2022 Toyota Corolla Cross treads familiar territory

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross appears acquainted, like a new wintertime jacket that someway smells like Grandpa. Toyota’s hottest model does not do something new, but it welcomes prospective buyers coming from Toyota sedans or downsizing from greater automobiles with a heat but uninspired greeting.

Extra like a lesser RAV4 than an upsized Corolla hatch, the tiny crossover presents a right-sized alternative to the funky Toyota C-HR hatchback which is been paraded about as a crossover because 2018. The newest Toyota doesn’t come to feel so new, with its outdated infotainment process, buzzy powertrain, and analog gauge cluster. There’s even a stick in the gauge cluster to reset the journey meter like the old days. But Toyota has tested time and all over again that its conservative introduction of new car systems appeals to prospects who prefer familiarity. That is 1 motive it earns a strong TCC Ranking of 6.2 out of 10, which will possible improve at the time crash-check results are finalized. 

In my extensive weekend on the street with the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross XLE with AWD, I was surprised to not uncover a CD player.

Hit: Seems like a smaller sized, calmer RAV4 

The 5-seat crossover shares styling capabilities with Toyota’s bestselling RAV4, but with no the sharp angles front and back. The split higher and reduced grille distances itself from the much more menacing scowl of the RAV4 with a smile that aims to you should. Black cladding runs in excess of sq. wheel arches, and curved fenders give it some heft from the rear without having demanding to be taken very seriously as an SUV. It’s not, and Toyota has struck the harmony concerning over-developing some of its latest styles with a extra unified streamlined search in the Corolla Cross. 

Pass up: Dull, buzzy powertrain

There’s less to like less than the hood, but it’s properly satisfactory for most motorists. The Corolla Cross makes use of a 2.-liter inline-4 shared in the course of the family, from the Toyota C-HR to the Lexus UX. It can make 169 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque, and paired with a continually variable automatic transmission it’s not heading anyplace in a hurry. That is wonderful, but the noise it will make appears to be as if it’s straining for reduction all-around each individual bend. Extra than just about anything else, the noise reveals its financial system car or truck roots. 

Strike: Cargo volume

It continues to be to be noticed if the Corolla Cross will exchange the flagging C-HR, which however sold 35,700 models in 2021. The squat C-HR holds only 19.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats, or 37 cubes with the seats folded down. The Corolla Cross AWD product I examined had 25.2 cubic feet of room with the rear seats up, and the cargo keep easily handled a Costco operate. Independently, it held my daughter’s significant hockey bag with fewer of a dilemma than other compact crossovers. In both product, there’s only about 32 inches of rear legroom but head and shoulder room is better in the Corolla Cross than the C-HR. 

Pass up: Out-of-date interface

Toyota has been rolling out its substantially-improved operating method and interface, but the entry-degree Corolla Cross doesn’t get it. The font and graphics will be familiar to anybody who’s driven a Toyota in the previous ten years or two, which offers it a common simplicity missing in other new automobiles. But it is dated, like an 8-bit activity in a digital metaverse.  

Strike: Out there all-wheel drive

Top rated XLE types arrive with AWD, which you cannot get in a C-HR. This should really appeal to winter weather drivers who want the included traction of AWD devoid of the headache of swapping out winter season tires.

Miss: Need to be a hybrid

The loud but effective powertrain has an EPA-rated 29 mpg city, 32 freeway, 30 combined. I arrived up small of that on primarily freeway miles, but it’s fantastic for an AWD crossover. It would be so significantly better—and quieter—as a hybrid. Maybe next year. 

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2022 Toyota Corolla Cross XLE AWD

Base value: $28,640, which includes $1,215 location

Price tag as examined: $33,550

Drivetrain: 169-hp 2.-liter inline-4 with a CVT and AWD

EPA gas overall economy: 29/32/30 mpg

The hits: Relaxed styling, fantastic cargo space, available AWD

The misses: Loud, out-of-date interface, would be much better as a hybrid