The most exciting thing about the is its eye-popping Acidic Blast paint colour, a shade that isn’t even bold by Toyota’s own standards of paintwork. It might not be exciting, but it might not have to be; it’s a darned good package and one of the more pleasant compact crossovers on the road today.
Toyota offers the Corolla Cross, which isn’t related to the regular Corolla in any appreciable way, with two two-litre, four-cylinder engines. The first, on all models with an L in their trim grade names, makes 169 horsepower, which, in fact, feels more sluggish than the figure suggests. The second pairs its four with Toyota’s hybrid system for a much stronger 196 hp.
The hybrid is better than the gas-only engine in almost every way. It’s quicker, with more power and pleasantly quick acceleration from a stop to city speeds. It’s also more refined, because you can rely on the electric motor, instead of the gas engine. However, it does get quite harsh when you push the gas engine hard enough that the power gauge moves out of the eco zone. Don’t do that! You’ll get less noise and better fuel efficiency.
The only place a gas model beats the hybrid is on the window sticker. But like for like, the difference is only about $1,500. You’ll make up for that in a hurry with fuel savings.
Toyota’s efforts over the last decade to make its vehicles more fun to drive are immediately evident with the Corolla Cross. The ride is on the firm side, which isn’t helped by low profile tires, but it stays on the right side of stiff. Crucially, it’s not floaty over more gradual bumps or jarring over the big ones. You’ll know you hit both types, but you won’t get the floating and sinking feeling that comes with humps and dips and you probably won’t spill your coffee on expansion joints in the road. Goldilocks might not find it just right, but she would probably be more concerned with other parts of the experience.
Such as the steering. This has so much power-assist that it doesn’t feel connected to the wheels. Like an old video game wheel, you spin it, and the car turns, but you’re not convinced there’s a link. The weight doesn’t change; you don’t feel potholes in the road. The only indication you’re actually controlling it is when you’ve turned the wheel so far that it bangs into the stops. I’m not going to claim you could steer the Corolla Cross by blowing on the wheel, but if I had a closed course, I would have tried it.
But it’s perfectly adequate if you’re not worried about steering feel and don’t mind the occasional bang when you turn the wheel too far. Plus, the Corolla Cross has a surprisingly tight turning radius. At about half a meter tighter than the Corolla sedan, it makes U-turns and compressed parking lots a breeze.
The interior is equal parts dull and functional. Depressing plastics with an odd texture abound, but, at the same time, give the impression that the dash will be easy to clean and last without wear until the sun runs out of fuel. The most stylish item is the seatback design, and you’ll only see the horizontal stripes when you get in or out.
Easy-to-use toggle switches and controls for everything take the place of style. As much as other automakers are now making their more affordable model interiors feel like a million bucks, there’s something reassuring about this layout and choice of plastics. Your heated seat switch staying on until you decide to turn it off, for example, is lovely.
An airy cabin (this Corolla Cross is 30 cm longer than the original RAV4) with plenty of head and legroom makes it even more pleasant. Cabin noise stands out. This isn’t a particularly quiet vehicle, and the general lack of engine noise makes the sound of the passing wind more intrusive.
Toyota’s eight-inch screen looks tiny in the large, centre, cluster bezel, but the system behind it is great. Solid voice recognition, quick responses, and an intuitive design all make it pleasant, and, more importantly, easy to use.
The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid delivers funky styling outside and a dependable, functional and roomy cabin inside. It’s not exciting, but it is quite good. And with an estimated 5.6 L/100 km combined fuel economy, it’s as easy on gas as the original Prius.
If that’s not a good package, then I don’t know what is.
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