• Larger 2.0-litre 196 hp engine from Toyota Prius
• OTA-updateable infotainment with dual Bluetooth devices connection
• With Paddle shifters and AWD

Several years late, Toyota Motor Sales USA has finally introduced a hybrid variant of the Toyota Corolla Cross.

However unlike our local 1.8-litre Corolla Cross Hybrid, this US market model will be powered by a larger 2.0-litre engine taken from the latest Toyota Prius. It makes 196 hp.

The AWD-only electrified Corolla Cross is now capable of 0 – 96 km/h in 8 seconds.

In terms of styling, the US market Corolla Cross is closer to the Japanese market model (also 1.8-litre, like ours but with AWD).

Like the regular 2.0-litre non-electrified Corolla Cross for USA, the American Corolla Cross Hybrid is made by the jointly owned Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The 50-50 Mazda-Toyota-owned plant also makes the American market Mazda CX-50.

Inside, the American Corolla Cross gets additional features not available to our region’s model, including paddle shifters, Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with USB-C charging ports, Over-the-Air (OTA) updatable infotainment with ‘Hey Toyota’ Intelligent Assistant, dual Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Also read: Built at the same plant, the Mazda CX-50 and Corolla Cross are really estranged cousins

It also adds electric parking brake, which allows it to have full-speed range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC with Stop&Go function), as opposed to our local car's all-speed DRCC. Similarly confusing names but what is means is that our local Corolla Cross with mechanical parking brake's DRCC can come to a halt, but driver intervention is necessary to hold the brakes and resume driving.

Prices of the American Corolla Cross Hybrid have yet to be announced as the model will only go on sale there in the third quarter of 2023. For reference, the non-hybrid Corolla Cross with a regular 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine is priced from USD 23,060 to USD 27,165.