Bentley Bentayga vs Toyota BZ4X

What's the difference?

The Bentley Bentayga Azure may look a bit awkward and it surely isn't great value for money, but it is a true Bentley and a very good family SUV that not only provides terrific practicality but superb performance and comfort.

Is the bZ4X Touring the right Toyota for this moment in time or too little too late for the brand to play catch-up to its EV rivals?

The good news for Toyota is that it isn’t too late, at all. The Touring expands the appeal of the bZ4X, metaphorically and literally, and certainly the sales trajectory in 2026 suggests buyers are warming to Toyota’s electric future.

However, it remains a more expensive proposition for its size and the Touring doesn’t really make it stand out amongst the crowd that includes the popular BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y. It’s unfamiliar territory for Toyota, but it didn’t become the automotive juggernaut it is by giving up, so there is every reason to think the bZ4X duo will chip away at the EV sales leaders.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

You'd think of all automotive brands Bentley, with its beautiful swooping and powerful saloons, would be able to floor us with something just exquisite in SUV form. But right from the 2012 concept the Bentayga has struggled to stun the world with its design.

So, while there are Bentley family traits all over the Bentayga, from the intricate headlights and mesh grille, to the oval tail-lights and body which squats over the rear wheels, the overall design looks awkward to my eyes.

To me it appears the boxy design with the tall, flat roofline and elevated ride height favours practicality over the sleekness possessed by a lower, more coupe-like SUV.

I favour dark coloured clothes because it hides my shapes, creases and bulges, but these are the things you want to see in a car and our Bentley's 'Onyx Black' paint, despite being a beautiful colour with a blue hue added, make it a featureless blob in the sunlight.

A lighter shade or something outlandish like a turquoise or yellow would look amazing, and even better, upset your neighbours.

Let's look at the interior design which is lavish with all the quilted leather and Mulliner customisation, but lacks the modern look of many contemporary cabins with its smallish media screen and busy mosaic of buttons.

I like the little chrome plungers for the air vents, the winged styling to the dashboard and the stitched leather upholstery, but it's easy to spot parts that are shared by other members of the Volkswagen Group (which owns Bentley).

For example, there are the indicator and wiper stalks, as well as the steering wheel buttons, all from Audi. Surely Bentley should have its own crafted parts?

The interior colour scheme on our Bentayga is 'Beluga' (black) and 'Camel' (tan) and the Mulliner option split the colours with a cream tone.

From a family perspective the tan and black will hide dirt, although the cream will struggle. It's possibly the best leather on the planet, however, coming from cattle living high enough that their hides are unblemished by insect stings.

What stands out about the design of the bZ4X Touring is the fact it is a bZ4X. Unlike Subaru, which opted to position its bZ4X twins, the Solterra and Trailseeker, as separate models, Toyota has stuck with the single nameplate and a very similar look.

At the front the Touring looks almost identical to the SUV and it’s only at the back where things deviate notably. Toyota has stretched the Touring by 140mm and redesigned it to have a more vertical tailgate.

To further differentiate between the two bZ4X offerings, the Touring gets unique 20-inch alloy wheels, as well as front and rear skid plates, roof rails (which can take up to 80kg of weight), matt finished wheel arches, a contrasting bonnet insert plus a rear window wiper.

Inside the design is carried over unchanged, which means the same interior that has Toyota elements but also some Subaru influence and a bit of EV differentiation. So it doesn’t look exactly like what you expect from Toyota, but it’s still clearly in the Toyota family.

Being shaped like a bus does nothing for the Bentayga's beauty but makes it spacious for cargo and roomy for people.

With its large doors and elevated ride height (the car can be lowered for easier access) it's great for families.

Our Bentayga is a five-seater, which is fine for my little family of four, but there are four- and seven-seat configurations available, too.

Second row legroom is exceptional, even for me at 189cm tall, and sitting behind my own driving position there's still plenty of room.

Headroom is also outstanding throughout. We could be a family that loves top hats, on our way to the top hat championships, and not have to remove our top hats. That's how good headroom and hat room is.

Sun blinds in the second row are vital in Australia, and the electric ones in the Bentayga raise and lower quickly, not just offering protection but also more privacy.

Storage is good throughout with big door pockets and five cupholders.

It seems the cabin space eats into the cargo area because the boot isn't overly large at 484 litres with all seats in place.

Buttons in the cargo area allow the rear of the car to be raised and lowered to make it easier to hoist items in the boot.

For devices there's a wireless phone charger up front along with USB ports in both rows.

One of the most notable examples of this is the set-up of the steering wheel and instrument display. The digital display screen is set far back on the dash and the wheel has a small diameter so you look over it rather than through the rim; similar to Peugeot’s polarising ergonomics. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it is a stand out feature of the interior. 

Thankfully, while there is a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen, unlike so many other modern EVs there are plenty of physical buttons and dials, too. Not to sound like an old man, but these are simply better in my opinion as they are easier to use, especially on the move.

In terms of space, the Touring feels roomy for a mid-size SUV, but not as spacious as some of its rivals. In the second row headroom is good and there is enough knee and foot room for two adults to sit in relative comfort.

The rear seat occupants are well catered for with their own air-conditioning, heated outboard seats and two USB-C ports.

The biggest practicality boost for the Touring is the boot volume. By stretching the length, Toyota has added another 151 litres of cargo space, so the total volume is now 603 litres, which is a generous amount of room for a mid-size SUV and ideal for those looking to load up with luggage for a road trip.

