The Toyota Starlet is already a top seller and you just know that the addition of the Starlet Cross will increase the company’s sales figures even more.
Based on the Suzuki Fronx the Starlet Cross joins the Vitz, Urban Cruiser and of course the Starlet (all out of Maruti Suzuki) in bolstering their affordable offerings.
Falling into the popular Crossover/SUV segment the Cross boasts a grille with chrome garnish, reprofiled LED headlamps and LED Daytime Running Lights. At the back it gets connected LED tail lights, a rear skid plate and roof end spoiler that gives it a unique look with its sloping roofline especially with a black roof in the range-topping XR models and it stands on 16-inch alloys.
The interior is neatly laid out with a three-tone dash finished in charcoal, silver and Bordeaux. The seats were comfortable during the launch drive and upholstered in cloth and the leather covered steering wheel adds a level of interior sophistication as does a head-up display, Panoramic View Monitor, wireless charging and cruise control in the XR variation.
As you would expect, there’s a touchscreen infotainment system (nine-inches in the XR and seven in the XS) with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the air conditioning is easily adjusted with dials and buttons.
It’s powered by the familiar naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine producing 77kW and 138Nm coupled to either a four-speed automatic transmission or five-speed manual gearbox.
It won’t smash you into the back of your seat but considering the Starlet Cross’ application it suits the car.
Toyota claims consumption of 5.6l/100km for the manual and 5.8l/100km for the auto which we exceeded slightly on the launch drive but there was some spirited driving involved.
We drove both transmission variations in XR guise and found the overall experience more than satisfactory and as they say; it does everything it says on the box.
Of the two we found the manual more responsive which is to be expected.
Our route took us from Kempton Park to Pretoria which included, highway, suburban roads and a gravel stretch which it handled with ease.
The Starlet Cross is likely to be family transport more than anything else and while it doesn’t mind tackling twisty roads with vigour at the top end of the rev range the chances of it being a recurring theme are very slim.
There’s a bigger chance of it driving gavel roads in our game parks and with ground clearance of 170mm, it’s not an offroader by any means, but it does mean you’re able to traverse roads with ruts, rocks and washaways without too much fear of doing damage.
From there it will gladly load luggage into the 304-litre boot and allow you to cruise home comfortably.
Build quality seems decent as do noise and vibration levels.
It comes with a decent set of safety features including ABS, Vehicle Stability Control, Hill assist control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, ISOFIX points, six airbags with side and curtain airbags in the XS.
The Toyota Starlet Cross adds another arrow in their quiver which will no doubt be a popular offering for cash-strapped South Africans and it will be interesting to see how it performs against the less expensive Starlet and indeed the Suzuki Fronx.
It comes with a four-services/60,000km service plan and a three-year/100,000km warranty. Customers can additionally purchase service/maintenance/warranty extensions from the Toyota dealer network.
Toyota Starlet Cross Pricing (August 2024)
- 1.5 Xs Manual Transmission – R299,900
- 1.5 Xs Automatic Transmission – R322,300
- 1.5 XR Manual Transmission – R339,300
- 1.5 XR Automatic Transmission – R359,300