When it comes to sense and practicality, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is a bit of a no-brainer in the subcompact crossover class. It’s reasonably spacious, good on gas, has a large trunk, and predictably reliable. But one thing you wouldn’t call it is brisk.
The current Corolla Cross uses a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that’s paired with a single electric motor. Its total system output is 120hp, which is a little behind its peers such as the Nissan Kicks e-Power and Honda HR-V Turbo. In our testing, it takes over 11 seconds to get to 100kph, so it’s no speed demon at all. Sure, it’s not supposed to be fast, but its competitors can do the same task in under ten seconds.
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So, what to do if you want a faster Corolla Cross? Well, you’ll have to move to the US for that. The subcompact crossover was recently updated for the North American market, and you might like what it packs under the hood.
Instead of a 1.8-liter engine, the one over in the US packs a 2.0-liter. Not only that, the North American version has three electric motors to propel it forward. There are two motors that power the front wheels and one that motivates the rear axle. Because of that, the Corolla Cross Hybrid over there comes with all-wheel drive and independent rear suspension.
The 2.0-liter and three electric motors help give the North American Corolla Cross Hybrid a total system output 196hp and those electric motors provide a total of 290Nm of torque. That’s a healthy boost of 76hp over the model we get in the Philippines.
Despite the extra weight of the triple-motor setup, it’s still heaps quicker than the single-motor version. Toyota estimates a 0 to 100kph time of 7.5 seconds, significantly faster than the local version. Fuel economy figures remain strong despite the larger engine. The manufacturer claims up to 19.1 km/l in mixed conditions.
It has impressive specs, but we doubt this version will ever land in the Philippines. Still, it’s nice to know that this version exists and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the local version gets a power bump down the line.
