2022 Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport revealed, Japanese specs detailed

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross has been officially unveiled in Japan, while a new GR Sport model has been revealed for Taiwan.

As the soft-roader version of the venerable Corolla, the new Corolla Cross gives buyers a raised ride height and optional all-wheel drive, and will sit between the more outgoing C-HR and below the larger RAV4 in the Toyota line-up when it arrives in the second-half of 2022.

After a number of leaks, details of the Corolla Cross have finally been announced for the Japanese market. Buyers there have a choice of either a 1.8-litre non-turbo petrol engine with 103kW and 170Nm powering the front wheels, or a hybrid version offering a lower total combined power output of 90kW.

The hybrid model can be optioned with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with only a CVT automatic available. It’s worth noting that the Corolla Cross gets a belt-driven CVT, rather than the widely-praised direct-drive CVT found in the 2.0-litre Corolla sold in Australia.

All-wheel-drive versions also get double-wishbone rear suspension, which is expected to provide superior handling (as well as added grip) over the two-wheel-drive models that use a torsion beam rear-end.

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Hybrid versions sold in Japan also get a new protruding grille, revised front and rear lights, and feature an Emergency Power Supply Mode – allowing the vehicle to be used as an electrical generator to power appliances during a blackout.

While the engines carry over unchanged to the Corolla Cross GR Sport in Taiwan, the soft-roader gets styling updates and a new suspension tune, as well as chassis reinforcements for increased rigidity.

A new black grille, larger air intakes, integrated fog lights, aluminium-look skid plates and side skirts, and two-tone paint with a black roof provide a sportier look to the standard Corolla Cross.

Unlike proper Gazoo Racing models such as the Toyota GR Supra, GR Yaris, and GR 86, models with 'GR Sport' badging tend to add mild revisions – such as the LandCruiser 300 Series GR Sport, which gets extra goodies to improve its off-road abilities.

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“Corolla Cross … delivers the superior practicality demanded by customers in this segment including the high driving position, great visibility, spacious interior and ample head clearance,” Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales and Marketing said at the vehicle’s global reveal in July 2020.

A spokesperson for the company’s local arm today confirmed to Wheels the Corolla Cross will arrive here in the second half of 2022, but has stopped short of saying whether Australia will get the Japanese model or a similar variant to those sold in other right-hand-drive markets, such as Thailand and South Africa.

Pricing and local specification for the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross will be announced closer to the model’s Australian launch.