2026 Toyota bZ Woodland: Stamford Buyers Guide
Quick Answer: The 2026 bZ Woodland
The entry grade of Toyota's off-road-leaning electric SUV starts at $45,300 MSRP (plus $1,450 destination) and comes standard with dual-motor AWD, 375 combined horsepower, X-Mode and Grip Mode traction control, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and an EPA-rated 281-mile range. There is no cheaper, front-drive version of the Woodland — this is the floor, and it's already fully equipped for a Connecticut winter.
What's actually standard
Toyota didn't strip the base Woodland down to compete on price alone. Navigation, a power liftgate, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and start, an 8-way power driver's seat with lumbar support, and a power front passenger seat are all standard, along with a 14-inch touchscreen and a 7-inch digital instrument cluster mounted a little higher on the dash than the regular bZ's to keep it out of the steering wheel's way. The cabin uses SofTex faux leather with all-weather floor mats and a cargo floor cover already in place — sensible defaults for anyone who's going to be tracking road salt through the door for four months a year. Outside, 18x7.5-inch painted aluminum wheels sit inside the matte-black cladding, and the whole package rides on 8.4 inches of ground clearance, noticeably taller than the standard bZ.
The mechanical story is the same across both Woodland grades: two motors producing 375 hp and 396 lb-ft combined, a single-speed direct-drive transmission (there's no traditional gearbox to shift), and standard all-wheel drive with no front-drive option to accidentally order. Toyota rates 0-60 mph at 4.4 seconds and a 103-mph top speed — quick enough that the extra ground clearance and off-road hardware don't come at the cost of feeling slow around town.
X-Mode and Grip Mode, explained plainly
These aren't marketing badges. X-Mode manages torque split between the front and rear axles and applies brake pressure to individual wheels that are losing traction, the same basic concept Subaru (the bZ Woodland's platform partner) has used for years. Grip Mode goes further at low speed, adjusting motor torque up to a thousand times per second to keep the tires biting on loose or uneven surfaces — think a gravel boat-launch ramp on the Norwalk River, a snow-covered driveway after a Nor'easter, or the muddy shoulder of a Merritt Parkway rest area in March. None of it is aimed at rock crawling; it's aimed at the kind of light off-pavement situations a Fairfield County driver actually runs into, and it comes standard, not as a box to check.
The tire decision that changes your range
The Woodland ships on a 235/60R18 all-season tire that returns the EPA's headline 281-mile range and 117 combined MPGe. An all-terrain 235/65R18 tire is available for buyers who want more aggressive tread for dirt or snow-packed roads, but Toyota's own EPA testing shows the tradeoff clearly: range drops to 260 miles and combined efficiency to 109 MPGe. Neither number is a guess — both are separately certified EPA configurations, not a marketing footnote — so the honest advice for most Stamford commuters who see pavement 95% of the time is to stick with the standard all-season tire and bank the extra 21 miles.
Cargo room for a family or a work trip
Behind the second row, the Woodland holds 33.8 cubic feet, expanding to somewhere in the neighborhood of 74 cubic feet with the seats folded (published figures vary slightly by source depending on audio configuration, so treat that folded number as an estimate rather than a spec-sheet promise). Paired with the 3,500-pound tow rating, that's enough for a small utility trailer, a couple of kayaks on a hitch rack, or a Costco run without playing seat-folding Tetris.
Colors on the lot
Seven exterior colors are offered across the Woodland lineup: Stepping Stone, Raven, Halo, Pavement, Steel, Trueno Blue, and Premium Bronze. Availability at any given moment depends on what Toyota of Stamford has on the ground or incoming — the new inventory page is the fastest way to check what's actually on East Main Street this week.
Who the base Woodland is for
If the appeal of the Woodland is the AWD, the ground clearance, and the tow rating — not the panoramic roof or JBL speakers — the base grade delivers all of the mechanical story at $2,100 less than Premium before destination. It's the pick for a buyer who wants an EV that can handle a Connecticut winter and hitch up a small trailer without paying for creature comforts they won't use.
Frequently asked questions
Does the base bZ Woodland come with all-wheel drive?
Yes — every Woodland, base or Premium, is dual-motor AWD standard. There's no front-drive version, unlike the regular bZ XLE.
What's the real-world difference between base and Premium?
Audio (6-speaker vs. 9-speaker JBL), roof (none standard vs. panoramic glass with power sunshade), seat cooling and radiant foot heat, a digital rearview mirror, and driver memory settings. The powertrain, off-road hardware, and tow rating are identical.
Can I get the all-terrain tire on the base Woodland?
Yes, it's available on both grades, though it reduces EPA range from 281 to 260 miles.
See it in person
The base bZ Woodland is on the floor at Toyota of Stamford, off I-95 on East Main Street. Compare it side-by-side with the Premium grade before deciding which features are worth the extra cost.
MSRP excludes the $1,450 destination charge plus taxes, title, registration, and dealer-installed options. EPA range and MPGe are official ratings for the configuration noted; real-world results vary with weather, driving style, and cargo load. Cargo volume with seats folded is an approximate figure pending final published spec confirmation. Equipment and availability can shift with production timing — confirm current specs with Toyota of Stamford.
