The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross has finally undergone a facelift in Japan, and while the visuals haven't changed all that much, it's the insides that's received a bunch of fixes...and more power.

New and improved powertrains

Headlining all changes is the new engine sitting in the bay: normal, pure-petrol variants gain a new 2.0-litre Dynamic Force engine (M20A-FKS), while the hybrid variants continue with the 1.8-litre 2ZR-FXE mill, albeit with some improvements.

The new engine – in Malaysia, it powers the Harrier, Camry, Innova Zenix, and also the Lexus UX – makes 170 PS and 202 Nm of torque, quite an improvement over the old 1.8 litre's 140 PS and 170 Nm. Paired to that is a Direct Shift CVT automatic, and all in all fuel consumption figures now stand at 16.6 km/l (better than the pre-update's 14.4 km/l).

Also read: Review: Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 V - HR-V contender brings value to the masses, but the cabin...

As for the hybrid variants, it gains Toyota's fifth generation hybrid system that's also fitted to the brand's newest electrified vehicles. Though its engine output is unchanged at 98 PS/142 Nm, the electric motors paired to it both received substantial power bumps (front motor: 95 PS/185 Nm now, from 72 PS/163 Nm; rear motor for E-Four all-wheel drive variants: 41 PS/84 Nm now, from 7.2 PS/55 Nm).

Though the hybrid car's combined output wasn't provided, the hybrid variants report a slight gain in fuel consumption: 16.6 km/l now, over 16.4 km/l previously.

Safety updates

The second major update is in safety. The car's Toyota Safety Sense suite now includes Proactive Driving Assist, which supports the driver by applying gentle braking or steering inputs in curves or for distance control between the car and obstacles.

Pre-Crash Safety safety is also updated, now able to detect oncoming vehicles at intersections, as well as pedestrians.

Interior updates

Beyond that, the Corolla Cross in Japan also gains a 12.3-inch full-colour display as standard on the Z variant, while the regular 7-inch multi-info display remains for the other variants. A larger, 10.5-inch Display Audio Plus screen is also available for customers, along with in-car Wi-Fi capabilities.

Exterior updates

Eight body colours are available for the JP-spec Corolla Cross, including a new Massive Gray shade. The hybrid variants receive three two-tone colours too, combining either Platinum White Pearl Mica, Massive Gray, or Sensual Red Mica with an Attitude Black roof.

Prices

Naturally, prices have gone up by quite a bit too, around JPY 170,000 to JPY 260,000 (~RM 5,400 to RM 8,300). The new Corolla Cross price range in Japan is as below:

Petrol:

G “X” (2WD) = JPY 2,184,000 (~RM 70k)

G (2WD) = JPY 2,410,000 (~RM 77k)

Z (2WD) = JPY 2,900,000 (~RM 92k)

Hybrid:

G ​​= JPY 2,760,000 (2WD, ~RM 88k), E-Four = JPY 2,969,000 (AWD, ~RM 95k)

S = JPY 2,980,000 (2WD, ~RM 95k), E-Four = JPY 3,189,000 (AWD, ~RM 101k)

Z = JPY 3,250,000 (2WD, ~RM 104k), E-Four = JPY 3,459,000 (AWD, ~RM 110k)