The 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland is the latest entry in that increasingly bizarre automotive genre where manufacturers take a station wagon, jack it up, cover it in black plastic, and then insist it’s ready to conquer the wilderness. And then there’s the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, which appears to have attended exactly the same meeting, eaten exactly the same cookies, and come away with exactly the same idea. So, what actually separates these two electric, slightly muddy-looking wagony things?
At first glance, the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker and Toyota bZ Woodland appear to have been designed by the same committee, on the same afternoon, using the same PowerPoint presentation. But there are differences.
What’s the difference?
The Toyota goes for the cleaner look, particularly at the back, where the wide horizontal design makes it look rather sleek. Subaru, meanwhile, has gone down the traditional “I regularly cross deserts” route, adding contrasting black plastic around the wheel arches, bumper hooks and an illuminated six-star logo at the front. Because apparently nothing says “electric family crossover” quite like glowing wildlife.
Then there are the tires.
The Toyota Woodland comes with actual all-terrain tires from the factory, which is useful if your idea of off-roading involves something more challenging than the occasional badly maintained Costco parking lot. The downside is that all that chunky rubber knocks the Toyota’s driving range down to around 260 miles from 275.
It’s wearing these 18-inch wheels with Dunlop Grandtrek 235/65 tires. The Subaru sensibly comes with all-season tires.
The Trailseeker does have one rather clever advantage, though: Steering. It gets a flat-topped steering wheel, partly so you can actually see the instruments, and it has a 36.7-foot turning circle. The Toyota needs about 40 feet. That might not sound like much, but on a narrow trail, it means the Subaru can turn around without requiring the sort of 17-point manoeuvre normally associated with a delivery truck in Venice.
Ground clearance is almost laughably close. The Subaru has 8.5 inches, while the Toyota manages 8.4. So, yes, Subaru can claim victory here, assuming you’re the sort of person who celebrates winning a race by the thickness of a credit card.
Driving
Out on the road, the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland is surprisingly likeable. It doesn’t pretend to be a rally car that’s having some sort of midlife crisis. It’s simply easy. The steering is light, accurate and blessedly free of the sort of artificial heaviness manufacturers seem to think makes a car sporty. The suspension is soft enough to deal with battered roads without turning the cabin into a washing machine, while the enormous battery lurking underneath keeps the centre of gravity reassuringly low. Through corners, the bZ Woodland is… competent. And by “competent,” I mean you’ll have forgotten about the corner before you’ve reached the next Starbucks.
It rides beautifully, the cabin is almost eerily quiet, and the general level of refinement is genuinely impressive. Is it sporty? Absolutely not. It corners with all the enthusiasm of a Labrador that has just discovered the sofa is warm. But then the weather changes. The heavens open, the road becomes a shiny, slippery ribbon of misery, and suddenly the bZ Woodland starts making sense. Its all-wheel-drive system simply gets on with the job. No drama. No frantic wheelspin. No sense that you’ve accidentally wandered into a rally stage with a supermarket trolley. It just grips and goes.
And that, really, is the point. The bZ Woodland doesn’t make your heart beat faster. It makes you wonder why driving through biblical rain has suddenly become so ridiculously easy. Then there’s the off-road stuff.
Because Toyota has decided that an electric family crossover should apparently be capable of wandering away from the tarmac and into places normally occupied by Jeeps, Subarus and men called Brad who own far too many recovery straps. With its increased ground clearance, all-wheel drive and electronic traction systems, the bZ Woodland is remarkably capable once the road runs out. The electric motors can deliver torque with the sort of instant precision that makes a conventional differential look like it’s operating with a fax machine. It crawls over ruts, gravel and mud with an almost irritating lack of fuss. No drama. No wheelspin. No heroic shouting from the driver. Just forward motion. Which is rather impressive when you consider that underneath all the rugged-looking plastic cladding is essentially a very large battery wearing hiking boots.
Interior
Inside, the two are remarkably similar, because both get a 14-inch central touchscreen. Toyota tries harder to make the cabin feel upmarket, with standard SofTex seating in Stone Brown and black. Subaru, meanwhile, goes for the more functional approach, with metallic accents and the general impression that someone has actually thought about what you’re going to do with the thing. The Woodland comes with a surprisingly generous amount of equipment, which is Toyota’s way of saying, “We know you’re going to spend most of your time sitting in traffic, so here are some things to keep you comfortable.”
You get dual wireless charging pads, heated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel, heated power-folding mirrors, dual-zone climate control and eight-way power-adjustable front seats. In my tester’s Premium trim, Toyota throws in ventilated front seats, a digital rear-view mirror, a panoramic glass roof and a JBL nine-speaker stereo.
Towing
And then there’s towing. Toyota offers a tow package for $1,268. Subaru doesn’t. Which is rather odd. You have built an electric crossover specifically designed to look like it spends its weekends climbing mountains, and then you tell people it can’t tow the thing they bought to take into the mountains. Luckily there’s an aftermarket.
Rear Seat
And then there’s the back. There’s plenty of legroom, while the more wagon-like roof gives passengers an extra 1.3 inches of headroom compared with the standard bZ. This is particularly useful if you’re tall, although Toyota has managed to offset the benefit by fitting a rear seat cushion that is rather flat and low. The result is that taller passengers sit with their knees slightly higher than you might expect, which is fine if you’re a child. Or a medieval peasant.
Cargo Space
Fortunately, the Woodland makes up for it with plenty of trunk space. The extra length gives you 34 cubic feet behind the rear seats—six more than the standard bZ. Fold those seats down and you get a frankly enormous 74 cubic feet. That’s a lot of room. Enough, in fact, for camping equipment, bicycles, several suitcases, or approximately 14 metric tons of things you will buy at Costco because you suddenly have somewhere to put them. So while the Woodland may look like an electric SUV pretending to be a rugged off-roader, inside it is actually doing something rather sensible: it’s behaving like a very large, comfortable station wagon. And frankly, that may be the best thing about it.
Price
But perhaps the biggest difference is the price. The Trailseeker starts at roughly $39,995, while the bZ Woodland starts around $45,300. Toyota has simply skipped the cheaper entry-level trim, presumably because someone in accounting decided that Americans buying electric SUVs obviously have too much money. Compare the higher-spec Toyota Premium with the Subaru Touring, however, and the difference shrinks to around $1,000.
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Verdict
So, the Toyota is the sleeker, slightly more luxurious-looking option, with factory all-terrain tires and a towing option. The Subaru is cheaper, turns more tightly, has marginally more ground clearance, and looks as though it’s considerably more offended by the existence of pavement. And that, really, is the difference. They’re essentially two electric wagons wearing hiking boots. The question is: which one has bought the better pair? I’d take the Subaru and buy myself some all-terrain tires.
2026 Toyota BZ Woodland Numbers
BASE PRICE: $47,400
PRICE AS TESTED: $49,398
VEHICLE LAYOUT: 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
DRIVETRAIN: Synchronous electric motor with integrated transaxle at front and rear
COMBINED POWER: 375 hp
TRANSMISSION: F/R: direct-drive
0-60 MPH: 3.9 seconds
BATTERY PACK: Liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 74.7 kWh
PEAK CHARGE RATE: 150 kW
RANGE: 260 miles
CURB WEIGHT: 4,510 lb
CARGO SPACE: 31.3 ft³, 74 ft³ with seat area
PROS: Seriously quick, decent range, good off-road
CONS: Range takes a hit with all-terrain tires
2026 Toyota BZ Woodland Review
