Corolla Cross: The A to Z of new Toyota SUV

The Toyota Corolla Cross hit the ground running by becoming South Africa’s top-selling passenger car in its debut month in November.

Outselling the VW Polo and Polo Vivo in its first month is no mean feat, but’s is not hard to see its attraction. Bearing the names of Mzansi’s favourite manufacturer and nameplate, sculpted in the increasingly popular SUV body style, built locally and available at a very reasonable price, the Corolla Cross ticks all the right boxes.

ALSO READ: Corolla Cross makes huge statement by outselling Polo pair

What the Japanese carmaker has done in addition, is to offer the Corolla Cross in an affordable hybrid option. Toyota firmly believes that it could take decades for fully electric vehicles to become the norm in South Africa and has identified the dual power source technology as the greener solution for the unforeseeable future.

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Hybrid models do not need power from an outside source to charge the battery. They are much more frugal than models exclusively powered by internal combustion engines without having significantly less power. Throw in the competitive pricing and hybrids could easily become the most popular models in the Corolla Cross range.

To help you get better acquainted with the Toyota Corolla Cross, we’ve broken it up into an A to Z guide:

A – Accessories: Toyota offers a wide range of electronic accessories including a wireless mobile charger, tyre pressure monitor and head-up display. These can be fitted and installed at the dealership.

B – Battery: The Hybrid has a closed-loop system which means its battery does not need power from an outside source. The battery automatically recharges via regenerative braking or by the petrol engine.

C – Connectivity: All models come standard with Toyota Connect, which includes 15 GB of data. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity are also standard in Xs and Xr trim.

D – Durban: Toyota builds the Corolla Cross at its Prospecton Plant in Durban. The Hybrid models are the first dual power source cars assembled in South Africa.

E – Engine: All Corolla Cross models come standard with a 1.8-litre petrol engine. Petrol-only models use the VVTi 2ZR-FE engine producing 103 kW of power. Hybrid models a combination of a 2ZR-FXE Atkinson cycle petrol engine and an electric motor which combines for a total output of 90 kW. Both powertrain options are mated to a CVT.

F – Fifty million: The number of vehicles Toyota has sold around the world with Corolla in its name.

G – Ground clearance: The Corolla Cross has a ground clearance of 161 mm. It is 4 460 mm long, 1 825 mm wide, 1 620 high and its wheelbase measures 2 640 mm. Petrol models weigh 1 325 kg and Hybrid models 1 395 kg.

H – Hybrid: Toyota’s current buzzword. Pioneered by the Prius more than two decades ago, the Japanese carmaker has made dual power source technology more affordable in the Corolla Cross and Sedan and RAV4.

I – Intervals: Service intervals are pegged at every 15 000 km or 12 months. The Corolla Cross comes standard with a six-services/90 000 km service plan.

J – Juice: With a claimed fuel consumption of 4.3 L/100 km, Hybrid models are extremely frugal on the juice. Petrol models offer fuel economy of 6.8 L/100 km.

K – Kilometers: Going on the claimed fuel consumption figures, Hybrid models can cover over 800 km on its 36-litre fuel tank, with non-hybrid models just under 700 km on one 47-litre tank.

L – Luggage: With 440 litres of boot space, the Corolla Cross has plenty of space for all five passengers’ luggage.

M – Multi-information display: This function in the instrument cluster comes standard for the driver and is upgraded to the TFT-type in Xs trim.

N – Newton meters: Petrol-only models produce 173 Nm of torque. Hybrid models produce 142 Nm when running only on the petrol engine and 163 Nm when in electric mode.

O – Optional extras: A wide range of optional extras are available, with Toyota grouping together some in specific packages. These include exterior (X-Over, Hybrid, Urban Sport, and Adventure) and electronic accessory packages.

P – Price: The range starts at R349 900 for the Xi. The Xs and Xr are priced at R390 100 and R425 400 respectively, with the Xs Hybrid sold for R413 000 and the Xr Hybrid R448 300.

Q – Quest: One of the Cross’ three siblings bearing the Corolla name, the other two being the Corolla Hatch and the Corolla Sedan.

R – Rubber: Base models have 215/60/R17 rubberware wrapped around 17-inch alloy wheels, with flagship models getting 18-inch alloys clad with 225/50/R18 tyres.

S – Seven: The number of colours offered on the Corolla Cross. They are Arizona Red, Glacier White, Chromium Silver, Attitude Black, Cosmic Blue, Celestite Grey Metallic and Platinum White Pearl.

T – Toyota Safety Sense: Flagship models come standard with Toyota Safety Sense which includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, lane trace assist and pre-collision system. Standard across the range are driver, passenger and side airbags and ABS with EBD and hill assist control

U – Utility: A 60/40 rear seat split allows greater utilisation of space.

V – Vehicle Stability Control: Helps prevent wheels slipping sideways. Comes standard across the range.

W – Warranty: Toyota offers a standard three year/100 000 km warranty on the Corolla Cross. The hybrid battery is covered by an eight year/195 000 km warranty.

X – Toyota’s grading system: Toyota uses its familiar three-grade trim strategy on the Corolla Cross. Xi indicates the base model, Xs the mid-tier specification level and Xr the top-of-the-range.

Y – Years: Having started in 1966, Toyota has been producing cars bearing the Corolla nomenclature for 55 years.

Z – Zero emissions: The Corolla Cross has an official CO2 emission output of 95 g/km in hybrid guise and 154 g/km in non-hybrid guise. However, when the Hybrid is driving solely on battery power, it releases zero emissions.

For more information on the Toyota Corolla Cross, click here.