Toyota Corolla Cross

A part of Toyota’s sought after crossover line-up, flanking the standard, and the sportier petrol guises, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Electric.

Underpinned is the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, and a fourth-generation Toyota Hybrid Electric System.

Locally-assembled (CKD - Bukit Raja), the hybridised SUV tags at MYR 142,000 (OTR, w/o insurance). 

Included is a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty, and an eight-year, unlimited-mileage hybrid electric warranty (extendable - two years - MYR 2,950).

Five exterior colours. Celestite Grey Metallic, Silver Metallic, Red Mica Metallic, Nebula Blue Metallic, and Platinum White Pearl.

The 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid has a straightforward dashboard layout. Cascading and two-tiered, draped in black panels with silver and piano black trimmings.

Heightening the layout are hybrid blue accents, featured on the engine Start/Stop button, and edges of the floor mats. 

All the elements are placed logically and driver centric, for a better driving experience. Overall, the craftsmanship is premium quality. 

Featured is a digital instrument cluster, a 7.0-Inch TFT Colour Multi-Information Display (MID).

Highly-comfortable, the five-seater’s interior sees an all-black leather with white contrasting stitching upholstery.

It comes with a power adjustable driver seat (eight-way, lumbar), manual adjustable front passenger seat, and sliding armrests. 

Whereas, the rear seats are 60:40 split-foldable with a rear reclining feature (six-degree angle), and rear armrests.

Cabin space is ample for front and rear occupants, as it offers plenty of head, shoulder and leg rooms. The space is very generous due to the bulbous design of the body. 

Fitted is a three-spoke steering wheel, wrapped in all-black leather, accentuated by silver trimmings.

It gets multi-switches (Audio, MID, Telephone, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)), column adjustments (tilt, telescopic), and an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system.

Numerous storage areas. E.g., side door and back seat pockets, partitioned spaces and a caverned storage in the centre console and a decent-sized glove box.

There are four cup holders. Two at the front centre console, and another two at the rear seating’s centre armrest.

Multiple outlets. E.g., one USB port and one 12-V power socket up front, and two more USB ports at the back. A wireless charging pad is optional.

Accessing its powered-tailgate (kick sensor) opens up to 440-Litres of boot space. The roof rail fitted provides extra loading weight of up to 70 KG.

Weighing in at 1,430 KG, the 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid stands at 4,460 MM long, 1,825 MM wide, 1,620 MM tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,640 MM.

Stockily athletic, it portrays a high-riding stance, with an overall exterior donned by clean and smoothly sculpted contours.

The front-end features a black studded grille, paired to a black lower bumper fitment with integrated air-slits and a silver skid plate.

Accentuating the layout are hybrid treatments (blue details - headlamps, Toyota logo, hybrid badges), and matching black claddings (fenders, side sills).

Neat and softly sculpted, it projects a simplistic and borderline bulbous outlook, consistent with its overall appeal.

The rear-end features a body-coloured roof-edge spoiler, and a black lower bumper fitment with an integrated silver diffuser.

Completing the layout are hybrid treatments (blue details - headlamps, Toyota emblems, hybrid badges), and matching black claddings (fenders, side sills).

Angularly shaped with a focused design, the head lamps are slanted inwards and merged together with the grille’s top edges.

They are Bi-LED units (blue details) with light curtains, LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), Follow-Me-Home function, Automatic High Beam (AHB) and sequential turn signals. 

Rounded yet pointed, the elongated and wrapped-around tail lamps compensate for the minimalistic style well.

Mounted are full LED units with light curtains. Paired to the setup is a set of LED fog lamps, just like the front. 

The side mirrors are power-adjustable, and have auto-fold with reverse link, signal lamps and Blind Spot Monitor (BSM).

Rubbered-up in 225/50 R18 tyres is a set of 18-Inch dual-five-spoke, two-tone machine finish alloy rims. 

The 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid features the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). 

Grouped are Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) for All Speeds, Lane Tracing Assist (LTA) for All Speeds, Automatic High Beam (AHB), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

Others comprise of Drive Start Control, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop/Go, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Emergency Brake Signal (EBS), Tyre Pressure Warning System (TPWS), and 3D Panoramic View Monitor (PVM).

Passive safety includes seven airbags (driver-passenger, front side, driver knee, front-rear curtain), seat belts (reminder, pretensioner, anchor), ISOFIX (rear seats), parking cameras (360-degree, reverse), ultrasonic parking sensors (two-front, four-rear), electrochromic rear-view mirror, Vehicle Telematics System (VTS), alarm system with speed auto door lock and immobiliser, Digital Video Recorder (DVR) (front, rear), and Toyota Premium Security and Solar Film.

There are four drive modes - Sport, Eco, Normal, and EV.

Installed is a 9-Inch capacitive touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Miracast, live navigation, USB and Bluetooth.

Fused in the 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid is a 1.8-Litre four-cylinder, in-line, 16-valve DOHC with Dual VVT-i, 2ZR-FXE Atkinson-Cycle petrol engine (97 HP/72 KW, 142 NM), mated to an electric motor (71 HP/53 KW, 163 NM) with a 1.3 KWH Nickel Metal-Hydride battery.

The powertrain is aided by an E-CVT (automatic transmission).

Top speed is up to 170 KM/H.

There are rear air-vents located at the centre console’s rear panel.

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Electric offers an energising new side to the Cross line-up, with its hybridised appearance and performance.

Its exterior is striking with smooth harmonious proportions and powerful contours, while the interior is premium built with quality materials and refined detailing. 

Then, the hybrid powertrain setup makes the already great to drive SUV even more engaging, and the suite of ADAS is a major bonus. 

Overall, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Electric is satisfactory, particularly with all the bells and whistles it comes with at the price offered.