Yes! And that Tercel he showed is a classic. Station wagons used to be the minivans nobody wanted to be seen in. Lift it up a bit, and now it's the most popular segment. Country Squire Cross, anyone? Are you old enough to remember that one, Rational?
@@rightlanehog3151 And a darned good one it was. I just saw one of those yesterday and thought "they don't make them like they used to". The rear hatch has no liftover and can hold a ton of stuff.
All my coworkers that have turbo engines have had them replaced, some under warranty, some out of pocket. Good to see Toyota offer a non-turbo engine for variety and longevity.
I can also appreciate that this is the only one of the models in this group that doesn't use pure direct injection, adding port injection, as well, to help keep intake valves clean (and avoid expensive media-blasting maintenance). And Toyota's CVT, while not exactly fun to drive, has a good long-term reliability record in the Corolla.
Great review Tom! We have a 1.5L hybrid model only where I live, but the features this has compared to some rivals makes this a wonderful choice for most people, not to mention the Toyota reliability that comes with it.
If they're really going after a young tech savvy buyer, then they need to do something about their infotainment screens. Thick, chunky, and dated looking screens with huge bezels aren't cutting it.
Current corolla owners will be most interested in the base model. Steel wheels ,cloth non power seats,1.8 engine and a simple amfm radio. I have corolla le. It has what I need not a lot of stuff I don't.
It’s fine. It’s simple and works / isn’t laggy. Younger generation will buy Toyota’s because they saw their parents with their Toyota’s with 300k-800k miles. 12-20+ years still running.
Nice review Tom. The Corolla highlights the stark difference between long-term thinking Japanese manufacturers vs short-term American. Toyota has been nurturing the Corolla brand for 50 years here in America, through thick and thin, adapting to current trends as much as possible. Chevrolet's Cruze was, I think, a successful (albeit, late) American effort to make a higher quality small car a decade ago....but....what does Chevy do when the market changes? They abandon rather than adapt. A short-sighted decision that locks a lot of first-time buyers out of GM showrooms. Kudos to Toyota for the Corolla Cross.
Saw a Corolla Cross near downtown today in that exact color. Wondering now if that was you now! Caught a quick glimpse at a driver and it could've very well been you.
Tom have you ever thought about reviewing motorcycles? Do you ride? Why do I feel like you and evil twin squishing on a bike would be hilarious.. always enjoy your videos, big fan!
I’m having a hard time imagining how big this thing is. I’ll have to see it in person. Is it really that much shorter than the Corolla? It doesn’t look short!
UK viewer here...like your reviews, important points for me, you point out the spare wheel (a rarity here) and the electric tilt/slide sunroof is excellent, much better than those oversize panoramic things.
This car is going to be top selling car in South Africa 🇿🇦 by the look of things it is going to be assembled in South Africa 🇿🇦 as well . While even now Toyota vehicles are top selling cars in South Africa 🇿🇦 . This is incredible 👏🙌😍beautiful
Dear Tom, Including shots of disinterested Journalists at the Conference presentation was a very entertaining inclusion. More of that please. It's a window into a world few have access to! Great Review as always. Thank you.
Great review...very indepth! This was like reading the manual but more fun :) Do people even read manuals anymore though...lol. Great job on your video :)
Tom, I am pleasantly surprised to see this mainstream car is available in blue and green. Buyers looking at the Everyday Lexus UX® should wait for the more powerful and efficient Hybrid which is coming next year.
Tom is probably right that Corolla Cross will chip away significant amount from the sedan's sales number. In certain Asian markets (such as Taiwan), Corolla Cross outsells the sedan since day one it was released. It would be also interesting to see what the Hybrid version's fuel economy will be in the US, and whether hybrid version will make a big dent to Prius' sale number or create Prius' demise. Corolla Cross's fuel economy is about 20 km/l (47 MPG) combined in real life driving tests in Asia.
@@DrivenCarReviews Well ya got me there. I’m just not a fan of Toyota’s design direction in the last couple of years. This Corolla design is quite refreshing in my eyes.
