Toyota bZ4X Touring takes aim at Subaru Outback
The Toyota bZ4X Touring you see here will join the updated bZ4X in a year's time.
Essentially an expanded version of the current EV, the Touring is aimed at those who need added space. It offers a vast increase in luggage capacity, along with all the technical upgrades recently introduced on the facelifted bZ4X.
The Touring comes with a body that is 140mm longer and 20mm taller than the existing bZ4X's. Boot space expanded by around 33 per cent or 148L to 600 litres. The second row benefits from added headroom, bigger windows and a more open interior layout.
Toyota has also fitted new roof rails that can tote up to 70kg while towing capacity is boosted to 1500kg, twice that of the bZ4X. This should therefore appeal more to adventurous types who like to haul stuff.
Two versions will be offered, both using the uprated 75kWh battery pack. A single-motor version produces 165kW a WLTP range of up to 557km.
Read our review of the bZ4X here.
A 280kW dual-motor AWD variant will also be available. It implements X-Mode for slippery conditions. Official WLTP range figures for this variant have yet to emerge, but expect a small drop compared with the single-motor model.
Both feature 150kW DC fast charging, and come with an 11-22kW on-board charger for the single and dual-motor options, respectively.
In terms of design, the new Touring reminds of the Subaru Trailseeker that will also go on sale later this year. But it features a less rugged look with a sleeker front end characterised by C-shaped daytime running lights.
Like the refreshed bZ4X, this arrives with a smarter interior that features a large central infotainment screen and redesigned centre console offering addition oddments storage space.
Pricing will be revealed closer to its time of arrival.
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3 days ago
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The performance wagon is an enthusiast's favourite, especially for those with more than just themselves to think about. It is practical, family friendly even, yet when the driver finds themselves alone, it delivers substantial fun. Unfortunately there aren't many options and most are reserved for the upper reaches of the premium Euro market. An example is the BMW M3 Touring. It's the first time the M3 has been served up with a bigger boot and this M3 is BMW's RS 4 foil. A pity that the Audi is between drinks; we drove the last of the current generation last year, so a direct comparison seemed pointless. Instead we ask: do you really need to spend six figures to get your fast wagon fix? Can something costing significantly less satisfy the urge? Such a machine does exist, and it's just been revised too. We are talking about the Skoda Octavia RS. We've had coupe, sedan and convertible M3s in times past, and finally now the Touring. 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And you can save your preferred combo to one of the two M buttons on the steering wheel, for quick access. The M3 gets a good stiffening with extra bracing and struts, and tauter suspension settings teamed with adaptive dampers. The all-wheel drive is variable in nature and blessed with a rearward bias. There's also an M differential out back to further enhance that rear-drive feeling. You can select 4WD Sport, which serves up even more drive to the rear, or switch off the DSC completely and then you're in 2WD. Then you can tune the M Traction Control to your liking, through 10 stages of intervention. Along with an onboard lap timer, there's the Drift Analyser to record the duration, angle and distance of your skids. All this fun does not come cheap, however, with a base price of $199,600. The Skoda doesn't have quite the firepower or such a long hardware list but it doesn't ask nearly as much either. 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