Bucket Seat: Toyota Corolla Cross HEV

Toyota's assembly plant in Durban's south basin has been a key economic catalyst for the city since its opening in the 1970's, it saw a number of prominent models roll off the production line, most notably the popular medium sized family sedan, the Corolla. Toyota SA invested millions in upgrading the plant over the past decade to accommodate newer models, and even different drive trains, the big change so the Corolla sedan and hatch end its production here and the new Corolla Cross SUV take over the lines. After a brief setback due to the flooding of the area in 2022 the plant reopened again and continued to push out the Corolla Cross models in great numbers, for local and export purposes. This year saw the much loved model get a significant face-lift and a change in name for its hybrid model, which now is badged as HEV. There is also some new colours offered for the model and I got to spend some time with the HEV in one of the striking new colours, here I my thoughts on the car. 

DESIGN

The overall chassis design remains the same for the Corolla Cross with key changes made to the front grille which now has a solid panel colour coded as the body with perforations in circular shapes for air intake. It makes the car look futuristic and gives off an EV vibe to it. The front headlights also received a design change with an integrated bar which runs along the bonnet line linking the two. The Toyota badge is more pronounced and in the HEV model which I had, the badge has a blue hue to it so you know its a hybrid model. The rest of the outer body remains relatively the same with minor changes to the tail lights. Two new colours are featured in the choices, which are Oxide Bronze and the more striking Desert Gold which was what I had. It really is a striking colour and when the sun hits it at the right angles, it gives off a lovely shimmer. The interior design has subtle changes but nothing that is too eye catching from the previous model. 

PERFORMANCE

The Corolla Cross Hybrid is equipped with a 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine paired with an electric motor, delivering a combined output of 90 kW. Pure petrol engine churns out 72kW with 142Nm of torque. While acceleration is adequate for city driving, the vehicle can feel underpowered during overtaking maneuvers or uphill climbs, where the continuously variable transmission (CVT) may cause the engine to become noticeably noisy. ​The ever annoying grown of a CVT engine would never be one that I would get used to but the Corolla Cross HEV can be forgiven because its main focus isn't power, its fuel economy and that is where this car really shines. In real-world conditions, the Corolla Cross Hybrid demonstrates impressive fuel efficiency, averaging around 5.4 L/100 km. This figure is slightly higher than Toyota's claimed average of 4.3 L/100 km but still represents a significant improvement over the non-hybrid variant. ​Having done quite a bit of mixed driving with the car, I was still able to get an impressive 750km from the 36-litre petrol tank. 

COMFORT

As mentioned earlier in the article, there isn't much changes to the interior Corolla Cross Hybrid, it is designed with practicality in mind. While the dashboard layout is straightforward and user-friendly, it lacks the modern aesthetics found in some competitors. Having the XR model meant a higher trim level which included a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and premium materials, including real stitching on the instrument panel. ​The 10-inch infotainment screen remains the same along with the same UI as before, this for me remains an annoyance since it feels rather outdated, in saying that it does support wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto so the screen is projecting this most of the time. Toyota have finally upgraded the USB port to a USB C and it includes a wireless charging tray for mobile phones.  The Corolla Cross Hybrid offers ample cargo space, with a generous boot that can accommodate large and bulky items. However, the rear seats do not fold completely flat, which may limit the loading of certain items. Rear passenger space is adequate, though taller occupants may find headroom slightly restricted. ​

VERDICT

The 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid stands out as a reliable and efficient choice in the compact SUV segment. Its combination of fuel economy, practicality, and Toyota's reputation for durability make it a compelling option for urban drivers. While it may not offer the most exhilarating performance or cutting-edge interior design, it delivers where it counts for everyday use. In the South African market, the Corolla Cross Hybrid is priced competitively, with the XS HEV starting at R494,400 and the XR HEV at R545,200. All models come with a 6-services/90,000 km service plan and a 3-year/100,000 km warranty, while hybrid models include an 8-year warranty on the hybrid battery. ​

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.8l Petrol Hybrid
Gear Box	CVT Automatic
Torque	142Nm
Power	72kW
Avg Fuel Economy	4.7L per 100km
Price	R494,400*  base model

Bucket Seat: Toyota SA Prospection Plant officially re-opens

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has announced that its Prospecton Plant in Durban has resumed operations after production was halted due to damages caused by floods in the facility. The announcement was made at a “reopening ceremony” attended by members of the media, TSAM top brass as well as the newly elected Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, and Siboniso Duma, MEC of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

TSAM was enjoying a healthy market share of 30% – on average – before its production plant in Durban was submerged in water following the devastating floods that engulfed parts of KwaZulu-Natal in April. This immediately put TSAM on the backfoot, with its market share shrinking to 17%, 18,1% and 16,3% in the months of May, June and July – respectively. Despite this, Toyota held on to it’s number-one position in sales.

