5 Reasons The Toyota Corolla Cross Needs To Happen In North America

• The Toyota Corolla Cross is planned for the Asian market, but reports suggest it could come to Canada

• Fits between the Corolla hatchback and the RAV4

• Comes with a hybrid option

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Cross was unveiled for the Thai market earlier this week and with it came reports Toyota may bring the Corolla Cross to Canada and the US. We can only hope that ends up being true.

Here are five reasons why Toyota needs to bring the Corolla Cross over to our market.

1. Toyota doesn’t have a viable small SUV right now

We all like the Toyota C-HR and we all think it looks great. It also drives great. But it doesn’t offer all-wheel drive and as such, Toyota is left checking out what is happening in the basement of the subcompact SUV segment while the Honda HR-V and Nissan Qashqai are enjoying the party upstairs.

The Toyota Corolla is one of the most popular vehicles in the world and the Toyota RAV4 is one of the best-selling SUVs in North America. The vehicle in between them needs to have just as much success and you can’t do that with a FWD-only utility vehicle.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Cross with available all-wheel drive would put Toyota right back near the top of the subcompact SUV segment where it should be.

2. There are no hybrid subcompact SUVs

The Toyota Corolla Cross will come with a base 1.8-litre, four-cylinder engine with 140 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque. The output is very similar to the current C-HR.

Where the Corolla Cross would differ from the C-HR and every other subcompact SUV is that it would also likely offer a hybrid engine. The powertrain in question would offer 180 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque while the fuel consumption would likely be under 5.0 litres per 100 kilometres. A hybrid small SUV could do very well in certain markets in Canada and the US.

3. It looks really good

The one discerning feature of the current Toyota C-HR is that it looks really good. The design is by far the sportiest in the segment. The Corolla Cross isn’t as distinctive, but it still looks really good.

4. It’s built on the TNGA platform

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Cross will be built on the TNGA-C platform like the Toyota C-HR. The latter is an absolute blast to drive with sharp handling and impressive agility. The Corolla Cross will surely offer the same dynamics.

5. It would likely be the safest SUV in its class

The Toyota C-HR does a lot of things well and safety is another example. The Toyota Corolla Cross will follow in those footsteps with a more impressive suite of Toyota Safety Sense active safety features.

In other words, the 2021 Toyota Corolla Cross would likely everything we like about the Toyota C-HR, but with the added and necessary option of having all-wheel drive. It needs to come here.