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Electric Redux
When most of the auto industry zigged in the direction of rapid EV adoption, Toyota zagged, choosing instead to lean hard into expanding their hybrid offerings. The early returns are in and Toyota’s bet on hybrids is looking almost clairvoyant. The rate of EV adoption has slowed considerably as car buyers seek a middle ground that best balances efficiency and convenience.
Even as their hybrids, like the Camry, Sienna, and Prius, have taken off, Toyota wasn’t abandoning fully electric powertrains. The bZ4X electric crossover was their first concerted effort at a mainstream EV, built in partnership with Subaru and badge swapped with the Subaru Solterra EV. That effort appears to have been more focused on meeting fleet emissions regulations rather than creating a competitive EV. The bZ4X, with limited range, a lackluster rollout, and a cumbersome name, hasn’t exactly set the EV world ablaze.
Toyota looks to give the bZ (beyond zero) a hard reset for the incoming 2026 model year. First, the name has been simplified to just bZ (good) and range has been extended with the addition of a new, larger 74.7-kWh battery (very good). Even better, Toyota is adding a new outdoorsy trim, the bZ Woodland (great!).
bZ Woodland Adventure EV
The bZ Woodland will be Toyota’s equivalent of the newly announced Subaru Trailseeker EV, a more rugged version of the bZ/Solterra. The bZ Woodland will feature standard all-wheel drive powered by a pair of electric motors putting out a collective 315 horsepower. The new larger bZ battery is officially 74.7-kWh (though usable storage comes to about 67-kWh) and should allow for up to 260 miles of range. The bZ Woodland will utilize a NACS (North American Charging Standard) port, meaning you’ll be able to charge it at Tesla’s DC-fast chargers. Toyota says the bZ’s new battery pack should be able to go from a 10 percent to an 80 percent charge in roughly 30 minutes.
Since the purpose of the Woodland trim is to outdoors-ify the bZ, Toyota has jacked up the ground clearance to 8.7 inches, added 18-inch wheels clad in all-terrain tires, and made roof rails a standard feature. Looks for the bZ Woodland adopt Toyota’s current design language, typified by their “hammerhead” front end. Modern amenities will include heated and ventilated front seats, a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless phone charging, and more.
The current Toyota bZ4x is priced between $35,000 and $42,000. We’d expect a decked out bZ Woodland to set a new highwater mark for the model, somewhere approaching $50,000.
C-HR Returns in EV Form
Last month we wrote about the electric vehicles Toyota has slated for release across the globe in places that are not the US. One of those was the new C-HR+, a fully electrified version of the now discontinued C-HR subcompact crossover. Now it turns out, Toyota will be bringing that vehicle to the US, minus the plus ….
The new/returning C-HR rides the same e-TNGA architecture as the bZ and will come with the same 74.7-kWh battery pack and two electric motors. Power is nominally higher at 338 horsepower and the smaller C-HR should get slightly better range that Toyota estimates at 290 miles on a single charge. Zero to sixty is zippy at just under five seconds. Styling falls in line with the bZ. The 25.4 cu.-ft. of cargo capacity is a little over 50 percent greater than the old C-HR but could have been even bigger with the “coupe” slope to the roof and rear window.
The subcompact all-electric Toyota C-HR is expected to debut in 2026 and be priced below the bZ at somewhere around $35,000.