TSAM’s Prospecton Plant produces Corolla Cross and Quest as well as segment leaders Hilux, Hiace Ses’fikile and Fortuner – while also assembling a variety of Hino commercial vehicles. All the other production lines have resumed production with the exception of Corolla Quest, which is due to commence on 17 August.  

While the organisation had genuine concerns about witnessing the trail of destruction at the plant, its first priority was the safety and welfare of its employers, contractors as well as their families. This was followed by support to dealers, suppliers, affected communities, and then the recovery of plant operations. 

“We communicated with Japan (Toyota Motor Corporation) on the night of the 12th April; I very quickly got a message back of support and an offer from them to do whatever they could to help. They dispatched a lot of experts to support us, helping us to repair, identify, diagnose and replace and then communicating with suppliers all over the world to source replacement parts,” says President and CEO of TSAM, Andrew Kirby.  

The process towards the plant’s full recovery has been long, with pre-floods level forecasted to be achieved in December. Prior to the floods, operations at the Prospecton Plant were halted due to COVID-19 induced lockdowns in 2020 as well as the civil unrest that brought most businesses to their knees in 2021.    

“Despite these challenges, there was no impact at all to Toyota’s long-term future in South Africa. The commitment to rebuild this site has been incredible. We know that our recovery will not be smooth, but by next year we plan to be stronger and better than we were before.

“TSAM’s operations at Prospecton will actually be better and we plan to use this crisis to try and improve our equipment and upgrade where we can. In fact, we’ve created an internal slogan for our recovery called Rebuilding Better Together. This talks to how we all work together as one team to find a way of renewing and improving our site at the same time,” says Kirby.

The internal slogan also came through during the tour of the plant tour, where various presenters recalled the extent of the damage in their areas and how recovery processes were carried out to ensure that the plant will not susceptible to similar devastation in future. It also became clear that while there were more 4 000 vehicles damaged on site during the floods, the costliest damage was to the plant infrastructure itself – including robots and other machines.

In fact, as Kirby referenced one of his colleagues: “There was not a single square metre of the entire 87 hectares facility that was not affected. In fact, it would be easier to just build a new plant.”

Before introducing KZN Premier Dube-Ncube to the podium, MEC Duma said: “The reopening of the plant is not only good news to Toyota South Africa, but also to the economy of the province. This also shows Toyota’s commitment to investing in the province of KZN as well as the local automotive industry.”

Kirby agreed that there was a scope for TSAM to further bolster the already strong collaborations with the government of KZN. This was also echoed by Premier Dube-Ncube who commented that she would encourage her provincial colleagues to make Toyota the vehicle of choice for her government.   

“On behalf of the government of KZN, the people of KZN, we wish to pay a tribute to Toyota South Africa for the enormous strides that they took in resuscitating operations here at the plant. To all the stakeholders who participated in the clean-up operations, we would really like to thank you as the government of KZN. We know that through your hard work and agility, you were able to save people’s jobs,” says Dube-Ncube.

Bucket Seat: New Toyota Corolla Sedan

Toyota's Corolla has for the past few decades been a very important car for the local market, apart from it being assembled in their plant just outside Durban, it has been a key vehicle for the company as it was one of the models to drive their sales. With the recent adaptations of the out going models taking on the Quest badge, offering a similar vehicle but with less of the luxury additions, it's seen managed to core in another market for sales for the Japanese motor manufacturer, leaving the Corolla to take on a more luxurious appeal to consumers. With that, the all-new Corolla which was launched last year February to the local market saw a much more refined model hitting the market, built on the latest TNGA platform and being fully imported, it the first time in a long time the local consumer was getting a mid ranged vehicle from the brand that was not assembled locally. There definitely is a lot of Euro influence in the styling and the quality in build and materials was noticeable instantly. It was also the first time South Africa was introduced to the "Corolla Hatch" as previously the naming convention was always different for the Corolla with no boot, Conquest, RunX Auris, Auris X but Toyota chose to ditch that idea and simply call it for what it was. 

A year on now, and finally South Africans are getting to see the all-new Corolla Sedan, from what I can see so far, it was definitely worth the weight. With the hatchback variant already receiving rave reviews from all over, the sedan will surely get the same sort of views, with the car boasting enhanced driving dynamics and ride comfort, as well as a comprehensive suite of driver assistance safety features, a first for a Corolla. The car also comes with all the latest technological additions like other models on the market with built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making it a very attractive offering in the C segment. 