In keeping with the slow and steady approach, Toyota is offering a single variant of the Touring to complement the existing bZ4X model.

Priced from $69,990, before on-road costs, it is a $2000 premium over the standard AWD bZ4X, but it’s still $5000 less than the original starting price for the SUV before its recent price cut.

Based on size and price, the Touring positions itself as rival to everything from the BYD Sealion 7 to the Zeekr 7X and a wide variety in between including the Kia EV5, MG MGS6, Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.4 and, of course, the Subaru Trailseeker - with which it shares its underpinnings (as both the Solterra/Trailseeker and bZ4X pair were co-developed between the two Japanese brands).

The singular bZ4X Touring comes equipped with dual-zone climate control, heated and ventilated front seats, a digital rear-vision mirror, a fixed panoramic sunroof, dual wireless phone chargers and a 14-inch touchscreen with a nine-speaker JBL premium audio system.

While that’s a generous amount of equipment, the Toyota doesn’t stand out in terms of value, with the Model Y range starting at $58,900, Zeekr’s 7X from $57,900 and the Sealion 7 from $54,990.

In short, the mid-size electric SUV market is getting more and more competitive and Toyota will need to work hard for every single sale.

When Bentley stopped putting its W12 into the Bentayga this year I was unsurprised yet sad. The world is moving toward tighter fuel emissions but the twin-turbo petrol V8 in this Azure is still a beast.

The 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8 is from the Audi family and I love it as much for its plentiful torque and superb acceleration as the deep rumble of its exhaust.

Making 404kW and 770Nm the V8 can lift and throw the 2.5-tonne Bentayga to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 290km/h. I reckon you could get it to 300km/h with the wind behind you.

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed transmission and a Torsen-type centre differential.

Default drive balance is 40/60 front to rear, with up to 70 per cent of power able to be sent to the front wheels and up to 85 per cent to the rear axle.

I don't think you'll be astounded to hear this powertrain uses a lot of fuel? Let's go there...

One of the biggest differences between the regular bZ4X and the Touring is the single powertrain option. While the standard bZ4X can be had at a cheaper price with a single-motor, front-wheel drive set-up, the Touring is exclusively available with the dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain.

This is good for 280kW of power, which is very punchy for a Toyota mid-size SUV, and is enough for it to take just 4.4 second to sprint from 0-100km/h, which is downright rapid.

Bentley says the Bentayga Azure with the V8 petrol engine will use an average of 11.4L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads.

But what happens if you live in the suburbs not far from the city and drive the Azure every day to do the school drop offs and trips to the shops and then take in some fun country roads? You use an average of 22.8L/100km according to the car's trip computer.

This is still not as high as I was expecting. I've driven V6-powered SUVs which use more than this under the same conditions.

That said, even when using as much fuel as Bentley says you should, an 85-litre fuel tank is only going to deliver an approximate 745km driving range.

The bZ4X Touring is fitted with a 74.7kWh battery, which is enough for a claimed range of 488km. That’s a reasonable distance, on par with the BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 and MGS6 but isn’t class-leading. It also probably looks a bit short on paper as Toyota is pushing this as "purpose-built for long distance touring."

However, the Touring wins some points back with its 1500W inverter that provides vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging, which not all models in this segment offer.

Charging maxes out at 150kW DC and 22kW AC, but Toyota says with the DC charger it can take just 28 minutes to recharge the battery from 10 to 80 per cent.

The Bentley Bentayga doesn't have a safety rating as like many extremely high-end cars it hasn't been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

That said, the Azure grade comes standard with an armoury of safety tech including AEB (with turn assistance), lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, evasive steering assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

Front and rear parking sensors are standard (and the most relied-upon feature I use daily), while exit warning saved my child and myself more than a few times from leaping out into the traffic on the school run.

Safety is one area where the bZ4X Touring and Toyota do stand out in the electric SUV contest. As we have written many times in recent years, the flood of new active safety technology has led to some, frankly, annoying cars to drive. Over-reactive safety features can be distracting and diminish the driving experience and ultimately become so frustrating many owners will turn them off.

Toyota, however, has used its years of experience to ensure the safety systems in the Touring work more seamlessly. There are plenty of systems, too, with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, driver attention monitoring,  blind-spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition all included.

During our test drive the driver attention monitor only intervened when needed and otherwise the car only reacted when it absolutely had to rather than being too sensitive. It’s part of the reason why the bZ4X carries a price premium, because you’re paying for Toyota’s experience.

In addition to those active safety features the Touring comes with eight airbags and surround view cameras, plus connected services with SOS emergency calling, plus automatic collision notification and vehicle insights.

ANCAP awarded the bZ4X SUV a maximum five-star rating based on its pre-2026 testing protocols, and while it is untested, given the similarities between the two cars and historical precedence there’s no reason to anticipate a different score.

A key selling point for any Toyota, but especially one with new(-ish) technology, is that with 270 dealers around the country, Toyota has one of the biggest footprints.

The Touring is covered by Toyota’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is fine but is increasingly looking off-the-pace compared to a growing list of rivals with seven or more years of coverage.

On the plus side the bZ4X delivers on the promise of cheaper EV servicing, with intervals every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) with each visit capped at $190 for the first five years.