Everything you need to know about the new Toyota Corolla Cross

Toyota has introduced the Corolla Cross SUV. Being 4,460mm long makes it 135mm shorter than the Rav4 and its passenger occupancy rating is for five inside a wheelbase that’s 50cm shorter than its larger SUV cousin.

Like many of company’s latest products, the Toyota Cross is built on the company’s New Generation Global Architecture platform, the GA-C variant of which the new Corolla sedan, hatch and CH-R are built from. The new platforms are lighter but structurally stronger and make for better ride quality, performance and agility in its modern cars.

The new SUV is said to boast even more improvements on this front. In detail, the Corolla Cross gets optimised suspension geometry and the use of large, soft bushings ensure that passengers in all seats enjoy a comfortable ride

The Corolla Cross luggage capacity is rated at 487l with a tyre repair kit or 440l with a temporary spare tyre.

An elevated driving position and standard fitment of the Toyota Safety Sense features can be expected. Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are equipped and the rest of the luxury and safety amenities will reflect much of what is found in the rest of the Corolla range.

These should include ABS brakes, seven airbags, stability control, electric windows, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, active cruise control, electrically-adjustable driver’s seat, keyless entry with push-button start, LED daytime running lights, automatic LED headlamps, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, park distance control with reversing camera, and a digital speedometer.

Power is courtesy of a 1.8l four cylinder petrol engine with outputs of 103kW and 177Nm with average fuel consumption of 6.5l/100km.

Hybrid electric derivatives of the Corolla Cross are claimed to achieve 4.3l / 100km.

After making its debut in Thailand the new Corolla Cross will be launched in a growing number of markets going forward, and we can’t help wonder if this isn’t the new, as-yet-unnamed model Toyota SA plans to build at its Prospecton, Durban manufacturing facility.

According to Toyota SA’s Riaan Esterhuysen, there is no official standpoint on the local availability of this model.

“As you know we have quite a number of newly launched models; we are still investigating the viability of a number of them, including this new Corolla Cross,” said Esterhuysen.