothing wrong. The car is junk. I believe Toyota is a hybrid company. Prius is a great car. bZ4x is garbage. Drives nice, but nope, can't wait for my lease to end.
 
#9 ·
So after getting his then brand new Model Y long range my son in law offered to drive my wife to MN to tend to her late mom's estate. This was SUMMER not even winter. Normally a drive to the twin cities from here is 5 to 5.5 hours. I commuted regularly there when I was working there. I used to make it there (to MSP airport) in just a hair over 5 hours.
10 hours both ways for SIL. So, yeah the BZ has some IMO minor issues that keep it from being a long distance runner. Sadly this is true of even what many consider the epitome of BEVs in the Model Y long range.
As for issues SM has "seen" just went through our "polar vortex" or some call it "Siberian Express". Yeah range was short pretty darn short actually (only about 130 miles showing when our highs were not even up to single digit temps). But other than that, the vehicle performed flawlessly. And when I would plug in to my home Level 2, in that cccccooooold as soon as it kicked on I could hear the BZ's heat pump kick on just as it was designed to do.
As I've said multiple times. I did not go into a BEV "blind sided" as so many here seem to have. There was plenty of good documented research easy to attain and find, on the foibles of ALL BEVs not simply a BZ. And also has I've noted MANY MANY times here. ALL "electrified" vehicles hybrid, PHEV, and BEV suffer the exact same fate in very cold arctic type weather.
Is what it is. Of course the hybrid has a "backup". And as noted again, our own which can EASILY break over 45 mpg in good weather, (and with economy centric tires EASILY do mod 50 mpg) is struggling to make over 30 mpg if that.
BEV is NOT a car you buy as your "only", and definitely NOT a vehicle you buy if you need to rely on public charging.
Electrified is not a good choice for sustained high speed driving either in ANY weather. Again taking our own hybrid's performance. On a long high speed trip (sustained 65+) sure it's SLIGHTLY better than a gas only model, but certainly not by a lot. MAYBE 3 or 4 mpg better.
 
#12 ·
BEV is NOT a car you buy as your "only", and definitely NOT a vehicle you buy if you need to rely on public charging.

I agree with most of what you posted, but not the above. We are a 2 BEV household and there are plenty of people that can exist with a BEV as your only vehicle. You just have to know your needs. If you drive locally and fly for long trips you can totally get by on a BEV.

Some people are fine using public charging. If they work from home for instance, they may only charge every couple of weeks and be completely fine.

You really have to understand your needs and predict what your future needs could be.
 
#10 ·
Much of the rant posted in the video really isn’t so much a Toyota issue as it is an overall EV industry issue.

Range and charging claims are always more optimistic than what average users see in day-to-day EV operation.

It’s no wonder that there’s often so much “blow-back” from owners once reality sets in…
 
#21 ·
I’m new to the forum and a new bZ4 owner (2 months). I love the vehicle and have had no problems at all. My driving is mostly just around town, and my expectations have been met 100% in terms of mileage. If I were going to travel more than I do, I’d have bought a plug in hybrid, not an EV. I have a fast charger in my garage, and find no problem in charging up to full load in an evening. I love the safety features, the 360 degree camera views, the acceleration, and the great traction in snow and ice conditions on the road. Best wishes to all, DK
 
#11 ·
Exactly! When used according to what they're best at BEVs are absolutely top notch. But, they're way too far away to replace fully anything with an engine. IMO that is still at least another 10-15 years out. Not until a BEV can be made as convenient as topping off a gas tank.
 
#13 ·
My bz4x failed before I hit 500 miles. They told me they could have it repaired in a mere 6-8 weeks.

I said no thanks, the car is a lemon. After nagging corporate, I'm getting a refund and don't have to wait months for lemon law arbitration, but what a piece of junk they sold me.

They don't have the technology figured out yet, and they don't have parts for it.

Toyota used to stand for quality and reliability, but now they'll sell you any piece of crap.
 
#14 ·
Here’s my opinion:

Honestly, in the bZ4x/Solterra, there isn’t much “technology” that isn’t well understood. There’s nothing groundbreaking or cutting edge in these vehicles. Below-competition battery performance, relatively low-level recharging capability (both AC & DC), just to name a couple. And, this from a company that led the world in hybrid technology.

Indeed, the term “overly conservative” fits nicely in this regard.

From an experience and historical POV, Toyota’s first EV should have set the standard all other manufacturers should desire to achieve. Yet, at best, it was only an “also-ran”.

As I see it, it’s more the dedication of having the model succeed in the market that’s missing. There are just so many examples of things handled poorly, such as buggy software issues that take extended time periods to correct, repair parts that take extended times (weeks to months) to deliver to dealership service departments, etc…. And none of that is anywhere related to cutting edge technology.

And the whole wheel attachment issue that stalled the vehicle’s initial release…as if Toyota didn’t understand the physics of wheel attachment in passenger vehicles. How did that pass muster?

I’ll give Toyota credit where I see it’s due, though… The vehicles do appear to be assembled well overall. If you are fortunate not to have any component failures, the fit and finish are exactly what one would expect from a company with Toyota’s reputation. There are few better manufacturers in that regard.
 
#16 ·
There are always going to be component failures and expected meantime before failures of mechanical along with electrical products. (That first horse I purchased in a past life only travelled 5 miles before it dropped dead!) Toyota has been considered one of the automotive industries most reliable manufacturing enterprises. There will be missteps along the way but that can be said of many of the leading manufacturers as well. Agree to disagree but a good takeaway from a major purchase would be if they do you right. I personally agree (aggregate) that Toyota and Lexus do me right, for others maybe are Honda, Ford all the way or Chevy or BMW. It's not necessarily a roll of the dice but the personal experience can be mitigated with research and a sampling of feedback overtime. The current generation of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is an excellent sample of done right, at least for most.

On a POV only: I find humor in my "trolling" this site for over 18 months by reading and remaining quiet until recently. A very good community here and obviously a solid platform for expressing experiences with the bZ4X. And, for better or worse, a negative experience with any vehicle can leave a long-lasting impression. Again, agree to disagree, but this would be similar to the polarization effects in design, politics and football. Enjoy your next choice and may it be a good one that meets your needs.