Toyota Goes Rogue (And Rugged) With Its Latest Electric Adventure
Toyota's been treating the EV game like a chore—slow, reluctant, and a little grumpy, like a teen dodging trash duty. But something's shifted.
With the all-electric 2026 bZ Woodland, they're not just showing up—they're strapping on the hiking boots and heading off-road with surprising swagger. Turns out, when Toyota finally gets moving, they know exactly how to do electric adventure right.
Yep, it's electric. Yep, it's an SUV. And for once, Toyota didn't play it safe—they gave the bZ Woodland 375 horses, standard all-wheel drive, and torque that might make the Subaru Trailseeker question its purpose.
This thing doesn't just plug in—it shows up, takes off, and tows 3,500 pounds of whatever you're brave enough to drag through the wilderness. All without spilling your oat milk latte.
You'll get about 260 miles of range if conditions are just right. No, it won't rival a Rivian in a coast-to-coast clout chase—but it'll get you from L.A. to Big Bear without begging for volts behind a roadside diner.
And yes, it's finally joined the cool crowd with a NACS port. That means charging at Tesla stations—30 minutes and you're good, assuming the universe is feeling generous.
Now, let's talk vibes. The bZ Woodland looks like the bZ4X went full REI, hit the trails, and came back calling everyone 'dude.'
It's longer, a bit taller, and wears black overfenders like a badge of honor. With over 30 cubic feet of cargo space, you've got room for a tent, your dog, and whatever social media says counts as an 'authentic outdoor experience' this week.
Inside, it's classic Toyota—no gimmicks, no nonsense, just clean, comfy functionality. It feels familiar in the best way.
You've got heated SofTex seats, a massive 14-inch touchscreen, and ambient lighting that turns your night drives into low-key synthwave concerts. Go for the Premium Package, and things get extra: JBL sound, a glass roof, ventilated seats, and front radiant heaters—basically moon-base luxury, minus the spacesuit.
Yeah, Toyota showed up late to the EV party. But they rolled in with a bottle of bourbon, a Bluetooth speaker, and some surprisingly solid trail cred.
The bZ Woodland isn't some EV revolution—but it is a sign that Toyota's finally leaning in. It's built to be driven, not just displayed: practical, punchy, and totally down for a dusty detour.
Source: Toyota, HotCars
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift got what she wanted. So what do 'Taylor's Versions' mean now?
I have been to some very loud concerts. Nothing compares to what I witnessed at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2023, when I attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. 'Here we are on the last night of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, in the eighth month of the year on the ninth day of the month,' Swift told the 70,000-plus people in the audience near the end of the 3½-hour show. '... There's something that I've been planning for a really, really, really, ridiculously, embarrassingly long time. And I think instead of just telling you about it, I think I'll just sort of show you.' The screaming during Swift's speech — her emphasis on the numbers eight and nine could only mean one thing — was just a warmup for the deafening roar when the enormous screen behind her transformed into the cover art for '1989 (Taylor's Version).' The surprise reveal of Swift's fourth rerecorded album, an effort she started in 2019 after her devastation that her master recordings of her first six albums were sold to music manager Scooter Braun, sent the crowd into such a frenzy that my ears still hurt when I think about it. That was the last rerecording announcement that Swift made until Friday morning, when the superstar dropped the bombshell that after the years-long battle, she finally was able to buy back her masters and now owns her entire music catalogue. The purchase, which Swift called her 'greatest dream come true,' immediately made global headlines, from every corner of social media to midday cable news. ('Now it's all going to be Taylor's version,' said CNBC reporter Bertha Coombs, to which anchor Kelly Evans replied, 'All is well with the world.') The most ecstatic people were in her fandom, the famously loyal Swifties who ensured that all of the 'Taylor's Version' albums ('Fearless' and 'Red' in 2021, 'Speak Now' and '1989' in 2023) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Swift embarked on this project to gain control of her music and as a way to devalue her original recordings so they wouldn't be worth as much to Braun, who Swift claimed bullied her for years. (In 2020, he sold her masters to private equity firm Shamrock Capital.) Until Friday, the most die-hard fans called those songs the 'stolen versions' and refused to listen to them, even if they preferred the originals to the updated tracks. Swift's announcement, however, also prompted some criticism on social media and beyond from people who looked back on the 'Taylor's Version' endeavor and called it a 'scam,' or mocked fans who spent money on the rerecords when Swift — whose net worth reached a reported $1.6 billion last year — turned around and bought back the masters anyway. Swift's statement implied that she won't be releasing the highly anticipated 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' and that there's no timeline for her rerecorded self-titled debut album. There's no doubt that Swifties have had an extreme reaction to this project: the internet-consuming countdown to every rerelease day; the intense speculation about when Swift was dropping 'Rep TV,' including the widespread theory that she would reveal the date at last week's American Music Awards (nope); the literal tears of joy after Friday's announcement. But as I thought about it, I went back to that eardrum-piercing night in Los Angeles and what Swift said during her speech before she revealed the album, as she talked about how she was 'pleasantly surprised' by how much fans had supported her rerecording quest. 