From behind, the Woodland is the easiest RAV4 to pick out of a lineup: raised roof rails, all-terrain tires, and a stance that sits visibly higher than the car it parks next to. For 2027 that stance stops being an impression. A new suspension gives the Woodland 9.1 inches of ground clearance, the tallest figure in the range, and hardware backs up the look this time.
Every plug-in hybrid RAV4 makes the second change, the Woodland included: a NACS charge port with DC fast-charging capability, and a standard 11-kW onboard AC charger.
The car underneath is the carryover sixth-generation RAV4. Start with how it looks.
The rugged theme, done with hardware
Three exterior themes split the sixth-generation RAV4: core, rugged and sport. The Woodland carries the rugged brief. It shares the hammerhead front end, the chiseled fenders and the upright rear with the rest of the lineup. On top of that shape the Woodland bolts the working kit: 18-inch matte metallic gray alloys, Rigid Industries LED fog lights, raised roof rails with cross bars and a tow hitch receiver, all standard.
The rails take a basket or a roof tent. The hitch takes a small trailer. And the all-terrain tread is the first upgrade most owners would have bought on day one anyway.
Toyota’s press photography puts the plug-in in Everest green and the hybrid in Urban Rock gray.
What the extra inch buys on a dirt road
New springs, new shocks and new jounce bumpers do the lifting, a hardware change rather than a spacer trick. At 9.1 inches the Woodland stands an inch above the 8.1 inches every other grade runs, and well clear of the GR SPORT, which drops to 7.5 inches in the name of handling. On a rutted forest road, that inch decides whether you pick a line or turn around.
All-wheel drive is standard on the Woodland, and AWD grades across the lineup gain Multi-Terrain Select for 2027. Its Rock & Dirt and Mud & Sand modes adjust throttle, brake pressure and traction control to the surface under the tires, replacing the old Trail mode. Snow moves to the drive-mode switch, alongside Normal, Eco, Sport and Custom.
Power comes two ways, both driving all four wheels in the Woodland. The hybrid runs Toyota’s fifth-generation system around a 2.5-liter four-cylinder for 229 net horsepower, with manufacturer estimates of 40 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway and 38 combined. The plug-in hybrid uses the sixth-generation system for 321 total horsepower, returns an estimated 38/35/37 mpg, and covers 46 miles on electricity alone.
The same plug-in system in the SE returns 41 mpg combined and 52 miles of range, so the Woodland’s trail kit costs a few mpg and a few miles.
Underneath it all sits the TNGA-K platform, and the range’s tuning brief aims at body rigidity, braking control and steering response. The Woodland spends part of that brief on clearance instead, which tells you where its priorities sit.
The charge port moves to the driver’s side
All four plug-in grades, SE, XSE, Woodland and GR SPORT, get the NACS port for 2027, and with it DC fast charging. Toyota also moved the port to the driver’s side of the car. It’s a small design decision with a daily payoff, because the charge door now sits on the side the driver climbs out of, at a home wall box and at a public charger alike.
Home charging speeds up too. The onboard charger is now an 11-kW unit on every plug-in grade, covering Level 1 and Level 2 duty, and the digital cluster keeps charge status and energy flow in front of the driver. Toyota stretched the Remote Connect trial from one year to five across the range.
Back inside, the mats give it away
Inside, the theme holds all the way through. Redesigned all-weather floor and cargo mats wear Woodland branding, the SofTex-trimmed seats get an exclusive color treatment with orange accents stitched in, and the center stack stays clean in front of a standard 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Same functional cabin as the rest of the range, dressed for mud.
A 10.5-inch touchscreen is standard, and a 12.9-inch screen with JBL audio sits higher up the range. The Woodland’s working hardware hides in the cargo area: a 120-volt, 1,500-watt AC outlet for tools or a camp kitchen, a Panoramic View Monitor with a Multi-Terrain Monitor for placing tires on a trail, and a rear seatback that folds flat. Toyota Safety Sense 4.0 comes standard, and the backup camera gets its own washer for 2027.
Toyota’s own pricing sheet puts the Woodland hybrid at $40,655 and the Woodland plug-in hybrid at $46,055, both before a $1,595 destination fee. With destination, the Woodland lands at $42,250 as a hybrid and $47,650 as a plug-in.
The wider range opens at $32,300 for the hybrid and $42,100 for the plug-in, and tops out at $43,900 for the hybrid Limited and $49,100 for the GR SPORT. Hybrid models start reaching US dealers late this year, and the plug-in cars follow in early 2027.
Toyota spent the 2027 budget where a photograph can’t fake it: under the car, and at the charge port.
The Woodland was already the RAV4 that looked the part. Now it holds the tallest stance in the range and carries a plug that fits the charging network America actually built. That’s a stronger update than a fresh grille would have been, and this is the version we’d drive home.