u/m7zplants

https://preview.redd.it/ptbtqgdrtabh1.jpg?width=1819&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e19afd6bb934b8cda28029a87780f521bfde75bc

For context: we had a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid XLE and the Bz Woodland is our first EV. We've driven ~250 miles so far, mostly around town and close to home, but also did an overnight trip 2 hours away last weekend.

Pros

• The ride definitely feels smoother compared to the RAV4.
• I'm not a car person and never cared about horsepower or the "0-60 acceleration" tests that all of EV YouTube obsess about, but the acceleration oomph really does feel nice. Makes highway merges and lane changes easier.
• The cabin is quieter in comparison, and the speakers are definitely better, but that's likely because of the Premium trim vs XLE trim (and 2026 tech vs 2020 tech).
• Having the 360 cameras has been really convenient for parking.
• Convenient premium-feeling features: side mirrors automatically fold in, 2-driver seat memory.

Issues

• [Critical] 12V battery drainage issue: I learned about it from this sub after picking up the car. We haven't experienced this yet but I've preemptively disabled the DCM features.
• [Important] Apple Maps EV Routing connection simply does not work. I tried a couple different things I saw on this sub and none of them have worked for me. The EV thing just doesn't come up in Apple Maps.

Feedback/Wishlist

• [Critical] Show side camera on screen when turn signal is on! The hardware is there, so I feel like this is a software miss. I've driven rental cars with this feature and it's really convenient.
• [Important] Official pet mode. Again, the capability is there and people are already doing it using workarounds.
• [Convenience] Dedicated USB-C port above for dash-cam connection to avoid having to hide the cable or have it dangling. Or even better, the ability to use the car's built-in cameras as dash cams.
• [Annoyance] The Toyota app - lots of UX issues. One thing that is a downright weird design is there's no way to get the car's status on a second driver’s phone. If you share remote access, the other person sees it but you will lose access. Any connected/smart home device has the ability to share to multiple users' accounts/phones.

Re: Charging

• Right now we only have L1 charging at home and it's been sufficient. I'm researching getting an L2 outlet or Tesla Universal Wall Connector installed.
• Experienced some stress and confusion trying to figure out when and where to charge it during our overnight trip last weekend:
  • The Apple Maps EV Routing just did not work. I downloaded ABRP and gave it a try but didn't really like it.
  • The L2 charger at the parking garage we used for overnight parking was confusing and I learned using ChatGPT that typically it is not cost effective to leave your car plugged in overnight at a public garage. At this point we still had ~45% but needed to charge a bit to make it home the next day.
  • On the way home, I used Google Maps to find a Tesla Supercharger only to find out that not all Tesla Superchargers are open to 3rd-party EVs. I thought that the NACS plug meant you can go to any Tesla Charger. I then found a compatible one using the Tesla app and the charging experience was pretty smooth. Spent ~$14 to charge ~18kWh at $0.76/kWh which felt expensive.

Traded in my 2020 RAV4 Hybrid today for the new 2026 Bz Woodland after researching EVs for the past month. I had considered a number of other brands but eventually landed back at Toyota. Went with the Woodland mainly for the trunk space, as I didn’t want something smaller than a RAV4.

So far so good - except the Apple Maps EV Routing is not working for me. Also read a couple threads about the 12V battery draining, will keep an eye on that.