Toyota offers an off-roady version of its bZ electric compact crossover called the Woodland. Woodland gets standard awd, 375 hp, up to 280 miles of range, and 0-60 in 4.4.Prices start at $46,750 including destination.The old name, the bZ4X, seemed more like one of those strong passwords Google suggests, so Toyota shortened its compact crossover EV to simply bZ for the 2026 model year. With this new bZ Woodland, Toyota also stretched the ute by six inches in length and added one inch of height, increasing both rear seat-, head-, and legroom as well as cargo space. Toyota says the extra dimensions give it a bit more space than its bZ sibling, with 74.9 cubic feet of storage when the second-row seats are folded flat, versus the bZ model’s 67.1 cubic feet.Toyota also added standard roof rails and what it calls “rugged-looking overfenders” (i.e., black plastic cladding), as well as tougher A/T all-terrain tires as a no-cost-option so your tires won’t pop as easily off-road and your skeletal remains are less likely to be found by the Park Service when they do road grading in the spring.The bZ Woodland comes with standard all-wheel drive featuring electric motors in both front and rear eAxles. Total combined system output is 375 hp, which will get you to 60 mph from zero in a surprisingly quick-for-the class 4.4 seconds. That’s the joy of 100% torque at launch.2026 Toyota bZ WoodlandThus equipped it’ll go 260 miles on a charge if you get the A/T tires, and 281 miles if you get the standard M+S treads. That’s from a 74.7-kWh (67-kWh useable) lithium-ion battery pack you can recharge via any NACS port from 10% to 80% in just 30 minutes thanks to standard pre-charging of the battery pack, a process that brings the pack up to optimal temps for quicker recharges. You just need to sign up and pay for Drive Connect.Yes, yes, you say, enough of your banal yapping, did you drive it? Yes I did, on a nicely graded dirt road that wound up what turned out to be the former ranch of Hollywood heartthrob Paul Walker, the handsome guy from the first five or so Fast & Furious movies. Walker, or his real estate agent, had excellent taste. The ranch road wound up a ridge for about 10 miles in the hills between Ojai and Santa Barbara, California. The road was in such great shape that we never really had to use the Woodland’s standard 8.4 inches of ground clearance nor the resident X-MODE with Grip Control that also comes standard. But I drove and then rode in both the front and rear seats and felt completely comfortable the whole time. I also tried out the dual Qi-capable phone chargers and one of the four USB-C ports, as well as the heated front and rear seats. We navigated using Apple Car Play and that worked just fine, too, displayed on a fancy 14-inch touchscreen. Woodland on Walker’s Ranch.The bZ BEV was co-developed with Subaru, just like the 86/BRZ. It’s a prodigious partnership. In this case, Subaru sells the identical Solterra as its own version of the bZ. The bZ starts at $46,750 including destination, $5300 more than the Subaru Trailseeker. 2026 Toyota bZ WoodlandOffering something like a more-profitable Woodland model makes sense. Almost all competitors are doing the same thing, with various off-roady names for their new trim levels. The sales goal for the Woodland is a modest six percent of total sales, or around 1,000 or so Woodlands. You could also just buy the base bZ without the extra six inches of length and the fancy black plastic cladding for a starting price of $36,350. Then go to Tire Rack and get some A/T or even meatier M/T tires for it. Follow me for more recipes and advice.
