• $34,900 MSRP
• $1,450 delivery
• 236 miles
• FWD (AC sync, 168 hp)
• 8.1-inch ground clearance
• 120V/1500W AC outlet
• Heated front seats
• Ambient lighting (front & rear)
• Power liftgate (foot activated)
• 8-way power driver's seat
• Dual wireless phone chargers
• Heated mirrors (with indicators)
• 14-inch infotainment screen
• Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
• 11kW AC charging
• 150kW DC charging
• Digital key (free for 3 years)

Positive Feedback.  Sometimes, you unexpectedly get a large number of likes simply from providing some perspective.  It's far too easy to get lost in the chaos of online opinion.  You don't realize you're getting feed bias information.  Narratives aren't always obvious... or even intentional.  The very nature of interactions via forum or chat are inherently negative.  Motivation to reach out to others tends to come from troubled experience.  Something goes wrong, you want to share that story.  Whether it is simply to seek out help, to prevent others from having the same trouble, or to simply vent, there's a common theme of upset.  This post to that affect ended up being rather well received:  You won't hear much positive.  That the nature of internet posting.  Most owners that are pleased with their vehicle just drive it.  There's simply no reason to comment about when things are working fine.  The result is negatives are greatly amplified.  I have a 2023 and will be upgrading to the 2026.  It worked just fine.  Charging on trips was slow, but never an issue.  Daily committing, even during peak winter here in Minnesota, was fine.  The AWD and heater really done in the harsh conditions.

Another 2 Years.  I like when the rhetoric is so shallow, it's almost a waste of time: "How does Toyota keep idiots in suspense?  I'll tell you in two years.  Always.  Another two years.  Since 2010."  What keeps it from being wasteful is the opportunity it presents... an invitation to chime in with some history & context.  I welcomed that with:  The idiots are those who haven't understood the market or Toyota's customers since 2010.  Cold, hard reality is enthusiast priorities (speed, power and range) from a loss-leader vehicle makes no sense.  They don't want to hear that though.  Notice how the new RAV4 PHEV will be able to DC fast-charge?  That counters the belief that more battery is the correct solution.  Imagine a solid-state battery being able to pull 150kW with basically no charge-curve.  Suddenly, having DC for a PHEV with a small battery makes sense.  Full recharge in just a few minutes is a game-changer.  It's really sad that so many enthusiasts fell into the propaganda trap, chanting anti-Toyota rhetoric rather than use some critical thinking.  So what if it's still another 2 years.  It's not like BEV sales have captured a large portion of the market since 2010 anyway.

Sweet!  Out of the blue, I get the call.  The sales manager hunted down a 2026 bZ AWD Limited for me.  It's fully loaded, and then some, red with black roof and black emblems.  I wasn't expecting that at all.  Being such a good customer and knowing I will send business their way, it works out well.  People just naturally ask where I bought mine.  Having a good purchase experience makes the recommendation easy.  Deliver will be sometime in the range of late-November to mid-December.  That's awesome.  This winter the forecast is for more snow than usual.  Being able to share stories of cold & snow is a powerful motivator.  I will have plenty of time to provide endorsement through photo & video.  Just like with my first Prius, the timing and seasonal circumstances could really work out well.  Looks like I have great deal of potential.  Sweet!

Plug Standard.  I wonder how ugly things will get.  Missing the point is an initial sign that trouble is coming: "Yeah, people miss the point that NACS as an SAE standard is really just CCS with same plug/port as Tesla.  And that all the major charging providers are switching to that or at least adding cables with the NACS plug."  It's kind of like who should be allowed to plug in.  Some of us simply don't care what you are driving.  As long as you are helping to promote public chargers, we're grateful.  But if park in the spot and don't plug in, or you allow your vehicle to stay in the spot long after the battery reached 100%, then we have reason to be upset.  If you have to take time to mess with an adapter, struggle with an app, or park in a weird way to reach the cord, you're still helping to promote.  Whatever it takes to move us toward a plug standard, great.  Arguing about detail online isn't helpful.  Realistically, we won't be seeing Tesla as a major player anymore anyway.  New ventures, like Ionna, are racing ahead with surprisingly fast builds of new stations.  Woohoo!  The fact that NACS is working its way into the mix already is awesome.  Here's what I had to say on the topic:  Here (Minnesota) the mix of CCS and NACS has already begun... Ionna, Blink and EVgo offering both at the same location.  It won't take long before CCS is looked upon as a "legacy" plug, how you identify older EVs, especially due to the J1772 overlap.  NASC is the simplification the market here desperately needed.   Physically being a smaller plug is a nice benefit too.  Short cords at Superchargers are already an annoyance.  If Tesla doesn't step up its upgrade game, other providers will become preferred for NACS charging.

Standard Models.  I found this attempt to mislead with this analogy quite telling: "A cynic might recognize a tactic from the PC world.  The big company who doesn't have a competitive product attempts to mess up the market by making bold announcements of fantastic products that are coming "soon". "  That came about in defense of Tesla's reveal of standard models, new low-cost versions of Model 3 and Model Y.  Knowing that almost everything was removed already, it was an interesting reveal.  Fanboys quickly came to support the choice to remove even more.  Many of us saw it as a final desperate measure to stay relevant.  Tesla has nothing competitive to offer and is unwilling to take a big step.  I chimed in with:  An antagonist would use that to distract from the new products being rolled out that are competitive.  In other words, when the market enters a diversification stage, those who promoted a one-size-fits-all perspective begin to panic.   Their messaging falls apart.  Notice how Tesla is desperately holding onto the 300-mile minimum, even with that new "affordable" models?  That messaging of long-range being necessary prevents reaching a new audience, one that has no need for carrying such a large battery all the time.  Toyota's introduction of solid-state will explore the benefits the chemistry brings... ultra-fast DC charging (great for tiny battery-packs) and high-density capacity (great for very long range).  With respect to the PC analogy, this is like the rollout of solid-state storage.  It makes the device far more expensive, but at the same time makes it much faster and more robust.

