Toyota has outlined changes it is certain will benefit the NZ-bound electric sports utility.

SHARING by Toyota of additional information ahead of public availability of its first electric car, bZ4X, seems to reinforce the updated product cited for Kiwi drivers will be tangibly better than the original format.

Though Toyota New Zealand has several early build cars in circulation here it has also made clear it’s the improved version, announced at the Tokyo Auto Salon in late October, that’s set for NZ-new customer availability.

Exactly when bZ4X supply begins is still not clear, though March is being considered a best bet. By then the Subaru Solterra sister ship will also be in circulation, also with updates.

Clarification about this came on November 1, when Toyota NZ’s communications head of the time, based at Toyota NZ headquarters, in Palmerston North, confirmed the updates will include into showroom stock saying: “Yes, the bZ4X variants available in New Zealand, and arriving in early 2024, will receive the same updates (as revealed in Tokyo).”

The revisions are important. The car, as it first rolled out, has taken a battering from media critics and owners, particularly in the initial export markets, which included the United Kingdom and the United States.

A primary feedback was that it fell well short of making good on the manufacturer-cited range. The maximum charge speed was also criticised. On top of that, production had to stop for several months because of a wheel design fault.

Although the medium sports utility is a design and development co-share with Subaru, Toyota Japan builds it and has been the project leader. As such, it has also been responsible for addressing the glitches.

It has now indicated that the improvements will provide a more satisfactory experience and suggests the car now more fully benefits from all Toyota has learned from its domination as the world’s top provider of hybrid product. It says it has manufactured more than 20 million batteries since the mid-1990s, most for petrol-electric product.

According to Toyota, the latest enhancements to the battery pack of the bZ4X improve its effectiveness and real-world range by incorporating software changes aimed at conserving battery power by “optimally controlling, and reducing the car’s dependence on, the climate control system”.

The revised system now automatically defaults to Auto (Eco) mode to reduce the amount of power drawn from the car’s battery. Further power savings are achieved in cooler weather by prioritising heating of the front seats and steering wheel to support the desired ambient temperature.

A humidity sensor also contributes by detecting fogging on the windscreen and more precisely controlling the timing of fresh air drawn from outside of the vehicle.

Drivers will have access to additional information about the battery state of charge, via a 7.0-inch colour multi-information display.

They can check the estimated time needed to recharge the battery to 80 percent and view the remaining range based on whether the climate control system is switched on or off.

Toyota Japan engineers who briefed media at the salon - which is separate to the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens next week - emphasised that "real-world" is the important distinction because the WLTP economy figures stay the same overall due to vagaries in methodology.

In respect to that, Toyota has cited the front-drive bZ4X as being good for a driving range of up to 516 kilometres. Data relating to the all-wheel-drive has been shared by Subaru. It says cars with that drivetrain are up for 414-465 kilometres. The latter is a five kilometre advantage over the initial call. The lower range estimate comes from the high-end specification and is cited as a penalty from that trim moving off the standard fare 18 inch rims onto 20 inch types.

Toyota says charging times have been shortened in extreme cold weather by as much as 30 percent due to improved battery warm-up performance.

Kiwis are to see bZ4X in two configurations, front-drive Pure and AWD Motion, respectively at $72,990 and $82,990. The entry has a 150kW/266Nm output. The dual motors’ combined output is 160kW/337Nm. The same is cited for Solterra, which in NZ is AWD only, though in two trim levels, for $79,990 and $84,990.

The Toyota and Subaru all carry a common 71.4kWh lithium-ion battery with an AC charging capacity of 11kW and DC charging capacity that has lifted to 150kW.

It is still not clear when the Lexus RZ, which came on sale last year, will also achieve any updates. That car builds on the same platform, and uses an identical battery, though the motors are more powerful and it distinguishes by having a bespoke SUV body styling.

A high level of standard features includes LED lighting, 20-inch alloy wheels, sports seats with premium fabric and synthetic leather trim, and heated front seats with power adjustment for the driver.

Comfort and convenience appointments include dual-zone climate control, keyless smart entry and start, and a 12.3-inch multimedia system with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, along with an Toyota Safety Sense driver assistance features (also on the Subaru).

AWD versions gain further features including roof rails and spoiler, fixed panoramic roof, heated steering wheel, and ventilated front seats, full synthetic leather trim, wireless phone charger, JBL premium audio system and X-Mode off-tarmac drive system with Snow/Dirt, Deep Snow/Mud, and Grip Control modes.

TNZ’s early acquisition cars seem to be AWDs. The Carjam on-line registrations check tool says an example it has recently provisioned to a news outlet’s motoring site as a long-term test car, was registered on July 11, so four months prior to the salon. It logically would have been built even earlier in the year.

In its first report last month, the news outlet noted it managed 318kms’ driving with 97 percent of the battery used, with the onboard computer claiming about 10km spare. It noted this was more than 140km short of the WLTP figure and wondered if the car having mainly experienced motorway driving for this was a factor.