Toyota has launched the all-new Corolla Cross in its home market and it’s arriving in Australia next year. Here’s everything you need to know.
Toyoya has launched the new Corolla Cross in Japan. Prices start from the equivalent of around $25,000 for the cheapest 1.8-litre variant, climbing to around $40,000 for the range-topping hybrid model.
Toyota Australia has confirmed the model will arrive here in late 2022 and it’ll become yet another rival for the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Mazda CX-3, Renault Kadjar, Kia Seltos, Hyundai Kona and Peugeot 3008.
The Corolla Cross will also sit alongside the C-HR which also rivals some of those cars, but the Cross is a more practical alternative and a go-between for it and the larger RAV4. Toyota Australia has not announced any local specification or pricing, but as the car will be based on the Japanese market version there is a lot we can already glean.
The Corolla Cross is based on the same GA-C platform as the Corolla hatchback, which is available with a choice of two 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engines in Japan.
The cheapest option has no electrical assistance, while more expensive variants get the same 90kW hybrid powertrain found in the Toyota Prius. Japanese buyers can have the 1.8-litre hybrid with an electrified rear axle, too, bringing four-wheel drive, while the Malaysian version of the car is available with a 135kW 2.0-litre petrol hybrid powertrain. Every engine offered on the SUV is also mated to a CVT gearbox.
The new SUV measures 4460mm long, 1825mm wide and 1620mm tall. There’s also enough space inside for five adults and a boot big enough to hold 487 litres, which places the Corolla Cross well ahead of the C-HR’s 377-litre capacity. The tailgate can also be specified with a kick-sensor under the rear bumper.
Toyota seems to have used the smaller Yaris Cross as a starting point for the Corolla Cross’s design. Judging by the similarities between our spy shots and Toyota’s official images, the car’s styling won’t change for its western debut, either.
The Corolla Cross shares the same tall radiator grille, slim headlamps and profile as the Yaris Cross. Even the cladding around the SUV’s wheel arches and sills is familiar, but it’s still a radical departure from the Corolla hatchback’s styling language.
Specifications differ according to region, but the most well-equipped versions of the Corolla Cross come with a wireless smartphone charger, electric seats, automatic air conditioning, a 4.2-inch digital display for the gauge cluster and a 9.0-inch infotainment system, which also appears to be shared with the new Yaris Cross and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Toyota has also fitted a 100-volt accessory socket with an emergency power supply function to the Corolla Cross, which it says can be used to power household appliances such as a kettle in the event of a power cut. There’s also a host of assistance technology, such as hill-hold assist, parking sensors and function which mitigates unintended acceleration.
Luke Wilkinson