Cross It Off

Look: Toyota turned the wildly popular Corolla into a must-have crossover

It’s one of the most popular nameplates in the car world, and now there’s a crossover version. Toyota is going to sell a zillion of them. Here’s why.

by Jordan Golson

Toyota has been making Corolla sedans for 50 years: four doors and a trunk.

But this is a Corolla crossover, with SUV-styling and a cavernous cargo area.

The company says it’s a car “you didn’t know you needed until now.”

The Corolla Cross is available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive variants.

There’s a single engine option: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 169 horsepower. That’s not a lot, but it’s a Corolla. It’s about dependability, not speed.

169

horsepower

Of course, a Corolla needs to have decent fuel economy as well. The FWD Corolla Cross gets 31/33/32 city/highway/combined.

The AWD version gets 29/32/30.

It’s a bit smaller (and cheaper) than the RAV4 and includes a lot of active safety features as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

For the money, it’s a very well-equipped small SUV.

Toyota hasn’t shared pricing (yet)

But expect the Corolla Cross to start in the mid-$20,000 range. It’ll go on sale this fall.

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