Tesla Worship.  It's always assuring when someone posts exactly what you are thinking: "you will never win, he worships musk and tesla, and that's the only reason he's here".  Recognizing trolls is easy, when you are the one directly interacting.  You can see beyond the obvious bias through attempts to twist what you posted.  That's easy to overlook if you are just a lurker.  This exchange was quite predictable too.  Hearing about what other legacy automakers here are doing in preparation to deliver entry-level offerings puts Tesla in a very difficult position.  Any model of Tesla targeting $30,000 that could compete directly with Camry hybrid simply isn't going to happen.  Knowing that Toyota has a base model Camry hybrid for $29,000 has to be the ultimate doom someone who had once gloated about dramatic sales increase for Tesla.  That's very tough competition.  I pointed out why Musk is only making that situation worse by not even trying:  We see missed opportunity.  Tesla could take the market by storm, if it was willing to break new ground.  In other words, Tesla could exploit its Supercharger network by endorsing short-range offerings.  Knowing 250 miles is gross overkill for everyday use, just leverage DC when more is needed.   This is Innovator's Dilemma.  The founder is unwilling to diversify, fearing what originally made the product special could be lost by such a status quo disruption.

No Data.  What the heck?  An article was published to bring attention to a mod for ID.4 to enable battery-preconditioning.  Just like with bZ4X, it depends upon plugging it for heat benefit related to DC fast-charging.  VW decided to take the same approach as Toyota; yet, VW didn't get the same backlash.  It is more proof of trying to vilify Toyota.  Ugh.  Anywho, I was quite annoyed reading the article to the very end and never seeing any number whatsoever.  No value was given in any form to inform us what the mod achieved.  The least it could have done was mention was speed increase or time improvement resulted from it.  Instead, we got nothing.  This is the most polite comment I could come up with to vent my frustration in a constructive manner:  Not stating any actual temperatures for reference to the mod's effectiveness or preconditioning context makes this article pointless.  For example, the target for a typical NMC chemistry has been 50°C (122°F) when warming the battery in preparation for DC fast-charging.  Tradeoffs come about when you sacrifice range for the sake of increased speed the moment you plug in, rather than having to wait for the DC source to provide energy for that warming.

2026 Waiting.  It seems like forever.  Realistically, it will only be a few months.  I wasn't actually planning to upgrade from my 2023 at all.  This collection of improvements was thought to be a mid-cycle update.  People have come to expect some type of refresh that stirs interest among those who considered a purchase but held off.  It's not looked upon as something that will draw attention from a new audience.  3 years is mid-cycle for most vehicles anyway.  So, such an expectation was reasonable.  Rollout of a next generation was not.  But since this does indeed reach beyond the current audience, which made me interested.  The idea of upgrading was rather organic too.  No particular situation brought about the decision.  I simply started preparing for the possibility, then realized it needed to happen.  Patience is required, so that was at the top of my list.  Knowing it would take a long time is a plus anyway.  There's lots to wrap up in them meantime.  While at the EV event, in front of a bunch of EV friends, I saw caller-id pop up on my phone revealing it was my salesperson.  They were allocated a 2026 bZ.  It was fully loaded, everything I wanted but not a desired color.  So, rather than getting a VIN and expected delivery date, I would have to continue waiting for the unknown.  Well aware of what my "thank you, but no" would bring, I prepared myself mentally as he finished listing features.  It was only a first allocation.  More choices could follow shortly afterward.  Even a wait of several more months would still mean winter would not be missed.  I provided my response, they cheerfully returned back to the gathering of fellow plug-in owners.

No More Tax Credits.  They're gone now.  This is how one journalist put it: "The party's over.  Now comes the hangover."  I started commenting for that article responding to that with:

It was a tailgate party.  Leases are not a long-term commitment and most sales were the conquest type (cross brand) rather than to ordinary loyal customers shopping a showroom floor.

The actual game is only now beginning, which will depend having a variety of choices available.  GM offering Equinox in both ICE and BEV models will serve as a nice example of status quo breaking, what percentage of sales shift from gas to electricity.

The hangover will be interesting.  How much of a headache some have will depend upon their purchase and new owner experience.  Having to deal with apps & adapters when DC fast-charging is a big unknown and will likely vary greatly based on region.

Influence of hybrids is the big uncertainty, especially when it comes to mainstream consumers wanting something with a plug.  Anyone who claimed "too late" clearly wasn't considering where the market might be when tax-credits ended.

Upcoming.  Fear of what's to come is stirring more desperation: "Toyota was right in its TV ads: no one wants EVs, hybrids are better.  Time to cancel the upcoming models and sprinkle a little bit of hydrogen."  I'm quite curious what antagonists will do next.  At this stage, they will bounce from idea to idea, hoping something will attract comments.  It's extreme trolling.  They see the upcoming rollout kills the narrative they have relied upon for years and have nothing effective to use anymore.  I enjoy watching their struggle.  It confirms the approach Toyota chose is worked, despite countless claims supposedly explaining why it wouldn't.  I replied to this nonsense asking:  Gotta like how when someone tries to bring up 2017 in a discussion about 2026.  Does the idea of going from bZ this year, then adding CH-R and Woodland next year, mess up the narrative?  What about the expectation of a 3-row BEV rollout in 2027?

btw, Toyota's history has been to leverage owners for marketing new tech.  Look at what the loyal Prius following did to support adoption of hybrids across the fleet.  Experiences shared by new bZ owners online will send far more influential messaging about Toyota's commitment to BEV than any marketing could achieve.