Last March 17 to 18, Toyota Motor Philippines held one big bombshell of a drive that showcased an entire fleet of its electrified vehicles from both Toyota and Lexus, with three being some of the newest offerings from Toyota that are ripe for today’s fuel-conscious market with the ongoing fuel crisis amidst the conflict in the Middle East.
TOYOTA RAV4
The biggest and most anticipated model of the three is the sixth-generation Toyota RAV4, available in two different variants: the Adventure (ADV), which goes for Php 2,183,000, and the Limited (LTD), which goes for Php 2,499,000.
The all-new RAV4 now has a more modern, boxier look with Toyota’s new corporate Hammerhead face found on the headlights and sleeker LED taillights.
The Adventure separates itself by adopting a more rugged look with a more upright split front grille and different bumper designs, single-tone 18-inch alloy wheels with chunkier tires, and bulkier fender flares and chunky roof rails. You can get this in five colors, such as Urban Rock, Massive Gray, Ever Rest, Super White II, and Attitude Black Mica.
Meanwhile, the Limited is more sophisticated with sleeker body lines, a body-colored hexagon-pattern grille, dual LED DRL headlights with auto-levelling projectors, smaller roof rails, and two-tone 20-inch alloy wheels. This comes in eight colors, like Dark Blue Mica, Platinum White Pearl Mica, Attitude Black Mica, Avant-Garde Bronze Metallic, Urban Rock, Ever Rest, Massive Gray, and Red Mica.
The interior is a big step up coming from previous models, with all the multiple storage spaces that made the RAV4 very practical, a multi-layer design that comes in Mineral or Black synthetic leather upholstery with orange accents for the Adventure, while the Limited comes in Black or Beige genuine leather upholstery.
Shared tech comes in the new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.9-inch infotainment running the new connected Arene OS that supports built-in navigation, applications, and over-the-air updates, apart from wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a nine-speaker JBL premium sound system and Toyota Safety Sense 4.0.
The Adventure differentiates itself with a smaller single sunroof, a single wireless charger, dual 15W USB-C ports, a mechanical shifter for the e-CVT, and heated front seats, with the eight-way power adjustments only for the driver.
Stepping up to the Limited gives you a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats with power adjustments for the passenger, heated rear seats, a heads-up display, an additional wireless charger, 45W USB-C ports, and a toggle-style shifter.
This is powered by the 2.5-liter gasoline engine mated to two electric motors, a lithium-ion battery, and an e-CVT. This grants it the e-Four electric all-wheel drive system, and total system output is 239 horsepower and 221 Nm of max torque.
TOYOTA URBAN CRUISER
This is the second fully electric offering of Toyota Motor Philippines, and the bZ4X’s smaller sibling. Costing Php 2,135,000 for the sole GLX variant, this is a subcompact electric crossover offering that shares a lot with the Suzuki e Vitara, and this EV is sourced from India.
The Urban Cruiser sports Toyota’s Hammerhead front fascia with a distinctive look for the C-shaped LED headlights, and it rides on 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels, and LED taillights. It comes in five colors, Splendid Silver, Grandeur Grey, Arctic White, Land Breeze Green, and Celesital Blue.
The black-and-brown interior has synthetic leather and fabric upholstery, and the driver’s side seats come with eight-way power adjustments. Other niceties include a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charger, and a nine-speaker JBL sound system. It also comes with a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, too.
The Urban Cruiser is powered by a single electric motor with a maximum power output of 174 horsepower and 193 Nm of torque, mated to a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that’s 61kWh in size, and a maximum EV range of up to 475km on a single charge, which can be done via the Type 2/CCS port on the left.
The Urban Cruiser won’t be available at all Toyota dealerships, but rather, the 12 select BEV dealers like Toyota Manila Bay, Toyota North EDSA, Toyota Pasig, Toyota Global City, Toyota Quezon Avenue, Toyota Alabang, Toyota San Fernando, Toyota Sta. Rosa, Toyota Makati, Toyota Commonwealth, Toyota Mandaue South, Cebu, and Toyota Mabolo, Cebu. These dealerships also offer EV charging for customers, as well.
TOYOTA COROLLA CROSS HEV GR-S UPDATE
The final new product introduced is a relatively minor update to an already established nameplate in the Corolla Cross HEV GR-S. This goes for Php 1,947,000, and the majority of the changes are cosmetic.
There is a brand-new, simplified grille that features the GR badging and a body-colored grille surround, alongside a cleaned-up bottom bumper, side skirt, and rear bumper, where the bottom now features simplified designs. The Corolla Cross emblem at the back is now black instead of chrome.
The interior gets elevated in terms of sportiness with new red contrast stitching on the dashboard and seats, red seatbelts, and brand-new GR logos on the bottom spoke of the steering wheel, the start-stop button, and on the headrests of the seats.
Apart from that, most of the car is unchanged, from the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the included dashcams, power tailgate, black leather upholstery, and the panoramic glass roof.
It’s still powered by the same 1.8-liter 2ZR-FXE gasoline engine mated to an electric motor and a CVT with a total system output of 122 horsepower and max torque of 163 Nm, and has a lithium-ion battery for improved energy efficiency over the previous NiMH battery-equipped models.
You can catch all of these electrified offerings from Toyota and Lexus at the upcoming Go Beyond Zero Event taking place this coming March 25 to 29 at the Alabang Town Center in the Town Plaza and Corte de Las Palmas, with test drives available for all electrified vehicles.
Photos by the author
