The Toyota bZ4X is the Japanese manufacturer’s sole all-electric model on sale in the United States. Likewise, the Subaru Solterra, which is essentially just a rebadged bZ4X, stands as the sole EV in Subaru’s portfolio.
That will soon change, as Toyota, along with its Lexus subsidiary, plans to launch as many as 10 new battery-electric vehicles by 2026. But that’s still two years away and Toyota fans looking to buy an EV from the Nippon company have to settle for the bZ4X which is fairly uncompetitive due to the combination of mediocre range and uncompelling price. This led famous car reviewer and YouTuber Doug DeMuro to put the Toyota bZ4X/Subaru Solterra duo on the top spot of his “Top 5 Worst New Cars on Sale” list. The Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron is also on the podium.
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Doug DeMuro slams the bZ4X, Solterra and Q4 Sportback e-tron
Famous car reviewer and YouTuber Doug DeMuro said in a recent video that the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra duo are the worst new cars for sale in the United States. The Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron isn't far behind and it has everything to do with value.
Let’s start with the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, which sits in the third spot on DeMuro’s list, the YouTuber has rather harsh words about the German EV. “It’s not just bad, it’s offensive,” he said in the video embedded at the top of this page. He adds that the coupe-like crossover has one of the worst car values on the market today.
It’s about $10,000 more expensive than the Tesla Model Y but offers less range and less power than the American-made EV. “It makes absolutely no sense to buy this car,” DeMuro concluded about the Q4 Sportback e-tron.
But worse than the four-ringed electric crossover, at least in Doug’s eyes, is the Subaru Solterra/Toyota bZ4X pair. He sums it up with, “Bad. Just plain bad.”
The 2024 bZ4X starts at $44,420 and offers 201 horsepower and 252 miles of range with the front-wheel drive setup, while the all-wheel drive powertrain comes with a combined 214 hp and up to 228 miles of range. “Literally every other model is better,” DeMuro said, adding that “there is literally no car on sale that offers a worse combination of price, performance and range.”
Those are quite unkind words but customers seem to agree. Last year, Toyota sold 9,329 bZ4Xs in the United States, while Subaru sold 8,872 Solterras. The Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron saw just 2,606 sales in 2023 in the U.S.
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