is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
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For years, Toyota was criticized for sitting on the sidelines while the EV revolution swept through the auto industry. Instead of riding the wave, the Japanese auto giant doubled down on hybrids, while rolling out only one pure EV for the US market, the poorly reviewed bZ4X. But as sales growth slowed and governments started eliminating their EV incentives, Toyota’s caution was retroactively seen as strategic. Now, as other automakers pull back, Toyota is finally getting off the sidelines.
Last week, the Japanese auto giant announced the new Highlander, a three-row SUV with over 300 miles of range, vehicle-to-load capabilities, and some real “Made in America” bona fides. Today, it’s again trotting out the bZ Woodland, a compact SUV with plenty of outdoor flair, with a full spec sheet to go along with the first drive impressions.
The bZ Woodland is the off-road version of the bZ compact SUV (previously called bZ4X), which for years was Toyota’s sole electric offering in the US. But the automaker would like you to think of it more as a full reimagining of the bZ than a simple trim level change. While it shares some DNA with the standard bZ, the Woodland adds nearly six inches of length and an extra inch of height in the rear, with a total of 74.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded. That’s significantly more than the standard bZ’s 67.1 cubic feet.
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