28th August

Yes, but it's tuned more toward comfort with some handling elements thrown in. The current plain Corolla looks good as it is. Hopefully the GR Sport version won't ruin the looks of the car by turning it to look like Fast and Furious racer boy cars which may appeal more to youngsters.

It's not a "true" GR Sport as there's a separate fleet of those vehicles available starting from RM300k and above. The Corolla Cross and Corolla sedan with GR Sport badge are known to have good comfort while having a bit of decent handling. I have test driven the Corolla Cross "GR Sport" and can verify it's rather comfortable!

So you say there is no way the Cross handles better than the City and I say that is true for my case. The handling of the vehicle is not solely on the laws of physics being the SUV sitting higher than a sedan. It's a combination of the steering feel, the suspension and the chassis, and I can tell you the City handles terrible. Of course I can expand on it if you think the terms I used "feel" or "better" is not helping in any way. It's not every time people will spend time writing a long essay in detail but since you have asked. The steering of the City is not only light but feels loose with low feedback which contributes to poor or reduced handling of the vehicle, apart from the soft floaty suspension. IN contrast, the steering of the Ford Focus although light, it is accurate with high feedback. You feel like you are in control of the vehicle with the steering wheel of the Ford Focus but with the City, it's just a loose steering where during cornering at higher speeds more focus is required due to the looseness. The Proton Preve's steering is much stiffer than both City and Focus but it's accurate and tight and not loose like the City.

My test-drive of the Corolla Cross GR Sport and hybrid is just a short one but that is enough for me to tell me the handling is at a much higher level than the Honda City and the CRV. The City is poor, and the CRV is one level poorer. If the City's handling is superior to the Cross to you, I won't say you are wrong. I will say your expectations may be different, or you look at different things. But one thing is sure, the City is one of the worst handling vehicle I have driven notwithstanding the poor rattling sound that plague all Honda vehicles including Civic and Accord. All the vehicles are from previous generations and I'm not sure if the current latest models have shown improved quality in terms of NVH and rattling sound but I doubt it.

You can say I can't compare the weight between the Cross and HRV but I have compared it. Different engine capacities still can be compared since it's the same segment vehicle.