A car made in America using American workers (great). $32K for this under-powered small hatchback drifting into RAV4 hybrid territory ($$$)? No thanks. The off-lease market is the best value for for consumers these days as manufacturers are over producing vehicles and using leasing to move-the-metal. The market will revert back to reasonable pricing once consumers stop buying / borrowing on impulse. Thanks for a great review Tom.
Too bad used cars are also incredibly overpriced right now thanks to our wonderful central bank and Federal government pumping out limitless free money. Edit: And the chip shortage which is affecting new car production.
At the $32,000 price you could buy the prime rav4 XSE at around $42,000 - $7,500 fed rebate so $34,500 for a much better vehicle and gas cost in a year will make up the difference
The Corolla Cross buyer isn't going to be prominently concerned about performance, and they shouldn't be. It's a Toyota, and we all know the immediate trait conjunctively linked with Toyota: reliability. The Corolla Cross doesn't have a twin/turbo engine because that quickly eradicates the chances of it being reliable for anything loved 5/6+ years of age (with proper maintenance maybe a few more years). The Corolla Cross is a no no-nonsense, simple, safe, and practical vehicle to have, everything that resembles Toyota. In my opinion, this is a perfect first-car/teen driver/weekly commuter. Well done Toyota!
I think the “boring” design is actually refreshing. As much as I love Toyota, a lot of their newer designs are a bit strange. It’s nice that they went with something cleaner with the Corolla Cross.
Now give me a Carolla SuperCROSS TRD Pro. Toss the 2.0 turbo that the Supra uses in there, lift it, throw some Bilstiens on there and let me live my best rally life!
Their infotainment screens really do need an improvement though. Kia, Mazda, and Hyundai all have better infotainments that are sleeker, less bezzle, and better integrated. I feel like this is what Toyota is really lacking in terms of its appeal to tech-savvy people. It is reliable, and the cars are great, but in two years' time, that screen is going to look hilariously outdated because of how thick it is. It's like the first iPhones but instead of that product getting thinner after each iteration, Toyota hasn't changed its thickness which makes this interior not look as up-to-date as the exterior. I would implore Toyota engineers to get into any Mazda, BMW, or Subaru system and see how they do infotainments without lag or chunkiness.
Looks good! I can see this taking some sales from the RAV4. The Corolla Cross is a good vehicle that should appeal to many people, especially those who want a brand new Toyota but don't want to spring for a RAV4. A hybrid or plugin hybrid version with AWD would be perfect.
Excellent review Mr. V! This has been on my radar since announced. Looking to replace the wife's Buick Encore that is not aging as well as I'd hoped. I know what you say about test driving vehicles, but she hates going to dealers and dealing with all that. She'll be the one to buy a car online, never having driven it, and be 100% happy. I may be lucky having a woman who isn't picky, but that leaves the vehicle purchase decisions more squarely on my shoulders. I've driven the HR-V and was underwhelmed. We had an Encore GX for a service loaner and it was ok. Need to see if my neighbor will let me drive his new Seltos. I really like how that looks, but the tried and true nature of a Toyota is very appealing, however vanilla it may be. Thanks again for the great review.
Here I am a year later watching this again. Hopefully, we'll get an updated review when the hybrid is available. Initial estimates on mpg in Toyota's press release is 37 mpg, lower than the RAV4 hybrid. Looks like the new Toyota MMI will be coming and there are S, SE, and XSE trims being added. Even if the mpg falls a bit short of the larger RAV4, this sounds like a potentially great option.
Wow, great review! Only wishes I can see is that there should be more torque at low to mid RPM for better acceleration for safer passing left of center line of slower vehicles from around 70 kilometres per hour or 43 Miles per hour (I do not care about acceleration speed from a stop), power seats on front passenger seat, up and down adjustable lumbar support on driver's seat, driver's seat memory and power folding mirrors at least on the XLE trim. All vehicles should come with an under hood blanket/sound insulator as added on the 2nd year (2020) of the current Rav4 generation and two USB ports up front. So I just saw one at the dealership today. Not allowed to drive it due to Covid. I'm 5'10" tall and with winter boots on with a slight 1/2" sole, my head would barely touch the rear liftgate when opened. I will now look more at getting the Rav4 because I do not want to slouch a bit everytime the liftgate is open and I will likely forget from time to time and hit my head.
