The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, powered by a 169 horsepower four cylinder 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve with Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence engine paired with CVT for fuel efficiency, went on sale in the Fall of 2021. In this test drive, onlookers asked if it was a Subaru, another very popular selling Japanese brand which offers only all-wheel drive vehicles. All three Corolla Cross trim levels, the L, LE and XLE, are available in all-wheel drive. The top-of-the-line XLE was test driven and reviewed in this video, which, with options, has an MSRP of about $32,000. The Corolla Cross is assembled at the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama, that has the capacity to produce up to 150,000 Corolla Cross vehicles per year. At first, it seemed that the Corolla Cross was under-powered with 169 horsepower, but after a 360 mile test drive that included high speed highway driving maneuvering through California rainstorms, it delivered impressive performance and good fuel economy that came in at about 30 MPG as published. Despite being the smaller sibling of the Rav4, it has significant space and cargo capacity. Definitely worth considering when shopping for a compact SUV.