'That was something that I expected to be just a 'me' thing, just a personal thing,' Swift said. '... The way that you have embraced that, the way that you have celebrated that — you really decided that it was your fight too, and that you were 100 percent behind me. And if I cared about it, you cared about it. I will never stop thanking you for that.' Setting aside the idea that Swift could actually be surprised that her listeners cared about her actions (in 2014, iTunes Canada accidentally uploaded eight seconds of static labeled as a Taylor Swift song and it immediately rocketed to No. 1), her speech got to the core of why Swifties connected so deeply to the rerecords. The foundation of Swift's legacy as a once-in-a-generation pop star is the inimitable relationship she has with her fan base, building on the personal nature of her music that has enthralled listeners for nearly 20 years. Swift's back-and-forth with her fans dates back to her country music days as a teenager in Nashville, when she spent hours chatting on MySpace and stayed at venues until every autograph was signed. She bought listeners Christmas presents and showed up at their houses and left comments on their Instagram photos, and she jumped out of the car to meet them if she saw them wearing one of her tour T-shirts on the street. Swift has never charged for meet-and-greets at her concerts. She hosted backstage after-parties and had 'secret sessions' for early album previews at her home. She referred to her fans as friends, and emphasized that they are all equally important participants in her musical journey. But as Swift has become a global celebrity, the relationship with her fans had to change. Her fan base has grown at an astonishing and unmanageable rate, and for both logistical and safety reasons, Swift hasn't hosted meet-and-greets since 2018. Although she posts the occasional reaction on TikTok, she's rarely active on social media. When I interview Swifties, they often say that they understand why she had to pull back on letting everyday people into her life, but that they still wish they could talk to Taylor like they did in the old days. In a way, the rerecords allowed the less accessible Swift to communicate with her fans once again. She incentivized the purchase by including 'from the vault' songs that she left off the albums the first time, which provided new details for the Swifties who meticulously track her life story, and shed insight into how she thought about her career and legacy. On the rerecorded 'Fearless,' she paid homage to her country music roots as she tapped Keith Urban and Maren Morris to sing with her on two vault tracks. The new 'Red' included the 10-minute version of 'All Too Well,' with unreleased lyrics that fans had been clamoring for for almost a decade. With the 'Speak Now' rerelease looming, she assured one concert crowd that she didn't need anyone defending her online — presumably a preventative measure for people to leave John Mayer alone about 'Dear John,' the album's scathing ballad. The updated '1989' included vault songs with even more vulnerable lyrics about a breakup. All of her actions surrounding the rereleases, including the letters she included with each album that explained her choices in making the record, proved the most important thing for Swifties: that she was still listening to them. A few years ago, I wrote about how the hunt for hints and Easter eggs in Swift's work (something she has always encouraged) had exploded over time. One fan told me, 'She's aware of the game, so if we play the game, it feels like we're all doing something together.' That sums up why the practice only increased through the rerecords. During the Los Angeles announcement, for example, people in the stadium also lost their minds when Swift appeared onstage in a blue costume. Because '1989' is associated with the color blue, they (correctly) assumed a 'Taylor's Version' announcement was coming that night. This doesn't make sense to anyone outside the fan base, but that's the point. In her letter about her masters on Friday, Swift noted that the success of the Eras Tour (which grossed more than $2 billion) allowed her to make this purchase — but so did the support from her fans. And that underscores what Swift has told them all along and what the Swifties believe: that Taylor and the fans always have been, and always will be, in this together.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Tacos El Ultimo Baile to close Oakland shop, move to San Francisco's Ikea food hall
