[CAR REVIEW] Toyota Corolla Cross HV: User Feedback After 1 Year

Reasons for Choosing Toyota Corolla Cross HV

Hoang Vu, owner of a one-year-old Corolla Cross HV, explains that his family chose this car partly because of the prestige associated with the Toyota logo. Toyota has been a trusted brand in the Vietnamese market for a long time.

The Toyota brand provides customers with durable, high-quality, and popular products. This intangible value plays a crucial role in customers’ car purchase decisions.

Another reason is the Corolla Cross’s breakthrough design compared to other Toyota models when it was launched. The crossover model stands out with its youthful, modern, and fresh appearance.

Even now, when competitors like the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage have launched with impressive designs, the Toyota Corolla Cross still stands its ground and can be considered satisfactory for the young user group.

Furthermore, besides the brand value and beautiful design, Corolla Cross HV is also popular due to its leading list of equipment in the segment at the time of launch. Even now, it’s still not falling behind HR-V, Tucson, or Sportage in terms of options.

Convenient and Modern Hybrid Technology

In the Vietnamese market, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV remains the only choice in the crossover segment with a high chassis and a price range under 1 billion VND for customers who want to experience hybrid gasoline-electric technology.

Unlike purely electric cars that depend on charging infrastructure like VinFast e34, Hyundai Ioniq, or Kia EV-6, the hybrid electric technology in the Toyota Corolla Cross does not rely solely on infrastructure. The car’s gasoline engine can directly drive and recharge the battery.

In other words, Corolla Cross owners still need to refuel their cars as usual, instead of having to “calculate” the distance and search for charging stations to recharge their vehicles like other pure electric models.

Thanks to the combination with the electric motor, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV doesn’t need to rely solely on the gasoline engine. Additionally, the car automatically recovers energy while decelerating and stores it, effectively utilizing wasted energy during operation.

As a result, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV impressively achieves a fuel consumption rate of about 4.5 to 5 L/100km, which is only half of other similar cars with the same engine capacity and weight.

Concerns About Caring for and Maintaining Hybrid Cars

Customers often have concerns when considering a new and unfamiliar electric car before “investing” their money in it. However, after more than a year of use, Hoang Vu’s experience with the Toyota Corolla Cross HV has completely dispelled these concerns.

Compared to the version with a traditional combustion engine, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV requires almost no additional complex maintenance. Only the cooling system for the battery, which is not complicated, needs regular maintenance during the car’s usual maintenance intervals, such as oil changes every 5,000 or 10,000 km.

Furthermore, the electric motor in the Toyota Corolla Cross HV does not require regular maintenance, and even the energy storage battery is covered by a 10-year warranty from the Japanese manufacturer to ensure customers’ peace of mind.

Even after the 10-year warranty period, if the battery fails, Toyota Vietnam announces that the cost of replacing the new energy storage system for the car is only about 90 million VND, which is equivalent to the price difference between the V and HV versions of the car.

Satisfying Experience with Toyota Corolla Cross HV

In most cases, when the car starts or runs at low speeds, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV automatically switches off the internal combustion engine and solely relies on the electric drive system. The driving experience during these times is similar to driving pure electric cars – quiet and smooth!

When the battery needs to be recharged or the driver presses the accelerator pedal deeply, the car starts the 1.8L gasoline engine to combine and increase power. Thanks to the smooth coordination, the gasoline engine in the Corolla Cross HV does not need to operate at high RPM levels, which reduces noise in the car compartment and extends the engine’s durability and lifespan.

The Toyota Corolla Cross HV is equipped with a display screen behind the steering wheel. This screen intuitively shows the car’s operating information, including whether the electric motor or electric generator is on or off and whether the car is charging the battery or discharging energy from the battery to power the car.

Regarding space, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV is positioned between the B and C segment crossovers. This means that the car offers slightly more interior space than the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Kona-Creta but is not as spacious as the Mazda CX-5, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Tucson, or Kia Sportage.

However, in terms of user experience, the Toyota Corolla Cross is perfectly suited to the daily needs of a family (consisting of 3-4 adults and 1-2 children) in urban environments and for weekend trips with relatively short distances.

The car’s suspension system is well-tuned for the front seats; however, for the three passengers in the rear, the Corolla Cross only provides a satisfactory seating experience when going over speed bumps.

On mountainous roads with sharp bends or when changing lanes on the highway, the Corolla Cross showcases the strength of a global Toyota model: a very sturdy frame that gives the driver confidence.

The V and HV versions of the Toyota Corolla Cross are equipped with the TSS safety driving assistance package. This feature helps the driver feel less stressed, more confident while holding the steering wheel, and even assists in unexpected dangerous situations.

Areas That Still Need Improvement

Despite its many advantages, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV still has a few noteworthy areas to improve, especially in terms of user convenience. First, the car’s audio system provides acceptable, but not superior, sound quality.

Additionally, the car’s interface is somewhat monotonous and lacks integrated features, even though it includes Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Car owners may need to upgrade the speakers and screen to better serve their entertainment needs.

Furthermore, the rear suspension is slightly stiff, especially when going over speed bumps or rough roads, which can cause discomfort for passengers in the second row. Additionally, the gasoline engine generates a small, echoing noise inside the car compartment when operating at low RPM levels.

Nevertheless, the Toyota Corolla Cross HV is undoubtedly a worthwhile choice, offering many advantages over its competitors. The car is suitable for urban environments and for customers who have families and need a versatile vehicle for daily transportation and various purposes.

Beautiful, useful, convenient – these are also the reasons why the Corolla Cross consistently ranks among the best-selling cars in the Vietnamese market every month.

Anh Phan (Tuoitrethudo)