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“Toyota bZ4X & Subaru Solterra New Car Test Ride]The Solterra offers mobility and the bZ4X offers comfort…Takahito Nakamura
260 km from Nagoya to Kanazawa in the bZ4X and Soltera

You need to plan your trip as carefully as you would an airplane.

Comfort of 18 inches is exquisite

Subaru Solterra (left) and Toyota bZ4X (right). Behind them is Nagoya Castle.
Subaru Solterra (left) and Toyota bZ4X (right). In the background is Nagoya CastleToyota bZ4XSubaru SolterraSubaru SolterraYou don’t have to go to Shirakawa-go to see old thatched housesToyota bZ4XSubaru Solterra charging quickly in the townscape
The bZ4X and the Solterra on the 260 km drive from Nagoya to Kanazawa.
A joint test drive of the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra was held on a grand scale. Starting in Tokyo, the course consisted of a total of five courses in a loop.

I was in charge of the 260-km course from Nagoya to Kanazawa, changing trains at Gujo-Hachiman along the way to test the two models. The second half was to reach Kanazawa with at least 50 km remaining. In other words, both courses require recharging the batteries at least once. Well, we could have gone the second half of the course without recharging if we pushed ourselves, but at any rate, we were allotted enough time to recharge at least once at the recharging spots marked on the course to complete the route.

Many people are still unfamiliar with the ins and outs of electric vehicles (EVs) (myself included). This time, the manufacturer’s intention was clear: they wanted us to learn a little about the basics of electric vehicles, including the experience of charging the battery. In other words, the amount of electricity flow differs depending on the charging spot, and it differs from spot to spot. Even for the same 30-minute charge, the more electricity that flows through the spot, the more you can charge.

In the route from Nagoya to Kanazawa, there were many charging spots with a capacity ranging from 20kw to 50kw. It was up to the driver to choose where to go, and some spots were quite far from the route, but the goal was the same for everyone. The goal is the same for everyone: a spot that is not too far off the route and has a large charging capacity. And in most cases, only one car can be recharged at a time. This means that if there is a customer ahead of you, you will have to wait. This is one of the reasons why the infrastructure for electric vehicles is said to be still insufficient. As expected, there were already passengers at the spot we were aiming for, forcing us to rethink our plans.

You need to plan your trip as meticulously as you would an airplane.

Now, vehicles are chosen by lottery. In my case, I first drove the FWD (front-wheel drive) model of the bZ4X, and from Gujo-Hachiman on the way, I was assigned the AWD (all-wheel drive) model of the Solterra. I have test-driven the Solterra on snowy winter roads, but this was the first time for me to drive the bZ4X.

The basic structure of the car is the same from the framework, so there are no major changes, but there are subtle differences in flavor. The bZ4X is more oriented toward comfort and driving performance. Also, both models are available in FWD and AWD, but there are slight differences: while Toyota has a single grade, Subaru has two grades of AWD, and while Toyota has 18-inch tires as standard, Subaru has 20-inch tires as standard on the higher grades. The biggest difference is that the Subaru is sold individually while the Toyota is only available for lease through KINTO.

So we started with a FWD bZ4X. We headed for the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway from central Nagoya. The car was about 80% fully charged. The manufacturer did not intentionally charge the battery to full capacity. However, when we checked the route, we found that we were supposed to get off the highway at Gujo Hachiman, and there were no spots along the way. The quickest way is to charge the battery at the SA on the highway, but it is too early to do so.

The fate of electric vehicles is that they must decide where to go and check for charging spots along the route. With an internal combustion engine car, you can just go anywhere and if you run out, go to the nearest gas station…but not so with an electric car. But this is not the case with electric vehicles, which require as much detailed travel planning as airplanes. This time, we recharged our batteries at a roadside station called Rustenhorrado. The capacity is 20kw, which is small. While I was charging, two electric car users came to charge their cars, but they gave up when they saw me.

The remaining mileage was about 300 km at the time of departure, so the first half of the journey was an easy one if one ignores the 200 km comment. Once we got off the road, a pleasant winding road continued. There are some ups and downs, but for some reason, the vehicle slows down before each corner. When the road goes downhill, it also slows down at the ups and downs. Later, I was told that the regenerative power is enhanced by sensing the slope and speed of the slope, and in the case of a corner, the camera also recognizes the speed and the corner itself to enhance the regenerative power. In the case of a corner, the camera also recognizes the speed and the corner itself to enhance the regenerative power. Well, this reduces the amount of work the driver has to do, and although it may not be appropriate to use the word, it makes the driver look even more foolish. Is this just another trend of the times?

18-inch comfort is exquisite
By the way, the comfort of 18-inch wheels is exquisite. The Soltera, which I rode later in the day, was equipped with 20-inch wheels, but these were a bit too much. Well, it may have much better traction in corners, but I don’t think I would want to drive an electric car that fast in the first place. I am well aware that it has tremendous acceleration power if you step on it, but its acceleration does not have the elation (mainly the sound and the acceleration you can feel) that is characteristic of internal-combustion cars. It is ridiculously fast, but I feel a sense of sadness like a sparkler.

From Gujo-Hachiman onward, the car is a Soltera. Although it is not as comfortable as the 18-inch bZ4Z, it is equipped with features that make driving enjoyable, such as paddles with variable regenerative power. Come to think of it, this car was equipped with a Harman Kardon audio system, while the first half of the Toyota was equipped with a JBL audio system. The quietness of the car makes it a fun choice for electric cars.

Electric vehicles still have a lot of issues to address, such as the disposal of batteries. Toyota’s approach of using subs and collecting the vehicle is likely to be less troublesome.

■5-star rating
Packaging: ★★★★
Interior/Comfort: ★★★★
Power Source: ★★★★
Footwork: ★★★★
Recommendation: ★★★★

Takahito Nakamura, AJAJ Member
Born in 1952, Takahito Nakamura was a car enthusiast, gracing the pages of Motor Magazine at the age of four. In 1977, he entered the journalism industry and has been working as a freelance journalist for 44 years. He is also currently the president of Shofadept, a company that offers driving lessons to businesses and seniors.”