Page 38 - Waterfall January 2022

Waterfall motoring

ToyoTA CoRoLLA

CRoss sA LAunCh

By Alan Rosenmeyer
W henever a vehicle manufacturer launches

a new model on the market, it’s an
important event. When it’s an extra
product added to the line-up AND it’s
locally manufactured, it’s far more significant.

Toyota SA just ticked all of these boxes and a few more with
the launch of the new Corolla Cross. Firstly, it’s an additional
line coming out of the SA plant. Secondly, it’s the first Suv
ever on the Corolla platform and, thirdly, it’s the first locally-
produced hybrid vehicle across all the motor vehicle brands.

Taking into account the heritage of over 50 million
worldwide sales and 1.6 million sales of Toyota
Corollas here in SA, nobody needs reminding of
the significance of the Corolla nameplate. However,
in our fast-changing world, sedans are no longer
popular and everybody wants an Suv. What better
combination than the Corolla name on an Suv?

The Cross is offered with two engine options, 1.8l
4-cylinder with 103kW and 172Nm driving the
front wheels through the smooth CvT automatic
transmission. OR . . . the same engine with added
hybrid electric power to supplement performance.

Ignore the figures you read regarding the hybrid version
with its quoted 90kW output. The electric assistance
adds instant extra power and acceleration especially on According to calculations presented at the launch,
pull-off or overtaking. The bonus is the 30% fuel saving. an average motorist would recover the additional
investment in less than two years, based on fuel
The range comprises three specification levels: the base saving alone. Drivers that cover higher than
Xi in petrol, with Xs and Xr offering buyers the choice of average mileage would benefit even sooner.
petrol or hybrid. The Xr then adds the bonus of the Toyota Prices are as follows:
Safety Sense package, with extra features including radar 1.8 X i CvT R349 900
(active) cruise control, lane departure and blind-spot 1.8 Xs CvT R390 900
warning, in addition to the already high specification levels. 1.8 Xs CvT Hv R413 000
1.8 Xr CvT R425 400
Not only is the Corolla Cross the first hybrid to be 1.8 Xr CvT Hv R448 300
manufactured on local soil, Toyota has also managed to set
the pricing at exceptionally affordable levels. A premium All prices include a 6-service/90 000km service
of R23 000 is the difference between petrol and hybrid plan, 3-year/100 000km vehicle warranty, plus
– measured against the fuel economy, this is minimal. 8-year/195 000km hybrid battery warranty.

Here’s the link to watch the full video review: https://bit.ly/corollacrosslaunch

36 Waterfall Issue 1 2022