LAC BEAUPORT, QUE. — Toyota has had a penchant lately for building oddly interesting cars. If you'd told the 18-year-old version of me, learning to drive behind the wheel of a 2005 Corolla, that Toyota would be building not one, but two rear-wheel-drive sports cars — and not one, but two jacked-up all-wheel-drive wagons — all at the same time, I'd have thought you're off your rocker. Or that you're a Time Lord.
Also, come on, you know the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland is a wagon. You can't give me gravy and tell me it's jelly, because gravy ain't sweet.
bZ Who-land?
The Toyota bZ receives a very comprehensive refresh for 2026. That includes more powerful and more efficient electric motors, larger-capacity battery packs for more range, and style tweaks that almost make the bZ look good.
Another layer to those updates is Toyota using the 2026 bZ as a basis for expanding its EV lineup. This juicy new addition in particular is called the bZ Woodland — and if you're tempted to call it an electric Outback with a Toyota badge, know that there's a Subaru version, too.
The Woodland is identical to the standard bZ from the B-pillar forwards, but with unpainted body cladding instead of gloss black or colour-keyed panels, because that's supposedly more rugged. But from the B-pillar back, the bZ Woodland is a wagon no matter how you slice it, and also more spacious. It's 140 millimetres longer than the non-wagony bZ, and can swallow up to 2,120 litres of cargo with the seats down, compared to 1,900 for the standard bZ.
What's underneath?
The Woodland uses the same platform as the bZ and the larger 77 kWh battery pack, but Toyota fitted a more powerful electric motor to the rear axle. This gives the bZ Woodland 375 horsepower and a zero-to-100 km/h run in about 4.4 seconds, but also range is pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. Toyota rates it at 452 kilometres with all-season tires, and 418 km if you want those sweet-looking Dunlop Grantrek all-terrain tires.
The extra length to the bZ Woodland obviously helps with cargo space, but also lends to more sure-footedness and, ahem, higher cornering limits over the standard bZ. The Prius-derived, small-diameter steering wheel tricks you into thinking the Woodland is more nimble than it is. But it's a fun trick, and to Toyota's credit, the Woodland's steering is pretty sharp.
Toyota is keen to point out the bZ Wodland sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds — or about as quickly as a manual Supra. We didn't specifically set out to verify Toyota's claims, but the Woodland felt hilariously punchy — far more hilarious than it has any right to be.
We'll have a better idea of real-world range and charging when we sample the bZ Woodland at home later this summer. To that end, Toyota equips the Woodland with a NACS port for fast-charging at Tesla Superchargers. Here, Toyota estimates a 10-to-80 per cent charge in about half an hour. On a more common Level 2 charger you'd have at home or the office, expect a 10-to-100 per cent charge between six and seven hours. All in a day's work and/or a good night's sleep.
What's the bZ Woodland like inside?
The Woodland's cockpit is identical to the standard bZ, down to the touchscreen, somewhat awkward push-to-twist shifter, and the begrudgingly convenient dual-wireless-charger centre console. Being the "outdoorsy" one, Toyota is offering more "earthy" colourways, such as this Stone Brown paint over a Stepping Stone faux-leather interior. It's all very fetching and well-built, if not as airy-feeling as other similarly priced EVs.
Final thoughts
One can't help but wonder about the eventual fate of the Crown Signia, now that the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland is here. Nevertheless, they're both two different tools for two different jobs — and if that job is getting muddy in the relative silence of an EV, well, that's what the body cladding is for. The bZ Woodland is an intriguing entry to Toyota's newly expanded bZ battery-electric lineup, even if it did take forever-and-a-day to arrive.