Toyota has made the bZ4X an improved product shortly after Subaru delivered sister car, the Trailseeker.
The new bZ4X Touring arrives in May from $69,990 plus on-road costs. Toyota calls it family-friendly, which is true enough, but the bigger point is that this is the stretched, more useful version of the bZ4X recipe. More boot, more poke, more reason to care. The Toyota-flavoured answer to the Subaru Trailseeker means the old Toyobaru badge-swap game is alive and well. As we’ve said before, what worked for GR 86/BRZ may not work for this BEV which feels a bit half-baked.
Where the standard bZ4X often felt as though it had been designed by committee, the Touring at least adds some family usefulness. An SUV has to be an SUV not just a congratulation on electrification. The Japanese have fallen badly behind the Chinese, preferring hybrids instead.
The Japanese really need a shuffle along.
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ABOVE: Toyota bZ4X Touring electric family SUV in the new stretched Touring body
Why this one matters
The big change is where Toyota has stretched the tail by 140mm behind the rear axle. The Touring a more upright tailgate, which lifts luggage capacity from 452 litres to 603 litres, the difference between packing for a weekend and packing for real life.
Toyotahas matched Subaru with a 74.7kWh lithium-ion battery and two 167kW motors for a combined 280kW. We previously criticised bZ4X for range, sluggish performance and slow charging. The 0 – 100km/h is 4.4 seconds, not too shabby for something pitched as a family EV. The hot hatch brisk get up and go isn’t enough on its own, remember the Chinese are going faster, further, with better charging and all for less money.
On that note, claimed WLTP range is 488km, but with air conditioning, weather, and traffic, expect less. Even so, the Touring reads as competitive rather than grimly adequate. DC charging still tops out at 150kW through CCS2, while three-phase AC charging reaches 22kW. While the AC 22kw isn’t too bad, 150kw DC is on the low side of decent. BYD launched a 1500kw model for not much more money. Buying an EV for today’s charging leaves your resale lagging tomorrow.
The Touring gets its own visual trinkets to tart it up a bit. There are 20-inch black alloys, front and rear skid plates, ladder-style roof rails, resin-black wheel arches, a black bonnet insert, and a rear wiper. I mention the wiper only because Toyota did, which suggests Australia may be mostly sunburn and snakes, but weather still happens.
Equipment levels are reasonably generous, trying to match Chinese competition, but remember, Toyota’s new boss said the OEM may not survive unless it ups it’s game. Few old mastheads will survive unless they change, fast.
Other gear includes standard heated and ventilated front seats, eight-way power adjustment, dual-zone climate control, a digital rear-view mirror, fixed panoramic roof, two wireless phone chargers, a 1500W inverter, and a 14-inch touchscreen with nine-speaker JBL audio. Nobody should be spending this sort of money and getting a Ryanair seat.
There are six metallic and pearlescent paint finishes, including the newly introduced Daylight Bronze. Buyers can pair them with black trim or a khaki synthetic leather interior exclusive to Touring. Khaki has a nice “night under canvas” ring to it.
Then come the offers. Toyota has come to understand that simply being Toyota is no longer enough. Only a few years ago the Toyota manager said that buyers wanting cheaper cars could always buy 2nd hand. That was at the Corolla Cross event, or was it the Yaris Cross? Either way, Holden had the same attitude in the face of stiffening competition. That saw Holden off after a century of treating customers like mugs, and Toyota is in the same place now. They know it and we know it.
Cheaper, better Chinese rivals are flooding the market so Toyota is upping its pricing strategy, but is it Tesla that is the biggest headache. Tesla just released its Model Y L, so for roughly the same money, Toyota or Tesla? Even without the considering Chinese brands, few would choose a Toyota over a Tesla considering Tesla’s superior infrastructure. When most think EV, they think Tesla. Things may have changed somewhat now that Tesla ADAS is mostly via subscription.
2026 Electric SUV Comparison: The Big Stretch
| Feature | Toyota bZ4X AWD | Toyota bZ4X Touring | Tesla Model Y LR | Tesla Model Y L |
| Price (MSRP) | $67,990 | $69,990 | $68,900 | $74,900 |
| Length | 4690mm | 4830mm | 4792mm | 4969mm |
| Wheelbase | 2850mm | 2850mm | 2890mm | 3040mm |
| Seating | 5 Seats | 5 Seats | 5 Seats | 6 Seats (2+2+2) |
| Peak Power | 252kW | 280kW | 378kW | 378kW |
| 0-100km/h | 5.1s | 4.4s | 4.8s | 5.0s |
| Range (WLTP) | 517km | 488km | 600km | 681km |
| Cargo (Seats Up) | 452L | 603L | 822L | 1076L |
| Max DC Charge | 150kW | 150kW | 250kW | 250kW |
| Max AC Charge | 22kW | 22kW | 11kW | 11kW |
| V2L Support | 1500W | 1500W | No | 3300W |
The updated bZ4X starts at $55,990 for the 2WD and $67,990 for the AWD. Eligible buyers can get a $5000 deposit bonus on new and demo 2WD examples, or $7500 on AWD, through Toyota Finance. Novated lease buyers get $4200 off the 2WD or $6800 off the AWD through Toyota Fleet Management or another approved fleet mob. Through Toyota Go, private buyers can choose either free Chargefox credit or a complimentary 7kW home charger, excluding installation which seems mean.
Warranty still needs work. Toyota is also doing what Toyota always does when the conversation turns aftersales, standing there with its arms folded and its warranty paperwork neatly laminated.
The website shows bZ4X has a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty with the extended warrant of 7-years on driveline and 10 years on battery. At least the battery is looked after.
The 10-year unlimited-kilometre battery warranty is when you service through a Toyota dealer, plus eight years or 160,000km of assurance against battery degradation. It is not sexy copy, but much needed if is to stand a chance.
The real question is not whether the bZ4X Touring makes sense. It does. The real question is whether this makes Toyota feel less late to the electric family SUV party. As we said with the Subaru Trailseeker, this is not a revolution. It is a recycled platform finding a more convincing shape. The shape helps with more space, more shove, and a cleaner brief to give the Touring a purpose the ordinary bZ4X never quite nailed.
If the regular bZ4X was a worthy shrug, the Touring is something better. Not a revelation, but at least a raised eyebrow and a murmured, ‘finally’.
2026 Toyota bZ4X pricing
| Grade | Price |
|---|---|
| 2WD | $55,990 |
| AWD | $67,990 |
| Touring | $69,990 |
| Optional paint Touring | $575 |
| Optional paint 2WD and AWD | $575 |
| Optional paint with two-tone roof AWD only | $1350 |
Toyota bZ4X Touring key details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Battery | 74.7kWh lithium-ion |
| Powertrain | Dual-motor all-wheel drive |
| System output | 280kW |
| 0 to 100km/h | 4.4 seconds |
| WLTP range | 488km |
| DC charging | 150kW CCS2 |
| AC charging | 22kW three-phase |
| Boot space | 603L |
| Standard bZ4X boot space | 452L |
| Key Touring extras | 20-inch black alloys, skid plates, roof rails, black arches, black bonnet insert, rear wiper |
More Stories
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- 2025 Toyota bZ4X Review Slow Bland and Outclassed by Rivals
- Toyota bZ4X Upgraded Australia 2026
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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