RD Drives the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid: Everything You Need From an Urban SUV is All Here

The Toyota C-HR was a compact SUV that drove as sharply as it looks. Even the interior was sportscar-like with a driver-centric cockpit, low seating position and a disregard for the rear passenger’s headroom. And let’s not dive into the boot space because there’s none. Still, the C-HR has carved a style and character that still looks surprisingly fresh even today. The C-HR’s replacement, the Corolla Cross, is very much the opposite.

The Corolla Cross seeks to bring practical spaciousness to Toyota’s compact crossover line-up even it if means the new recruit might turn fewer heads. Plainly, the Corolla Cross isn’t a sharp-looking crossover. In fact, Toyota has played it safe with the design to make it a more appealing pill to swallow with less dramatic edges and more wholesome curves.

If there’s one thing that grabs and holds your attention, it would be the large downturned grille that dominates the fascia, making one wonder why so grumpy. Flanking the unmistakable grille are two Bi-LED headlights with blue accents exclusive only to the Hybrid model. The roofline stays relatively flushed with the horizon, tapering off ever so slightly towards the end. The horizontal wraparound taillights make the rear look wider than it really is with its edges protruding beyond the body, a call-back to the C-HR.

The rear hatch opens to 440 litres of cargo space despite the wheel wells intruding into the area. Still, it is cavernous enough to haul a half-years’ worth of used tins, plastics and boxes to the recycling centre. As with nearly all vehicles these days, putting down the rear seats earns more volume to put things. If you’re coming in from the Corolla, then you’ll feel right at home in the Corolla Cross, in that the features and layout are identical. Sitting at the centre of the dashboard is the X-inch touchscreen monitor, propped up above the air vents and the physical controls for the air-conditioning. Further below, a cubby hole houses the Qi wireless charging pad – very useful if you have a compatible device.

The seats in the Corolla Cross are just as comfortable as in the Corolla sedan. The advantage goes to the driver’s seat and its eight-way power seats that enable near-infinite adjustments to get in the right seating position. From here, everything on the centre console is within reach although media controls are also found on the steering wheel. So far, all is good.

Powering the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is a 1.8-litre petrol engine and an electric motor. The engine produces 98PS and 142Nm, whereas the electric motor generates 53kW and 163Nm. Together, the hybrid drivetrain pushes 122PS to the front wheels. Sure, the petrol-only version generates more power but winning traffic light drag races isn’t the point of this hybrid SUV.

Still, real-world applications prove the Hybrid isn’t down on power. Quite the opposite, it comes to life when you need a short burst of power for climbing a hill or overtaking – situations that put the engine under heavier load and require that extra push from the electric motor. It is all done to save fuel, of course, and the Corolla Cross Hybrid is a bona fide sipper.

In situations that don’t require a lot of power, the engine actually shuts down to let the electric motor take over. Hence, when you’re in a parking lot, crawling in traffic and just cruising softly on the highway, it is the electric motor that keeps the SUV moving.

Toyota claims that the Corolla Cross Hybrid needs only 4.3l for every 100km of travel and the factory-set figure is actually achievable, if not beatable. But, even if you’re not a hyper-milling aficionado, you can still expect long intervals between refills.

Much praise has been lavished on Toyota’s TNGA platform for its ride comfort and handling comfort, and it’s no different here. The Corolla Cross Hybrid is a comfortable ride that soaks all of the road’s dips and bumps except for the worse ones. It also holds the vehicle right going through the corners with lesser than expected body-roll. The handling is progressive, offering no unwanted surprises going through and around the corners.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid comes with all the safety bells and whistles excepted of a vehicle in this day and age. Standard in the kit includes pre-collision warning and mitigation, dynamic cruise control, lane departure alert, blind spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert; to name a few.