Toyota was slow to enter the compact SUV contest but it is more than making up for lost time with the impending arrival of the Corolla Cross. It will slot in amongst the Yaris Cross, C-HR and RAV4 to give the Japanese giant a broad range of crossover options.
It’s been more than two year since Toyota first showed off its latest SUV addition but it’s still not set to arrive in showrooms until the later months of this year.
With so much time passing between its international reveal and its impending local arrival, here’s a recap on what you can expect when the Corolla Cross finally hits Australia.
Corolla by name, Corolla by nature
One of the most important facts to note about the Corolla Cross is that Australian-bound models will be built in Japan, despite Toyota also building the model in Thailand. That’s expected to have an impact on what engine choices will be available for local cars.
In Thailand and Japan, it’s powered by a 103kW/177Nm 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine or a 90kW/142Nm petrol-electric hybrid. However, it’s believed Australian models will avoid the 1.8-litre and instead get the same 125kW/200Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from the Corolla hatch and sedan.
Given the ongoing success of its hybrid powered models, specifically the RAV4 SUV, it’s a given that the petrol-electric powertrain will be available for Australian buyers.
Both engines are front-wheel drive only, in keeping with the Corolla-based platform that the Corolla Cross uses. This is likely to be a non-issue for buyers, given the Corolla Cross is seen as a hatchback alternative rather than an off-roader.
It will be based on the same TNGA-C platform as the Corolla, but will naturally sit higher. Toyota’s overseas specifications list it at 4460mm long (with a 2640mm wheelbase), 1825mm wide and 1620mm tall. By comparison the Corolla hatch is 4375mm long, 1790 wide and 1435mm tall.
In terms of how it will fit within the Toyota line-up, it’s expected to be positioned between the C-HR and RAV4. The C-HR measures 4390mm long, 1795mm wide and 1565mm tall, so the Corolla Cross is bigger in every dimension.
The stated boot capacity of the Corolla Cross is 487-litres.
Finding a gap
The decision to take the Corolla Cross from Japan instead of Thailand will have an impact on the price, with the former typically costing more to produce. That will only increase the challenge for Toyota to find some clear space for the Corolla Cross in its increasingly complex compact SUV line-up.
The Yaris Cross range starts at $26,990 before on-road costs and runs to $37,990, while the C-HR spans $30,915 to $37,165, and the RAV4 begins at $36,990 and stretches to $52,700.
That means the Corolla Cross is likely to start around the $34,990 mark and, depending on the number of variants, will run up to the $45,000 region.
That also means the Corolla Cross will face-off against the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Mitsubishi ASX, Hyundai Kona and MG ZS in an increasingly crowded and competitive small SUV market.
But, as we’ve previously reported, Toyota Australia is adamant that the Corolla Cross, Yaris Cross and C-HR can all coexist in the local market and believes adding this new model will add incremental sales to what is already this country’s most popular car brand.
Keyword: 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross: Pricing, positioning, powertrains and everything else we know about the new Hyundai Kona, Mitsubishi ASX and MG ZS rivalling small SUV