After originating in Oakland and spending a decade in the city, Tacos El Ultimo Baile is closing up shop and moving across the bridge to San Francisco. "It seems like it's a little brighter on that side," said owner Dominic Prado Prado says his taco business has taken different forms over the years: a popup, a food truck, and most recently, a restaurant at Fruitvale Public Market. The restaurant opened in October of 2022, but less than two years later, in July of 2024, it was forced to close. "People are not out as much as they used to be," said Prado about the current state of the Fruitvale District."People are not out here at all." He said there's very little foot traffic, and he believes people don't feel safe there. That inspired him to run for Oakland City Council last November, he called out elected officials and police over safety issues in the area. He ultimately lost to Noel Gallo. Now he's keeping his business afloat with catering jobs and he's trying to sell the Fruitvale location. "What I've seen here is a lack of investment, a lack of attention," said Prado. "A lack of respect for the people who live here and work day to day." He also felt a lack of support from The Unity Council, the non-profit corporation that owns and oversees the public market. He was vocal about it. "I think I spoke up when no one else wanted to about the situation here and I'll continue to do what I can, but I didn't make the change I wanted to see," explained Prado. "If you take a stroll through international, you'll see some of the conditions there and that's what's been the hardest part." So he's taking his northern Mexican-style wood-fired tacos to San Francisco. At the end of the month, he'll be moving into a location at Saluhall, the Ikea food hall on Market Street. "Saluhall has been welcoming, they're eager, they're excited," said Prado. "The PR team that they have is going to work wonders for my brand. Oakland is a tough place right now. It's not welcoming. There's not a lot of support for small businesses." Prado said he's impressed by the investment he's seeing from the new San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. Prado thinks he's incentivizing small businesses and cleaning up the area around Market Street. "We live in major cities and there's always going to be some kind of element, but I think what they're doing downtown in San Francisco at Market is actually really promising," said Prado. Prado's agreement is for a four-month trial, with an option to extend if the business is successful. We reached out to The Unity Council for comment, but they did not respond at the time of this report.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
‘Keep on Buying,' Says Morgan Stanley About Tesla Stock
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock is back in focus as Elon Musk shifts gears, stepping away from political headlines and returning his attention to the company that made him a household name. Confident Investing Starts Here: The move was no doubt greeted enthusiastically by Tesla investors, who have grown frustrated with Musk's high-profile distractions since becoming Trump's 'first buddy.' But beyond the optics, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, a longtime Tesla bull, believes there's more at stake, pointing to broader strategic implications tied to Musk's renewed commitment. 'In our view,' Jonas noted, 'Tesla's expertise in manufacturing, data collection, robotics/ physical AI, energy, supply chain and infrastructure are more critical than ever before to put the US on an even footing with China in embodied AI.' Jonas points to China's rapid progress in humanoid robotics – what he calls the 'Humanoid Olympics.' After showcasing robots running a half marathon and competing in combat sports, China is now moving toward full-on humanoid games. 'China's gamification of robotic innovation is accelerating its path to AI supremacy,' says Jonas, who wonders if the US should fight back with a 'Humanoid Ninja Warrior.' The specter of Chinese EV maker BYD looms large too. The company announced significant price reductions across its entire lineup recently – ranging from 10% to nearly 30%. Notably, the price of its budget-friendly Seagull model was slashed to just RMB 55,800 (under $8,000). 'If you want evidence of the 'race to the bottom' in global EV prices, look no further,' says Jonas. The analyst also wonders if Musk might be having a change of heart regarding one possible business venture. For years, he has dismissed the idea of Tesla building eVTOLs or drones, pointing to concerns like noise, privacy issues, public nuisance, and inadequate battery energy density. However, during a recent all-hands meeting, when asked about the possibility of making a plane, Musk paused before replying that the company is currently 'stretched pretty thin.' 'In our opinion,' says Jonas, 'that's a decidedly different type of answer. Is Tesla an aviation/defense-tech company in auto/consumer clothing?' As for the upcoming Cybercab launch, slated for June 12, as with most highly anticipated Tesla events, Jonas thinks it's best to keep a lid on expectations. That said, he'll be watching closely for ongoing updates in the following days and weeks – particularly regarding network performance and growth metrics like vehicle count, mileage, and trip volume. All in all, Jonas remains on TSLA's side, assigning an Overweight (i.e., Buy) rating with a $410 price target, implying potential upside of 18% from current levels. (To watch Jonas's track record, click here) That's a bull's take, but not one the majority of Wall Street analysts share; TSLA stock only claims a Hold consensus rating, based on a mix of 16 Buys, 10 Holds and 11 Sells. Going by the $282.70 average price target, a year from now, shares will be changing hands for an 18% discount. (See TSLA stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