Pricing for the new Corolla is also very attractive with it being offered in 2 engine variants with a manual option as well as a new 10-speed continuously variable transmission, not how I negated to abbreviate that one as CVT is seen like a curse word in the industry but I take my hat off to Toyota, when it was first introduced, it was a terrible but they've stuck to their guns and persisted with the system, fine tuning it to the product they have today and after sampling it in the CH-R, I cannot fault it. The gearbox assists not only the engine but manages your fuel consumption so well, it will leave your bank balance with a big smile. 

The range topping model will be the Corolla XR which comes with the new TNGA 2.0L petrol engine which produces 125kW and 200Nm or torque will be offered in a 6-speed manual or the 10 speed auto box, the mid-range XS will be equipped with the 104kW 1.8L petrol engine which only comes with the CVT gearbox. Other noticeable features for the new Corolla sedan are Smart Entry, Bi-LED headlights with auto high beam assist, 19-inch laser cut rims, electrochromatic rear-view mirror, Toyota's Safety System which includes Pre-Crash activation, Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive All-Speed Cruise Control and Lane Departue Alert. The Corolla brand has really come a long way and Toyota are really proud of these 3 models that are making their entry to the country and with good reason. It's been a firm favourite with the locals for a long time and with the arrival of this new one, I cannot see anything changing. The cars are well priced, well equipped and they look stunning.  

Prices and Specs

• Corolla 1.8 XS CVT - R372,700
• Corolla 2.0 XR manual - R412,300
• Corolla 2.0 XR CVT - R425,200

BMW X3 xPlore - X Lifestyle Park

Last week I was invited by BMW South Africa to par-take in what would be an incredible 3 day journey across 3 provinces in the all new, locally assembled BMW X3. Called the X3 xPlore tour which involved a selected few media, mainly compromising of motoring journalists to experience what the first few models made locally by BMW at their Plant in Rosslyn were like as models that were used in the launch last year were all fully imported. It would be a good gauge to see if the locally made models compared equally to those which were assembled outside South Africa. With the plant being upgraded to accommodate the build of the X3, that would be one of the main point of interest in this 3 day tour, but as I soon found out that there was a lot more that BMW had up it's sleeve for us, which is why I decided instead of giving you one long post about my 3 day journey, rather I break it down into segments that are worthy of a story in it's entirety. 

Day 1 started off at the brand new home of Auto Bavaria in Midrand, one of the flagship BMW dealerships in the country. It was a great way to see what the modern BMW dealership would look like, with a dedicated //M car show room, lifestyle section for BMW clothing and accessories, a big open show room floor with a range of the models, from sports coupes, sedans and the X range. We were addressed by BMW SA CEO Tim Abbott on the importance of this tour and what it meant to them as a company, as they have already had a great history with their Rosslyn plant, being the first outside Germany to contribute to the BMW coach works build and for the first time changing it's product line from the 3 series to the X3. There was a handing over ceremony, where BMW donated two of it's X3 test units, which were marked for destruction as per policy over to the Rhino Orphanage, a non-profit organisation, dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of rhino calves orphaned by poaching. 

First up on the tour was getting a sneak peak at the upcoming BMW X Lifestyle Park, what is this you ask? Well its BMW's very own off road playground. Now I know what you all are thinking, "BMW doesn't make cars that can go off road", well that's where you're wrong. BMW's reason for building this is noting the shift in sales with more than 30% of BMW's global sales being made up by BMW X models. The XLP which compromises of a 1.3km off-road track .The X range of vehicles with xDrive are very capable as I soon found out.  While it may not be a fully fledged 4x4, with BMW's xDrive system, the vehicle is more than capable to tackle the obstacles present at the X Lifestyle Park, most of which are pretty demanding. 

The facility which will be open to the public in November will offer off-road Driving Experience courses from R2,750. Here customers can put their X models through its paces with various obstacles like hill descent, soft sand driving, water wading and rock crawl to name a few. Apart from the off-road track, the XLP will offer various family-orientated lifestyle experiences such as abseiling, zip-lining and park runs. Also on the site will be a BMW Lifestyle store with BMW accessories, a coffee shop and food stalls with it playing hosts to fitness activations. 

Stay tuned to the blog as we will bring you more about our BMW X3 xPlore Experience. 

Bucket Seat: Ford Invest in South Africa

Even though the current political climate in the country is at a boiling point with Parliament in turmoil after the recent constitutional court judgement against the president, it's good to see major investment being made to the country. Yesterday speaking at Ford Motor Company's Assembly plant in Silverton, Pretoria, Ford's executive vice president and president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jim Farley announced that company will be expanding operations at the plant with an investment of R2.5 billion!

