Ha. At today's markups, we both might have to reconsider those statements

I didn't say it would outsell the RAV (I don't believe that myself), but I can see a good-sized dent in its sales. It's the closest competition the RAV-4 has had from inside Toyota yet.

 

Haha, thats true!

 

Here's Alex's take on it.......the reviewer I generally respect the most. This video is shorter (about 20 minutes) than his usual half-hour, but, as usual, he does a very thorough job......and takes it through some of the roads in the western part of Austin, TX, up into the edge of the Hill Country. (I once lived in Austin, and recognized part of it).

He never really criticized it for being cheap or cost-cutting, but IMO, it lacks some of the features that some other small crossovers give you for the same price-range, like amber rear-turn-signals, power seats, a rear arm-rest, and true leather, even in the highest trim XLE version. However, even though true leather can have a nice feel, I tend to have some sympathy for the cows on whether we really need it or not.

 

the rav4 sells well because it's the ONLY compact Toyota suv. (the awful ch-r doesn't count).

the rav4 is also built on the corolla platform, with the 'fake tough' treatment.

this corolla cross could indeed become a big seller, because there are many who want 'non descript', 'plain', 'simple'. this is exactly how the camry, corolla, etc., sold in such giant numbers for so many years. now the game is crossovers, and toyota knows it needed something to take on rogue in particular. the rav4 might be a bit 'showy' to many. i see new model rav4s on the road everywhere. still hate the looks.

i agree it's unlikely to outsell the rav4, and if it starts to take off, toyota won't care if it does, they win either way, and they're holding all the cars as far as availability quantities / production.

 

Although this might be stretching it a little, The Venza might (?) be considered a borderline compact crossover, although definitely not in the Corolla Cross's price-range....you will generally pay more for a Venza, and, not surprisingly, it is much nicer inside..

I agree with you that the RAV-4 is a lot more fake-toughness than the real thing.

 

I sincerely doubt the Cross will touch anywhere near the RAV4's sales, not because of lack of demand but because the production capacity will be far lower. This is built in the Mazda-shared factory alongside the CX50, which should give an indication of how few Toyota will actually make. It'll be a more niche vehicle like the C-HR.

 

Up until the time of the chip-shortage in the last year or so, Toyota has always found ways of producing what was in demand. We'll see if that trend continues.


Although each individual taste is different, it's difficult to imagine many people choosing the CH-R over the Corolla Cross. Alex came to the same conclusion in his comments in the video.

 

Fake tough sells! Thats why they made this look fake tough too.

 

Venza...

I doubt the Corolla Cross will steal sales away from the RAV4 or Venza any more than a Corolla steals sales from the Camry.

 

apparently it will offer awd. https://www.autoblog.com/2021/06/02/...-cross-reveal/

 

I saw one of these today in the parking lot of my office - very underwhelming. IMO there's definitely better/more interesting choices out there.

 

the power of the comma i read that as: "No cars like that ever get much attention."

i can see this selling well in florida to seniors who don't need much space and don't need or want the 'tough' styling of the rav4, and i assume this corolla cross will be substantially cheaper.

venza is quite a bit bigger and hybrid only and a good bit more expensive, so i agree. as for corolla not stealing sales from camry, that's kind of obvious because they're substantially different size vehicles. corollas are great for single people or couples with no kids. with kids, a camry is a whole lot easier. or if someone wants a car with a nicer ride with the longer wheelbase.

i took a cab ride in a new camry the other day and was astounded at how quiet it was.

 

Venza and RAV4 share the same wheelbase and width The larger overhangs on the Venza add about 5 inches to its length over the RAV4, but is smaller than a RAV4 on the inside. If you equip them similarly, they are about the same price. It's just that the Venza doesn't have a lower trim like the RAV4. So I could see some people looking at the lower trim RAV4s also considering a Corolla Cross, but I doubt it'll take much from the RAV4.

I do really like the looks of the Corolla Cross, though. I haven't seen one in real life yet to get a better feel for the size and styling. I haven't looked up CC dimensions yet to see how much smaller it is than the Venza and RAV4.

 

seeing more and more of these CCs in my area! i have no doubt toyota will be selling lots of them.

they don't look too bad. i prefer them over the C-HR!

 

As for it being "underwhelming"...what vehicle in that segment is "overwhelming"?!