The Toyota Corolla Cross was the most underrated car of 2020

Yes, that’s right. The Toyota Corolla Cross is our first-ever Underrated Car of the Year winner. We know what some of you are thinking: “A Toyota not getting enough attention? Are you guys for real?” Let us explain.

That isn’t what we mean by underrated here. The point we’re trying to get across is that the winner, in this case, Toyota’s new crossover, deserves even more attention based on its impact on the local market and the proposition it offers.

PHOTO BY Toyota

Top Gear Philippines writers and contributors cast their votes to determine the Underrated Car of the Year winner, and the Toyota Corolla Cross came emerged on top, beating out the likes of the Kia Stonic and Seltos, Geely Okavango, and Suzuki S-Presso. This award’s scoring system was the same used to determine our 2020 Car of the Year, the Mazda CX-30.

Check out the results below:

Dinzo Tabamo

1^st Place – Nissan 370Z

2^nd Place – Kia Seltos

3^rd Place – Suzuki S-Presso

4^th Place – BMW 8-Series

5^th Place – SsangYong Korando

Jason Tulio

1^st Place – Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

2^nd Place – Changan CS75 Plus

3^rd Place – Ford Transit

4^th Place – Mazda CX-30

5^th Place – Maxus T60

Drei Laurel

1^st Place – Kia Stonic

2^nd Place – Maxus G50

3^rd Place – Ford Transit

4^th Place – Maxus T60

5^th Place – Mazda CX-8

Leandre Grecia

1^st Place – Suzuki XL7

2^nd Place – Geely Okavango

3^rd Place – Hyundai Venue

4^th Place – Changan CS75 Plus

5^th Place – Maxus T60

Sharleen Banzon

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Geely Okavango

3^rd Place – Mazda CX-30

4^th Place – Kia Seltos

5^th Place – Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Niky Tamayo

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Suzuki S-Presso

3^rd Place – Geely Okavango

4^th Place – Changan CS75 Plus

5^th Place – JAC S4

Andrew Guerrero

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Kia Seltos

3^rd Place – Hyundai Venue

4^th Place – Geely Azkarra

5^th Place – Mazda CX-30

Robby Consunji

1^st Place – Geely Azkarra

2^nd Place – Kia Stonic

3^rd Place – Maxus T60

4^th Place – Chery Tiggo 8

5^th Place – SsangYong Korando

Carlo Chungunco

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Kia Seltos

3^rd Place – Mazda CX-30

4^th Place – Kia Stonic

5^th Place – BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe

Ian Magbanua

1^st Place – Kia Stonic

2^nd Place – Suzuki S-Presso

3^rd Place – Maxus T60

4^th Place – SsangYong Korando

5^th Place – Geely Azkarra

Raymond Figuerres

1^st Place – Geely Okavango

2^nd Place – Kia Stonic

3^rd Place – Chery Tiggo 8

4^th Place – Geely Azkarra

5^th Place – Maxus G50

Final UCOTY scores

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross (40 points)

2^nd Place – Kia Stonic (37 points)

3^rd Place – Geely Okavango (29 points)

4^th Place – Kia Seltos (24 points)

5^th Place – Suzuki S-Presso (19 points)

PHOTO BY Dinzo Tabamo

Locally, the Toyota Corolla Cross carries a P1,285,000 starting price and packs a 1.8-liter gasoline engine with 138hp and 172Nm of torque. Alternatively, those of you looking for a greener alternative may take interest in the crossover’s hybrid version.

So, what other cars from the past year do you feel deserve more attention? Let us know your picks in the comments.