The Toyota Corolla has turned into an SUV
“Corolla Meets SUV”. That’s the ‘key phrase’ that drove Toyota to develop the SUV you see here; one we didn’t know we needed since the Toyota RAV4 was just launched in this part of the world.
But the Toyota Corolla Cross is now a thing – it’s already on sale in Thailand, and a swing at the Malaysian SUV market in the near future seems likely with the RAV4’s seemingly priced out of the contest by its steep CBU pricing.
As the Toyota Corolla sedan demonstrates, importing a car from Thailand makes it more accessible than having it shipped directly from Japan. And many of the qualities that make the sedan
marketable here seem to resurface in the Corolla Cross’s spec sheet as well.
At the core of the SUV – which measures 4,460mm long, 1,825mm wide and 1,620mm tall – is Toyota’s proven TNGA platform that also underpins the Corolla sedan. Power options are identical to the Toyota Altis offerings in Thailand, with two 1.8-litre petrol engines to choose from – one being a hybrid. The petrol mill that would most likely make its way here is similar to the one already powering the Corolla, with 140PS and 177Nm sent exclusively to the front wheels via a CVT.
Toyota touts some impressive real-world figures (by SUV standards) in the Corolla Cross, such as a 487-litre boot (440 litres with a spare tyre), 5.2-metre turning radius and “optimised suspension geometry” – the ride uses a MacPherson strut in front and torsion beam in the rear – for better all-round comfort.
How do you think the Toyota Corolla Cross will fare against the usual suspects in the local SUV segment, Proton X70 included?
Check out more images of the new Toyota Corolla Cross in the gallery below.