I paid $28,150 for my 21 RAV4 LE AWD last June. I probably would have paid the extra $1500 for the XLE, but I couldn't locate one. I miss the power lift gate.
The infotainment system is too antiquated and the screen is too small, there is a lack of ports, and no wireless phone connectivity. This ia a supposed to be a new 2022 car aimed at the "hip, young, tech-savvy" crowd? And that ugly blunt snout!
It's not pretty but looks are subjective. This is a pretty crowded Toyota lineup, does it do enough to stand out? Furthermore there are some great options from competitors
A great vehicle to give to a kid going to college. This will sell also huge in Uber and Lyft worlds. They won’t be able to make enough of these no doubt. Great job Toyota.
Thanks Tom. I’m getting one as my small car to get around town with and go on longer trips alone. I keep two cars and keep a larger SUV for family and company.
@@paulholterhaus7084 When I said small car I was referring to a compact SUV. Besides outside of the US small sedans still sell well. My intention is to buy a small crossover for my personal use and hold on to my larger crossover for family and entertainment use and eventually replace that with another large crossover for the same purpose in the future.
Really attractive vehicle. If it had heads up display & 360 view, I might choose this Toyota product over Mazda CX-5 signature trim. But for long term reliability hassle free non-turbo engine, I could still consider Corolla Cross (or maybe the hybrid version) which makes it just a bit more enticing.
Tom, do you have any experience driving in the Pacific Northwest? (Well, of course you do!) You know, where every other vehicle is a giant 4x4 pickup truck, or giant AWD SUV, or a giant delivery truck, or a giant 18-wheeler, or a giant..... Need I go on? I traded a quite nice Corolla for a RAV4 a couple of years or so ago, so I could SEE WHERE I'M GOING. Getting up off the ground is what you need when you're "driving in the land of the giants." And that's a big part of why people want the SUV form factor. Also -- gosh, what a clear picture! Just look at you sitting in the back seat, with -- what's that??? -- a tire behind you with some actual SIDE WALL ON IT???? WHAT HAS THIS WORLD COME TO??? Well, go look at any Corolla today. Or any "car" today. With "wagon wheel" ultra-ultra-ultra low-profile tires. "I'm sorry, but all cars MUST BE 'SPORTY' NOW!" They MUST have ultra low-profile tires, and massive wheels. You want the comfort that only a sizeable chunk of sidewall can give you? "Well, hey, just look at the tires on this nice SUV!" You won't find anything like what you see on this Corolla Cross on any "car" on the market today. And that's another big part of why people want the SUV form factor. And then there's the whole "utility" part of it, of course. Seriously, bemoan the SUV craze all you want, but I think these are the reasons why they have become so popular. Now that you can get that "form factor" in something with decent gas mileage, yes -- they have been flying out of dealer lots. "It's almost as if the manufacturers figured this stuff out, given that they can make more from the sale of an SUV compared to a car......"
You raise a lot of good points. Let's face it, the Euro-styled C-HR was just not selling well in the subcompact CUV category and Toyota was watching their competitors rake in $Billions. I expect the Yaris Cross will be the next debut from TMC in this market. Save Sidewall.
I love the idea of the Corolla Cross; I wish it had a 8A instead of a CVT, and I really, really wish it had more torque to got with that 169 HP . . . Still, the size is near perfect, it comes in AWD . . . hmmmmmmm.
It weighs about as much as a base Camry and costs about as much so it should have had the Camry's base powertrain. MPG and performance results are showing the 2.0 with CVT are overworked and inefficient in the Cross.
From the respective press kits- Corolla sedan length = 182.3 inches, Corolla Cross length- 175.5 inches. And yeah, I checked it three times because I was surprised.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH Someone in their 20's is going to know what a geared trans and a CVT will feels like. An example of sporty sedan would be a Nissan Maxima. It has a CVT in it. The new generation of Subaru's have a CVT and you can't do any off road in them. The CVT bogs down. Lets get a WRX STi.... crap, there isn't a DCT. It has a CVT.
