OJAI, Calif.—The 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland builds on the bZ lineup, including an off-road aptitude to electrical driving. It’s customary with all-wheel drive, twin motors, and 281 miles of vary. If you happen to’re acquainted with the unique bZ4X, it’s possible you’ll be wrinkling your nostril about now, however I feel this new EV from Toyota has so much going for it.
2026 Toyota bZ Woodland
Perhaps you want a bit of context. When the bZ4X first entered the scene for the 2023 mannequin 12 months, it had a humorous title and low vary. Frankly, until you have been simply on the lookout for a commuter automotive, it was exhausting to take Toyota’s first mass-produced EV critically. In 2026, nevertheless, Toyota shortened the title to bZ, and it obtained a spread enhance, which makes it a extra viable contender.
Including in some gentle off-road functionality, 6 inches of size, further cargo area, and a number of customary options, the brand new bZ Woodland is a recent tackle the “past zero” lineup. And my first impression is total favorable.
Tesla Charging
Together with most automakers within the U.S., Toyota made the swap to the North American Charging Normal (NACS aka Tesla charging). Because of this the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland can use the Tesla Supercharger community. Moreover, a CCS adapter is customary together with your buy, and this permits the bZ Woodland to make use of CCS chargers from distributors like Electrify America and ChargePoint as nicely. With a DC charging most enter of 150 kW, Toyota estimates that charging from 10 % to 80percent will take about half-hour.
Whereas the unique bZ4X solely had about 220 to 250 miles of vary, the bZ Woodland will get an estimated 281 miles of vary with the usual all-season tires. If you happen to go for all-terrain tires, vary drops all the way down to 260 miles. As a result of this was only a first-look check, I can’t converse definitively about whether or not these numbers are viable in the actual world.
On the Highway
After I slipped behind the wheel of the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland, the very first thing I seen was how comfy the seats have been. They weren’t over bolstered and had a pleasant steadiness between firmness and cushion. I additionally had glorious visibility out of the home windows, and as somebody on the brief facet of the spectrum, my driving place was phenomenal. I’ll level out that taller drivers could have an issue seeing the gauge cluster due to the steering wheel, however I talked to a number of average-height drivers who all stated it was fantastic.
On highway, the bZ Woodland was loopy quiet—even with the all-terrain tires. I examined each units of tires, and didn’t hear a noticeable distinction between the 2. And a number of that’s most likely because of the sound deadening supplies Toyota used.
And did I point out it was quick? With twin motors, the bZ Woodland has a complete system output of 375 horsepower, and it sends 198 pound-feet of torque to each entrance and rear wheels. This interprets to smile-worthy acceleration, regardless of whether or not you might be popping out of a cease or making an attempt to move on the freeway. It feels pretty nimble and simply usually comfy to drive.
Off-Highway Critical?
Sure, however. We aren’t speaking loopy off-road functionality. The 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland has a floor clearance of 8.4 inches, and it has a typical off-road X-Mode with Grip Management to assist in slippery conditions. It’ll deal with mud pretty nicely—so long as the all-terrain tires don’t get caked—and you are able to do some small off-camber passes. The place the bZ Woodland will shine is in gentle off-road conditions like attending to that good campsite or trailhead.
We had the chance to take the bZ Woodland up a mountain on a muddy dust highway after the world had acquired about 3 inches of rain. Issues had dried out a bit, and whereas issues have been nonetheless a bit slippy, the general management and grip have been strong. Plus, over the bumps and grooves, the journey was pretty easy.
Nothing’s Excellent
I’ll be sincere, there isn’t a lot I didn’t like concerning the 2027 Toyota bZ Woodland. Whereas the vary is lower than 300 miles, I do suppose 281 is a good exhibiting, and it’ll swimsuit most individuals’s life simply fantastic. I believed a number of the plasticky supplies on the console and door panels have been lower than perfect, and at a worth of about $48,000 for the car I used to be testing, I might count on some form of flaps or prongs within the rear-seat cup holders to maintain a espresso in place.
The opposite huge factor I didn’t like will solely be an issue for shorter drivers, and that’s the awkward facet opening for the arm relaxation cubby. As an alternative of a entrance latch or button, the bZ Woodland sports activities a pair of facet buttons, and the one on the driving force’s facet was obscured for me and exhausting to entry. Sure, I might use the passenger-side button, however then I’d need to lean over the console to entry what I want contained in the arm relaxation.
Lastly, this can be a heads up for tall drivers. Relying in your driving place, the steering wheel could bisect the gauge cluster, making it unseeable. Whereas I didn’t have an issue, and the variety of average-sized drivers I talked to didn’t have an issue, there was one 6-foot, 9-inch driver I talked to who stated it was an issue for him.
Costs and Trim Ranges
The 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland is nicely geared up and can solely are available two trim ranges base and Premium. As an “off-road” mannequin, options like all-wheel drive, roof rails, and X-Mode are customary, and all-terrain tires can be found as a zero-cost choice.
Base ($46,750): This mannequin comes customary with 18-inch wheels, twin wi-fi telephone chargers, a 14-inch infotainment display screen, leatherette seats, heated entrance and rear seats, heated steering wheel, 4 USB-C ports, dual-zone local weather controls, the power to make use of your telephone as a key, 8-way energy adjustable entrance seats, a NACS to CCS adapter, and energy raise gate.
Premium ($48,850): This trim provides ventilated entrance seats, a rear digicam mirror, driver’s seat reminiscence operate, a 9-speaker JBL audio system, and a panoramic mounted glass roof.
CG Says:
The 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland is a enjoyable and succesful EV with loads of vary for most individuals. It’s comfy, quiet, and fast. Plus, it has loads of customary facilities that assist steadiness out the worth tag. If you happen to take a look at the Restricted trim bZ, it prices the identical as the bottom bZ Woodland. In case you missed it, we loved our transient time with the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland, and we are able to’t wait to spend extra time with it.
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