What’s new from Toyota for 2022? Quite a bit
PLANO, Texas – In an effort to get the word out on its newest products, Toyota has revealed a number of new models, ones that would have been seen at auto shows had the pandemic not thrown a U-turn into everyone’s plans.
2022 Toyota Corolla Cross
Toyota is launching a Corolla-based crossover dubbed the Corolla Cross for 2022. It’s such a no-brainer, you wonder what took them so long. The company says the new Corolla Cross is something you didn’t know you needed until now. Unless you were coveting a Chevrolet Trailblazer, or a Honda HR-V, Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Kona, Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X, Mazda CX-3, Nissan Kicks, Subaru Crosstrek, Kia Soul, or Toyota’s own CH-R.
As you might expect, the Corolla Cross will be offered with front- or allwheel drive that can send up to 50 percent of its torque rearward. It can tow 1,500 pounds, thanks to Toyota’s familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 169 horsepower. A continuously variable automatic transmission is standard.
2022 Toyota GR 86
Once more partnering with Subaru, Toyota redesigned the GR 86 sports car for 2022, the second generation of the car that debuted as the 2012-16 Scion FR-S before being renamed the 2017-20 Toyota 86, and the 2021 GR 86. Not a big seller, its sales plummeted from 34,757 in 2013 to 2,476 in 2020. This is why, as before, the 2+2 two-door hatchback shares its underpinnings with the Subaru BRZ and sold in standard trim with 17inch wheels wearing Michelin Primacy HP tires, and premium trim, sporting 18inch wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires.
Both cars get added juice from a larger 2.4-liter horizontally-opposed fourcylinder engine producing 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through either a sixspeed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheelmounted paddle shifters. That’s enough for a 6.1 second 0-60 mph sprint, 1.4 seconds faster than before.
2022 Lexus NX
Second only to the Lexus RX crossover in sales, the popular NX crossover utility vehicle gets a significant makeover for the new model year, as its place in the line-up has changed. Now that the diminutive UX is Lexus’ entry-level CUV, the NX moves upmarket for 2022. It’s readily apparent from its styling, which is far less frenetic than the model its replacing.
Power comes courtesy of a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine generating 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque with front- or allwheel drive. Lexus will also offer a turbocharged 2.4-liter four with 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed transmission is standard with both engines. Expect a 0-60 mph sprint of 6.8 seconds with the turbo mill, 1.4 seconds faster than its less powerful
sibling.
2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance
Looking to recapture the buzz generated by the 2008 Lexus IS F with its 5.0liter V-8, the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance debuts with a new V-8 is rated at 472 horsepower, 122 horsepower more than the turbocharged six-cylinder engine used in the 2021 IS F Sport and 56 horsepower more than the first V-8 used in an IS back in 2008. An eightspeed automatic is standard. Adjustable drive mode settings, including Sport and Sport+, modifies the engine, transmission, steering and suspension damping.
Truly, it’s a return to form for Lexus’s sportiest sedan.