The Woodland looks like the regular bZ at the front with the new “Hammerhead” lighting design that places the DRLs up top and the headlights lower on the bumper.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
If you walked into a Toyota dealership to buy an EV just a few years ago, you’d have come out empty handed. Now, you can choose from three electric crossovers with a three-row SUV arriving before the end of the year.
Covering the rugged end of the spectrum is the new bZ Woodland, an elongated version of the bZ compact SUV but with more power, more space and available all-terrain tires. The Woodland shares a platform with the new Subaru Trailseeker and offers a similar experience but with a different design. We’ll have a review of the Trailseeker next week.
Toyota faced plenty of criticism for dragging its heels on EVs, falling behind brands such as General Motors and Hyundai that now boast full lines of battery-powered cars. The company initially doubled down on its hybrid strategy but also developed the all-electric bZ4X in partnership with Subaru. The launch of the bZ4X in 2022 was plagued with issues and limited supply, so Toyota redesigned it, dropped the “4X” from the name and tried again.
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The 2026 bZ uses the same mechanicals and interior as the bZ4X but has a new battery, power unit and charging system. It might look the same but is a much different car internally.
Scott MacKenzie, director of corporate and external affairs at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, says this time the company has set aggressive sales targets and has lots of supply on the way, helping alleviate any issues acquiring one.
The Woodland shares a nearly identical front end with the bZ, including its new “Hammerhead” lighting design that places the DRLs up top and the headlights lower on the bumper, forming what is Toyota’s new corporate EV face. As you pass the front doors things change, with the Woodland getting a longer roof and a distinctively boxy rear end that makes it appear more trucklike.
The Woodland is 14 centimetres longer than the bZ with most of that length is aft of the rear wheels.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
It’s 14 centimetres longer than the bZ, but with an identical wheelbase, most of that length is aft of the rear wheels. This means there’s 173 litres of extra cargo space, or nearly 1,000 litres before folding the rear seats down. Rear passenger space is nearly the same but there is more head and shoulder room making it feel more spacious.
Because of its outdoor inspired theme, the Woodland gets unpainted front fenders, raised roof rails and One centimetre of extra ground clearance.
There’s little to differentiate the cabin of the Woodland from the bZ, though it’s slightly better equipped with standard “Softex” (faux leather) seating, dual wireless phone chargers and a 64-colour ambient lighting system.
The Woodland has standard “Softex” (faux leather) seating and a 64-colour ambient lighting system.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
The bZ Woodland comes with dual wireless phone chargers.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
There is nearly 1,000 litres of space before folding down the rear seats.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
The Woodland uses dual 167-kilowatt electric motors and produces a total of 375 horsepower, the most in Toyota’s electric lineup. The company says that enables a spring to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.4 seconds or about the same as a GR Supra.
Using the same 74.7-kilowatt-hour battery as the bZ, the Woodland can travel up to 452 kilometres on a single charge, but that figure drops to 418 if equipped with the all-terrain tires.
To charge, the bZ Woodland uses a Tesla-style NACS port and maxes out at 150 kilowatts on a DC fast charger, which Toyota says is good for 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, which seems to be a fairly standard figure these days. Better news is the ability to charge at Telsa supercharger stations across North America without needing an adapter.
The bZ has an extra centimetre of ground clearance and optional all-terrain tires, which will decrease the range.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
The Woodland is properly quick and surprisingly fun to toss around windy southern California roads. Acceleration is instant and will throw you back in your seat.
It has a laminated windshield and front windows, which keeps the cabin quiet at speed, and the ride is better damped than it is in the bZ, likely owing to the extra ground clearance.
Whether or not you opt for the optional all-terrain tires, which are a no-cost option with the Premium package, the Woodland comes standard with the “X-mode” all-wheel drive and something called “grip control”. It allows you to select a crawl speed to clear rough terrain or obstacles without having to provide any throttle or braking inputs. Think of it as a low-speed, off-road cruise control.
It worked well over a makeshift mogul course and when descending a steep sandy hill where traction was at a premium. When on, the system automatically activates hill descent control if it detects you are going downhill and maintains your speed by modulating the brakes and electric motors. It’s a rather impressive system that make leery off-road manoeuvers easy enough for anyone to tackle with no prior experience. While the Woodland is far from a Jeep Wrangler or Toyota Landcruiser, it’s quite capable for an electric crossover.
The bZ Woodland will be produced alongside the Subaru Trailseeker at Subaru’s Yajima plant in Japan and is expected to go on sale next month. Pricing starts at $59,900 and tops out at $64,900 for the premium package.
Tech specs
2026 Toyota bZ Woodland
- Base price / as-tested: $59,900 / $64,900 plus $3,400 for freight, pre-delivery inspection and dealer fees, plus tax
- Motor / battery: Dual electric motors; 375 horsepower/ 74.7 kWh battery
- Transmission / drive: Single-speed / all-wheel drive
- Range: 452 or 418 with all-terrain tires
- Curb weight: 2,065 kilograms
- Alternatives: Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Ariya, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Subaru Trailseeker
The rear seats are spacious for adults.Kunal D’souza/The Globe and Mail
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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