The Toyota Corolla needs no introduction.  Most of us have either owned one, currently own one or know someone who owns one; at the very least, we’ve seen one somewhere on the roads.  They’re the blue jeans of the automotive world: a basic and classic staple that might get a few tweaks as the years go by but never really goes out of style.  But what about Toyota’s new Corolla Cross? 

To change metaphors from fashion to cooking, the Corolla Cross is rather like fusion cooking, where you take the best of one world and add it to the best of another to produce an amazing combination.  Yes, it’s the motoring equivalent of tandoori chicken pizza or kimchi quesadillas.  Specifically, the Cross is because this is a combination of an SUV and the classic Corolla.

You might find picturing what this might look like harder than imagining what a kimchi quesadilla tastes like.*  Take the high stance of a typical SUV and put a slightly squared-off version of the Corolla on top of it, with nice big wheel arches framing 17-inch alloy wheels (18 inches in the top-of-the-range Atmos variant).  The result is something slightly more streamlined and sedan-like while still clearly being a five-door SUV.  It’s a bit like seeing your best friend coming back from a three-week holiday that was mostly spent in the gym or hiking.  It’s familiar but looks stronger and bulkier.  Standing at 4.46 m tall, it’s not the biggest SUV on the block, but it doesn’t pretend to be. 

On the inside, however, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross is pure Corolla.  There’s seating for five and in the GXL and Atmos variants are upholstered in leather (you get cloth in the GX).  The rear seats are split-folding for bigger loads, and in the Atmos variant, the driver’s seat is heated, and there’s a good selection of cup and bottle holders around the cabin.  A USB port is there for charging things, as well as Bluetooth connectivity to the speaker system, voice recognition, a nicely sized full colour multifunction display screen and a rear view camera. The instrument display panel has a useful speed zone reminder (the Corolla Cross has road sign recognition programming).

To dig into what else you’ll find in the cabin of the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross, we’ll need to break things down by variant, and we’ll start with the entry-level GX.  Not that the GX feels like it’s skipped out on anything.  If the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross is a kimchi quesadilla, it’s got the automotive equivalent of the taco, the cheese and the spicy pickled cabbage, so you don’t really feel like you’re missing out on anything.  In terms of driver aids, the Corolla Cross is fitted out with the basics for safety (ABS brakes with EBD brake assist, traction control and electronic stability control) but it doesn’t stop there.  It’s also got a forward collision alert that can recognize vulnerable road users (bikes and pedestrians), hill hold, cross-traffic alerts front and rear blind spot warning, active lane keeping assistance and a lane departure warning.  It’s also got a system that detects driver fatigue or if the driver’s attention is wandering.  It’s also got a rear seat occupancy warning. If you’ve never come across the latter, it’s designed to remind you not to leave your kids or pets in the back seat when you get out of the car, as children and animals can die and have died from being left unattended in hot cars.  Toddlers dying from overheating in the back seat of a car is a serious issue, but part of me can see the comedy potential of these possibly going off inappropriately when considerably older people are getting the other sort of hot in the back seat.

The GXL variant of the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross adds in a bit more, like adding a bit of tomato and sweetcorn to the kimchi quesadilla.  It adds in front and rear parking assistance, as well as front and side cameras, GPS navigation, and fog lamps at the front to complement the automatically dipping LED headlights.  The Atmos variant takes the speakers up from a six-speaker system to a nine-speaker system and throws in those other things I’ve already mentioned (heated seats and an extra inch of tyre diameter), and a few more paint colours are there to choose from – with two-tone paint available as an option. 

Now, the big question I’m sure you’re curious about is what’s under the bonnet.  Well, you can find the same 2-litre inline-4 petrol engine you’ll find in the classic Corolla.  This bangs out a maximum of 126 kW at 6600 rpm in terms of power, and the torque hits the top of its curve at 202 Nm when the rev counter hits 4900 rpm. The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross has a front wheel drivetrain, which comes coupled to the 10-speed CVT transmission.  However, a hybrid version is available for all three variants, which throws in a 146 kW electric motor.  The GXL and Atmos variants also come with a 4×4 drivetrain, which blends well with the SUV styling, like adding beef to that kimchi quesadilla.

The current 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross models include:

• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX 2-L petrol FWD
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX hybrid FWD
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GXL 2-L petrol FWD
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GXL hybrid FWD
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GXL hybrid 4×4
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos 2-L petrol FWD
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos hybrid FWD
• 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos hybrid 4×4

For any more information on the new 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Toyota dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

*If you’re curious, take some flour or corn tortillas, and cover half of each circle with lots of grated cheese and some kimchi, plus some sort of protein if you feel keen. Fold it in half, then fry on each side until the cheese melts and the tortilla is golden and crispy.  Guacamole optional for serving.  Eat hot while the cheese is still melting and gooey.