2022 Toyota bZ4X to arrive in U.S. in spring with range of up to 250 miles

ENCINITAS, Calif. — The 2022 Toyota bZ4X midsize EV crossover will go on sale in the spring in the U.S. as the brand's reentry into the electric vehicle space with an estimated range of up to 250 miles, an enhanced suite of driver-assistance and safety features and styling that is identifiable as a Toyota while still differentiating itself within the brand's lineup.

The bZ4X — the bZ nomenclature is shorthand for "Beyond Zero" and will be used for future Toyota EV models — sits between the RAV4 and Venza in overall length, but at 112.2 inches, it has the same wheelbase as a three-row Highlander. The two-row five-seater will come equipped with a standard 150-kilowatt front motor and a temperature-controlled 71-kilowatt-hour battery pack that, according to Toyota's estimate, will give the bZ4X a range of up to 250 miles. An optional all-wheel-drive version, which will come outfitted with Subaru's X-Mode system, will be equipped with an additional rear-mounted 80-kW motor and a 73-kWh battery pack, but its estimated range was not released.

Toyota said that in designing the bZ4X, it concentrated on retaining the capacity of its thermally controlled battery over the long term, claiming it will still have 90 percent of its power after 10 years of ownership.

In terms of exterior styling, the bZ4X does not stray far from Toyota's overall design language with the exception of the grille-less, solid-nose front fascia and lighting signature. The spartan interior is dominated by a 12-inch center stack screen and an elevated digital instrument cluster, but otherwise would be indistinguishable from other Toyota vehicles were it not for one absence: a glove box.

The Japan-built bZ4Xs shown to journalists here this week lacked a glove box, a subtraction that Toyota Motor North America executives explained was the result of the inclusion of radiant foot and leg heaters for front-row occupants. It is a brand first to conserve energy that would otherwise be lost to the vehicle's HVAC system, executives said.

The bZ4X will be the first Toyota equipped with Version 3.0 of the brand's Safety Sense suite of driver-assistance and safety features. The upgraded system adds improved lane-keeping, guardrail detection, low-light cyclist detection and daytime motorcyclist detection to previous iterations. It will also come equipped with Toyota's recently improved infotainment system, including a subscription-based service that provides real-time traffic and parking updates and a digital key that allows owners to access the vehicle or start it remotely with their smartphone.

Pricing was not announced.