All the new cars coming to Singapore in 2022 from Toyota, VW and Volvo

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SINGAPORE

Welcome to Part Five of our Annual New Car roundup where we bring you all the new cars that are coming to Singapore in 2022.

Here’s what’s coming to town from Toyota Volkswagen, and Volvo. The Toyota Corolla Cross is a highly anticipated newcomer, and Volvo is launching two new EVs here too. More in the story below!

Catch up on Part 1 of our New Cars 2022 guide, with all the latest from Audi and BMW, Part 2 where we tell you about the exciting new EV that Kia is bringing to Singapore this year, Part 3, which includes the long list of new Mercedes-Benz cars arriving soon, and Part 4, which covers Porsche, Suzuki, and more.

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Disclaimer: All launch dates and prices are estimates with COE unless precisely stated.

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Toyota

What: Corolla Cross 
Variants (engine, trim): 1.8 hybrid 
When: Q4
How Much:  S$120,000 with COE

The Corolla Cross is no secret, with this small SUV having been produced in Thailand since 2020 as our news story on it explains. Interestingly enough, Toyota only announced the Japanese model in 2021, too.

SUV proliferation is nothing new, and the Corolla Cross is around the same size as a Yaris Cross, but it’s easier to think of it as a small RAV4, while the Yaris Cross is a small Harrier or coupe-styled crossover. We’ve no details on local spec nor engine variants just yet, but given Thailand’s sole model is the 1.8 hybrid, that could be the one we’re getting – unlike the Yaris Cross, which has a 1.5 hybrid drivetrain, and is thus Cat A compatible. As for gasoline-only engines, Japan also has a 1.8 non-hybrid version, but given the Cat B disadvantage and no VES benefits likely, we think the hybrid is the one we’ll get. 

The Corolla Cross delivers a lot of equipment at higher trim levels, as our story notes: The top of the range Corolla Hybrid Premium Safety is a very well-specified car, featuring LED lights, front power adjustable seats, a foot-operated tailgate, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert along with lane departure warning and pre-collision warning systems. It’s been confirmed that the nine-inch infotainment touchscreen on the upper end models work with Apple CarPlay. Thailand also has a tasty-looking GR Sport line edition (pictured at the top of this story) which could be another possibility. 

But the key to a successful car launch in Singapore is in balancing the price-value ratio well, so it will be interesting to see how Toyota approaches this with the Corolla Cross, and with regards to the new Honda HR-V hybrid.

 

What: GR86 
Variants: 2.4 
When: Q3
How Much:  S$190,000 with COE

The Toyota 86 was the Japanese brand’s attempt at making driving fun again, and it succeeded to a point as the 86 was an excellent driver’s car despite a lack of engine power. Toyota looks to solve the problems of that car with the new 86, which has been renamed the GR86, ‘GR’ stands for Gazoo Racing which is now Toyota’s racing/high-performance arm (see GR Supra, GR Yaris). 

Our story on the GR86 goes into more detail, but basically it’s lighter, stiffer, and more powerful than before, the latter thanks to an upsized 2.4-litre boxer engine that now puts out 235hp. If anything, it’s heartening to see that the (relatively) affordable driver’s car is still kicking in 2022. 

What: RAV4 Hybrid PHV
Variants: 2.5 PHEV
When: Q1 
How Much: Around S$170,000 with COE

UPDATE: Toyota says its not the PHV, as it previously said, but the non-plug-in hybrid RAV4 that’s coming.

Toyota is still ramping up its full EV efforts, but in the meantime it’s maximising its hybrids to fill the gap, especially on our side of the world, and that includes plug-in hybrids.

The RAV4 PHV is Toyota’s first plug-in hybrid here, and it makes the most of ‘first comer’ status to show off some impressive figures on paper. 

The RAV4 hybrid uses the familiar 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle engine as the basis for its powertrain, with electric motors to claw back energy and deliver electric power. System power is around 215hp, a possible AWD variant has nearer to 220hp. We can expect fuel consumption to be excellent, below 6.0L/100km. Aside from that, it should look, feel, smell, and drive like the regular RAV4.

Info for the now possibly irrelevant RAV4 PHEV below: The car shares the same powertrain as the Lexus NX 450+, which will also debut in 2022, and that consists of a 2.5-litre non-turbo engine with a motor on each axle for the hybrid side of things, as well as all-wheel drive. Total system power is an impressive 306hp, which allows for a 0-100km/h time of six seconds.

Toyota claims that the 18kWh lithium battery can deliver up to 95km of e-range on the WLTP cycle, which would make it one of the longer-ranging PHEVs here along with the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz C 300e. Quoted fuel efficiency is 4.5L/100km, which translates to 1,200km on a single tank of fuel. 

Another cool feature, literally, is that you can pre-cool the car via the smart key (app functionality too, but that’s probably not available here yet). Toyota is also showcasing the lateral thinking which has made its products shine in the past. In this case, the RAV4 PHV can use its lithium battery to deliver power to external sources with up to 1,500W. It can be used as a mobile power station of sorts – Toyota says the car can supply up to three days of power on a full tank of gas. 

Our guess is that the RAV4 PHV won’t be cheap though, as PHEVs tend to be all COE Cat B cars – but VES benefits could help keep the cost down some.

To Page 2: Volkswagen and Volvo

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