This investment and expansion will mean an extra 1,200 jobs at Ford SA and within the South African supplier network. The plant will see itself after completion of the expansion produce the all new Ford Ranger and Everest, of which both were launched in the last quarter of 2015. Along with this, the market will also receive a new engine line up for the Everest which includes a 2.2 litre Duratorq TDCi four cylinder diesel engine. "Our customers love the capability and utility offered by the all-new Ford Everest. By producing the Everest in South Africa, we will be able to make it more readily available, and in greater variety of models for customers throughout Sub-Saharan Africa." - Jim Farley.

The plant currently exports the Ford Ranger to 148 countries in Africa, Middle East and Europe, and supplies Argentina, Thailand, North America, India and China  with engines and machined equipment. Last year at Ford's Go Further Summit held in Sandton, they pledged their alliance with the continent growth by confirming that they would assemble the new Ranger in Nigeria, using semi knock-down (SKD) kits and components imported from South Africa.

It's great that Ford Motor Company is showing interest in investing in our country, the demand for their product is here and if they can improve service and delivery times of vehicles for the market as well as create jobs while doing that only serves as a massive boost for our economy. Also with the Everest expanding it's engine line-up, gives the consumer more choice in decided their perfect SUV and takes the competition directly to their competitors. 

Bucket Seat: BMW 3 Series Face-lift - First Impressions

BMW are calling this "the most advanced 3 series yet" and they're right, its the latest installment to a model range that turned 40th this year and it's amazing to see how it's grown into the car that it is today. Last week I attended the launch of the face-lift 3 Series which kicked off at the Rosslyn Plant, the birth place for a car that's accountable for 25% of BMW's sales. Since the plant's inception in 1974 it's played a pivotal role for the company, apart from producing the 3 series sedan, it also manufacturers parts that get sent to other BMW plants around the world. It's a state of the art place, with it receiving the Platinum Plant Quality Award in the J.D Power Initial Quality Study, thus making it the best plant in the world! Quite an accolade for the guys in Rosslyn, it's great to know that such high standards of quality is maintained by the brand even beyond it's borders. The plant reached another significant millstone this year with it producing it's One millionth car, there was a special ceremony with the big chiefs of BMW SA present to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the staff at the plant. 

Right, now that the history lesson is over, time to get down to business of the reason I was there, the new 3 series! Yes it is new, but it''s just a face-lift version of the F30 sedan and very minor at that. To the untrained person they might not even make out the difference as they're very minimal. There have been changes to both the front and rear lights with optional full-LED. This emphasises the sporting credentials of the car, so says BMW. For me it does look cool, with the front lights having a distinct horizontal profile that line up with the kidney grille and the rear lights having that flowing LED cut to it. 

The main change to the car though is the engines, the entire range receives new engines apart from the 330d. Four new 4 cylinder and a new a 6 cylinder petrol engine are added to the line up with the the 328i and 335i making way for the 330i and 340i respectively. The 330i engine packs quite a punch with it pushing out 135kW and a lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions rating than it's predecessor. This is all thanks to a new cooling system that's developed for the modular BMW Efficient Dynamics engine family, which all feature the BMW Twin Power Turbo's. 

At the launch I had the opportunity to drive the range topping 340i, just like the 335i it is a force to be reckon with. The new engine is extremely responsive to the driver, allowing them to access all of the power when needed. The figures are astounding for the car with it producing 240kW and a combined fuel consumption of 7.7-6.5l/100km. It was a breeze to navigate it to the windy mountain passes of the Magaliesberg. On the way back I opted to jump in the new 320d, which also receives a new engine and  now standard with twin tail pipes, as is the 320i. This car was the one that intrigued me the most, being a top seller for the range it was nice to see what improvements BMW had made to the car. The engine is outstanding, apart from improved fuel consumption which was already quite good, it's performance levels have been tweaked, with it having less turbo lag than the old model. 

As per normal, there will be a host of packages the cars will be available in, for a broad scope of customization and for the enthusiast, BMW will be launching a 40th Year Limited Edition model which will feature exclusive details only available for it. 400 of these will be made in the various engine types, and market dependent. 

Overall, BMW have upped the game with their new 3 Series, yes while it might not look that much different from the previous shape, it's ticking all the right boxes in terms of being more efficient and more powerful which makes a big difference in driving enjoyment. BMW will also bring out a 330e plug-in hybrid early next year, proving their on going research into the plug in technology. After driving the old 3 Series Hybrid, Im keen to see how that one performs. The range kicks off with the now 318i at R409,000 up to the 340i which starts at R656,000. Not that badly priced if you have to compare it to its German rvials but with this one you can say it's being produced locally at the best plant in the world.