Living with Corolla Cross brings out plenty good, some not.
Living with a car every day for a few months allows us to far better understand it, which is precisely what we’re achieving with our long-term test Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV XR. It’s a difficult one, because there’s so little to complain about it in our time with it so far. So we passed a questionnaire around the office and asked each respondent to fill in what they enjoyed best. And least about the car.
One thing’s for sure; there’s consensus on a lot of things around here on South Africa’s best-selling passenger vehicle, and of course SUV. Like that it’s so easy to drive and manoeuvre. Sitting higher in the car is another major plus and we all love the quiet and supple ride. Nobody’s complaining about power and averaging five litres per hundred, no matter how we drive it, day in and day out, is another huge plus.
Cross a synch with the kids. And the aged
It’s also spacious, easy to access and has a great boot. That’s proving a major plus to cart aged parents about. Wheelchair or walker access is easy and comfortable and the boot gobbled up both the awkwardly-folding chair and the cumbersome walker together. And four adults sit in comfort front and rear. No need to compromise both to just sit there. There’s plenty space all round. So it’d certainly be a sinch with the kids.
Cabin layout is clean and functional. It features a mix of hard and soft-touch plastics to deliver a surprisingly high quality feel. The seats are another plus. They provide more than ample support and combat fatigue, especially on the longer run. And particularly versus some other compact SUV competitors out there .
While inside, another aspect everyone loved is how cleverly the cabin is laid out. So many nooks, crannies, cubbies and the rest to safely put anything away. Cup holders are smartly placed and the pockets behind the seats are most welcome. Where better to hide that laptop you may have brought along and now need to leave it in the car?
CarPlay infotainment is great. But…
Moving on to the interface, the Corolla Cross works very well when Bluetooth linked to CarPlay. But Android phones must be plugged in and there’s only one USB and it’s a C which cables most people still don’t have. Even worse, there’s no charging pad, which becomes a conundrum when the phone is telling the car where to go. Because all that naturally kills the phone battery very quicky.
So you end up with a bird’s nest of unnecessary wires and cables all over the show and a headache sharing it all out. Also, while it works very well using CarPlay, the system is confusing and old fashioned on its own software. That, in a nutshell, is this car’s only real sin. You can get a three grand aftermarket charging pad, but then there’s still only one USB. Let’s hope Toyota addresses this soon. It’s letting the side down!
Point is, most of our concerns consider an ideal scenario. That does not exist in car infotainment. All the systems, from Mercedes and BMW to Audi, Porsche and Ferrari, Honda, and oh dear, the Chinese, is poorly thought out, shockingly executed and just plain dire. So while it’s actually average, here’s an opportunity, Toyota. Add what’s missing, simplify the logic and it’d be a no-brainer. That, in this car, can only be a win.
Corolla Cross is refined on the road
The controls take little patience to become familiar with and we’d prefer if it was simpler to disengage or engage and the likes of Lane Assist and Cruise Control. They need unnecessary multi-step processes to simply activate. While its down, let’s finish kicking it. The central locking sounds tinny and loose on this unit, and the long front overhang also had some of us muttering.
On the road, smooth and linear acceleration continues to impress, no doubt helped along by the electric motor’s immediate torque. Generally quiet, it becomes a bit rowdy when pushed, but a measured driving style ensures that it’s at its best most of the time. Petrol economy is outer worldly and our Cross is just cool to live with.
Some may not like this one’s antifreeze hue, but there are several other cool and more sombre colours to choose from. We all love the shiny face-polished grille and neat little bits like the Corola Cross pressed into the chrome flashing up behind the rear quarter windows. Some complain about the egg crate grill, call it Chinese. But others like it.
A proudly South African achievement
Speaking of which, the only place the Chinese can beat this popular Made in South Africa mass seller, is on price. We’ve had a few cheap Chinese hybrids of late and Corolla cross makes them feel exactly that. Cheap.
There’s very good reason why this car is South Africa’s best-selling car. Some of its very few foibles are very easy to fix. That done, this will be a no brainer. Of that, we are all convinced… – Michele Lupini
Images & test data: Giordano Lupini
LONG-TERM UPDATE: Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV XR
Engine: 72 kW 142 Nm 1.8-litre Atkinson petrol
Motor: 53 kW 163 Nm electric
System output: 90 kW 72 Nm
Hybrid: AC asynchronous electric motor
Drive: CVT automatic FWD
Battery: 201V 1.3kW/h lithium-ion
Odo on Arrival: 13,250 km
Odo Now: 16,500 km
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 4.34 sec
0-100 km/h: 10.12 sec
0-120 km/h 13.31 sec
400m: 17.1 sec @ 131 km/h
80-120 km/h: 7.42 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 170 km/h
Fuel Average: 4.3 l/100 km
CO2: 98 g/km
Warranty/Service: 3y 100K/6 service 90K km
LIST PRICE: R545K
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