The Toyota Corolla Cross HEV facelift model ticks all the right boxes for the everyday driver.
Back in 2021, the Toyota Corolla Cross emerged in Malaysia to the warmest of receptions. Amidst the lockdowns, this new entry from the world’s largest car company was seen as the new normal amidst a sea of relatively affordable crossover options. However, this reviewer was not completely convinced at the time, especially when the Corolla sedan gave you a much better product for around the same money. Late last year, Toyota Malaysia brought in this facelift model and this seems to have solved a lot of my gripes with the car.
The main thing being the introduction of an electronic parking brake with brake hold as standard – the outgoing model featured a archaic foot brake mechanism. The new Corolla Cross line-up variant also now gives you two hybrid options that have completely different driving and visual characteristics.
We didn’t get to drive the GR Sport version, so our thoughts will be focused more on the standard HEV. Here we now get a large, colour rich and well-animated 12.3″ digital instrument cluster alongside an upgraded 10.1″ infotainment unit with wireless Apple CarPlay.
The new digital instrument cluster gives you loads of customization options, with layout, design and widgets to choose from. These two digital elements really move the perceived value up, but there are plenty of other touches that accomplish this as well.
This variant, for instance, comes with brown leather accents on the upholstery. USB-C ports are now dominant throughout the Corolla Cross cabin.
It’s a nice looking interior and one that feels a tier more pleasant than its predecessor in form and function.
Outside, the largest difference can be found in front with a more ‘closed off’ grille. It feels like the designers are alluding to the electrified nature of the car, but on second look this same grille is featured on the base 1.8L petrol model as well.
It’s a cleaner look overall that makes the Corolla Cross feel a little more appropriate for sale in 2025.
The grille features a uni-coloured honeycomb-style look that blends into the bumper seamlessly. The headlights are now connected with a piece of garnish. It doesn’t light-up or anything, but it does add to the futuristic look of the car.
The bumpers, both front and back, seem to have been tweaked as well, but they’re still clad in unpainted plastic, in case that’s a look that you have strong feelings for/against.
Under the hood, the Corolla Cross Hybrid features no major changes, though we’re sure Kaizen doctrine has meant 1000 minor improvements that don’t translate to the specification sheet. Behind the wheel, we can’t say that this drives any better than the last model. It’s still a middle-of-the-road crossover with inoffensive handling and comfort characteristics.
The hybrid system is one of the better ones on the market in terms of its refinement. You do hear the 1.8L 2ZR-FXE kick in to power the Ni-MH battery pack, but it’s a distant hum that’s more than tolerable. In this Toyota Hybrid set-up, a special e-CVT delivers the combined power of the electric motor and petrol motor to the front wheels.
The combined system output is 122PS and 163Nm of torque but you can drive the car in pure electric mode if you control your pace and hit the EV Mode button. The most significant upgrade to the engine in the facelift is the ability to remotely start it via a smartphone app.
The Corolla Cross Hybrid occupies a pretty safe place in the market today. It’s the option most families should consider if they want something affordable that can stand up to potentially rising fuel costs without being too left field.
The biggest improvement this time is that it no longer looks poorly-equipped next to the Toyota Corolla Altis and that the price has come down slightly despite the recent trend of jacking up prices by most automakers.
There’s nothing offensive about the car, it just gets the job done and gets out of the way – what more can you ask for in such an age full of cars with gimmicks. These cars have held their resale value well and now that they feel more modern than their sedan counterpart, it’s actually not that hard to recommend. I mean, you get more than enough ameneties here, including a powered tailgate, which was seen as a luxury about a decade ago to Toyota buyers.
Toyota Malaysia does a good job of throwing in dashcams and other useful accessories too.
Plus, if you’re a stickler for the little things like having a spare tyre, you’ll be happy to note that this hybrid still comes with one.
However we still have one or two areas of concern. One, the rear doesn’t feel as large as it should. It’s much larger than some of its newer rivals from Japan like the Kicks or HR-V, but feels more constrained than the older Subaru XV. There’s something a little restrictive about getting in and out of the back, at least for someone of my size.
The rear suspension and tyre arches also seem to take up a lot of space in the trunk, forcing a rather awkward layout and a huge hump when the rear seats are folded flat.
Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Facelift Specification
Engine: Inline-4, 16-Valve, DOHC, Atkinson Cycle, Petrol Hybrid
Capacity: 1,798cc
Gearbox: CVT Automatic
Max power: 97hp @ 5200rpm + 71hp (electric)
Max torque: 142Nm @ 3600rpm + 163Nm (electric)
Price: RM140,800
