Featured 13th generation Corolla goes shockingly futuristic, battery-electric

Reminded me of the bZ2.

 

More boring than ever before...

 

meh.
It's still a napkin drawing for now.

I'm imagining kids trying to cost justify a $40,000....Corolla.

 

I like it a lot, but we're considering replacing the Camry with the cross

 

I'll sell you a gen2 with a sodium pack? Way better choice!

 

The current Corolla Cross hybrid reminds me of the gen3 v including no sound deadening and relatively cheap interiors. However it has 196 hp, advanced safety features and the expected center screen with Carplay/AA. All for about the same price I paid for the v in late 2011.

 

I don't know what kids use to justify cost. But a 53-year-old like me would say it's called a GR.

Why is everything becoming a crossover. Also, why do I dislike crossovers? Sometimes I just don't understand myself.

 

They ARE easier to fold yourself into.

I'd be more of a GR86 dude than a GR.
Cheaper.
RWD.
Has a third pedal (Gen Z Anti-theft device.)
Non-turbo.

BUT....back to Corollas......

 

Are you looking at the increased seat height? Toyota will be doing a hatchback and wagon for the new Corolla, and I expect the hatch to be available here.

 

Maybe for head room, but my experience is that crossovers tend to have less leg room. I guess I'm more of a Lazyboy kind of guy than a dining-room chair kind of guy. But still, I guess I can see the appeal.

I also think that, cubic-foot for cubic-foot, crossovers take up less square-footage than something with similar interior space, like a station wagon.

But still, I don't like bricks, even if they are more aerodynamic than ever. To me, all cars should be looking more like Apteras, not bricks. And I also don't like the lack of frontal visibility on a lot of these tall, square-nosed vehicles. If they're going to make the grill taller than a five-year-old, then put some school-bus style cross-over mirrors on the hood so people can see what's in front of them.

Don't make me drool! The GR86 would be my choice over the GR Corolla too. For me, the only drawback would be trying to fit a friend or two in the rear seat.

My only reason for wanting a GR Corolla is that there is a third pedal option. I have zero interest in an automatic GR Corolla.

Back to the main subject:
If the 13th gen Corolla came with a manual transmission, I'd be all over it. But I'm sure that that's never going to happen, and I understand why: Toyota's superior hybrid system is CVT, and I'm one of only 3 people in the world that want a standard transmission in a base model Corolla.

Something else that would catch my attention, MT or not, would be a less cluttered interior. Like, get rid of that center console. It serves no purpose other than to take up more space.

 

It's kind of like going to a restaurant and not being able to decide between fish, steak or lasagna and asking them if they could just mix all three meals into one so you can't enjoy what tastes good about each one.

 

I didn’t either, until we got the bolt. Being older, we’ve found it easier to get in and out.
The ride height is better for our vision as well.
And the new Camrys are lower and more difficult to get in and out, and vision is poorer.
Between the blown engine on my gen 3, and the new Camry, Toyota is kind of helping us to make a decision on a crossover.
I like the rav 4 plug in, but it may be a little too big for Mrs B day to day

 

Yes, and access and egress. The bolt is perfect, we don’t want anything higher.
It also needs to hold as much as the Camry

 

The Rav4 really is not longer than my gen3 v. But it is taller and slightly wider.

The 2019-2025 Rav4 hybrid was light years better than the v in almost every area but especially ride, noise and access. The Corolla Cross is arguably less refined in those three categories than my 2012 v which is smoother on the highway and over bumps than the current Cross. So for those categories it would be Rav4 hybrid, old v, new Cross. Remember they sell the new Cross for what I paid for the v 14 years ago.

Now for the kicker. The redesigned 2026 Rav4 is quieter, has a better ride and is more powerful than the 2019-2025 models without getting bigger. Some suggest it approaches Lexus in quality. It is made in the US and Canada.

I would buy the new Rav4 hybrid unless budget dictated the Corolla Cross. The new Prius would not be in the running due to size, price and access.

 

It’s the height that bothers us I think.
We had a gas loaner when the Camry windshield was being replaced.
It looked huge in the garage where the Camry sits.
Like all things, it will require research, test drive, measurements and etc.
She’s been driving Camrys for 25 years

 

RAV4 plug in is a foot shorter, 10” higher and the same width as Camry

 

If she drove a conventional Rav4 with stop start, those are terrible. I can see why they went full hybrid in 2026.