The bZ Woodland EV SUV Brings Power and Cargo Space to Toyota’s EV Lineup

While offering more hybrid models than anyone else by far, Toyota only had one EV on the market until recently. Now it has three. They are variations of the bZ (formerly bZ4X) theme with the same basic platform, battery pack, and front-end styling. The largest and most rugged of the three is the bZ Woodland, featuring a long, low wagon-like profile and surprisingly strong performance. Valley Hi Toyota provides the details.  

When applied to the RAV4 and Sienna, the Woodland moniker has indicated the most off-road-capable trim level in the lineup. The bZ Woodland goes a step further with a body that is six inches longer than the bZ and a long roof that extends to the rear, for a wagon-like shape that, when combined with the hammerhead front styling, looks like a smaller Crown Signia. 

The bZ Woodland features standard all-wheel drive with one motor in the front and another in the rear. Developed in partnership with Subaru, this model features the effective X-Mode system for off-pavement driving, with Grip Control as a low-speed off-road cruise control.   

The two motors produce 375 horsepower and just under 400 lb-ft of torque; surprisingly ample for a vehicle of this size. Under the cabin, it has the same 74.7-kWh battery pack as the bZ and C-HR. With all-season tires, the bZ Woodland gets a range of 281 miles, or 260 miles with the available Dunlop Grandtrek all-terrain tires. Like the bZ and C-HR, it features a NACS charge port compatible with the Tesla Supercharger network. A NACS-to-CCS converter allows the use of other public chargers. With Level 1 public charging, it can charge up to 150 kW, going from 10% to 80% in about 28 minutes.  

Inside, the bZ Woodland features an above-the-rim 9-inch digital driver display that effectively doubles as a head-up display. A large 14-inch center screen anchors the dash and offers wireless phone mirroring. Below, knobs allow for easy temperature adjustments, bypassing the screen. On the center console, even the base model has dual phone charging pads, and the simple “transmission” control knob keeps the space between the driver and the front passenger open. The rear seat provides the same 35.3 inches of rear legroom as the bZ, but the real difference is behind the seats.  

The bZ Woodland, with an extra 6 inches of length and a squared-off roofline, makes good use of this space with 33.3 to 33.8 inches of cargo space behind the rear seats (depending on the sunroof). That’s about 22% more space than the bZ. Folding the seats down offers 71.8 to 74.3 inches of cargo space, which is considerably more than the bZ, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, the Ford Mach-E, and the Honda Prologue, to name a few. As thedrive.com states, “If you wanna carry stuff, this is the one to get.” 

The sleek dash is stylish and offers plenty of room for leg movement, but it comes at the expense of missing a glove box. It does, however, come with many standard features, including dual-zone automatic climate control, an 8-way power-adjustable front seat, SofTex-trimmed seats, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, outboard rear seats, Digital Key capability, roof rails, and, of course, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. 

Motor Trend points out, “With 375 hp on tap, acceleration is no longer a weak point, and the ride remains comfortably tuned for real-world use. X-Mode and a sizable cargo advantage give it credible soft-road capability.” Toyota’s estimated 0-60 time is 4.4 seconds, which was supercar territory not that long ago. When it comes to stopping, brake regeneration begins, and paddle shifters can control the aggressiveness. Like its other EVs, Toyota doesn’t enable full one-pedal driving because it wants the car to stop through driver action rather than inaction.  

For a family EV that can confidently take you off-road when needed, the bZ Woodland checks many boxes. If you’ve been skeptical about EVs so far, you’ll want to check this one out. If you live near Victorville, CA, we recommend you do just that by visiting Valley Hi Toyota. The first models should be in our inventory soon.