Toyota arrives to the party late with the RAV4 and small crossover

Toyota may be late to the party, but the Japanese car brand thinks it has the models to challenge the lead.

First is the new Yaris Cross, which joins a fleet of children’s crossovers that now accounts for 12.1 percent of the new car market, and is expected to rise to 16 percent next year. Based on the award-winning Yaris, this cross stands noticeably taller than the supermini, drawing inspiration from design features from the larger RAV4 crossover.

The Yaris Cross is positioned below the C-HR in Toyota’s crossover range, and is only offered as a hybrid in line with the automaker’s overall market strategy.

The front-wheel drive crossover is powered by Toyota’s 116 hp 1.5-liter hybrid petrol engine, with emissions of 101 g/km and a fuel economy figure of 4.5 l/100 km.

Pricing

Available prices as of the end of October start at €27,260, which is higher than most of its main competitors, but Toyota points to the fact that these lower-priced entry models from competitors are not hybrids, and not automatic.

The all-wheel drive option will be offered in the top four grades at a starting price of €36,770, but Toyota says the big seller is expected to be the mid-range Luna Sport, priced at €29,500.

While the wheelbase is the same as the Yaris supermini, the Cross is 240mm longer, 20mm wider and 90mm higher. The take-off space has been increased by 40 percent in the Yaris, to 397 liters.

Electric hybrid

A hybrid version of the Rav4 will also arrive this fall. After years of rejecting plug-ins and hybrids, the Japanese brand is now on board with coordination and is even calling on the government to retain a €2,500 grant for plug-ins.

The new addition to the Rav4 range promises all-electric driving from the battery for a range of 75 km, and claims that in city driving it can go up to more than 90 km. Both of these numbers outperform hybrid competitors, both in the regular and premium market.

Equipped with an 18 kWh battery pack – the largest in its class – powered by electric motors and compatible with Toyota’s 2.5-liter gasoline engine, its combined output of 306 horsepower is greater than many competitors in the market. It is also one of the fastest plug-in crossovers, providing a time from 0 to 100 km / h for 6 seconds. All this with an official fuel economy figure of 1 l / 100 km.

To accommodate the larger battery boot space, the 60L has been reduced to 500L, but that’s still competitive in this class, even with non-electrically conductive competitors.

The Japanese automaker claims that this all-wheel drive SUV is the perfect family crossover all-electric for the week and then as a plug-in hybrid on weekends for long trips away from home. Available in two grades, prices start at €48,275 after grants, and go up to €49,390 for the top-spec Sport Edition.

camry facelift

Finally, and perhaps lost in all of this crosshair madness, the revamped Camry range. The folk salon has received its lightest mid-life facelift, but the real news is the extra equipment on board.

In response to critics who pointed out the lack of Apple CarPlay, the system is now standard, along with a 9-inch touchscreen display. Along with other modifications to the equipment list, Toyota claims that it has added the equivalent of 3,000 euros in additional specifications to the top-end Pentium version, while the price has risen 1,305 euros to 44,935 euros.