News Roundup: 2023 SUV reliability rankings, 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Canadian pricing, and more

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Welcome to our roundup of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.

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Here’s what you missed while you were away. 

The most and least reliable new SUVs according to their owners

Consumer Reports recently surveyed owners of 2023 SUVs to see how reliable their vehicles have been so far, inquiring about issues involving brakes, engine, body, electronics, driveline, and more. And because SUVs are such a hot item, we broke down the survey into a list of the most and least reliable on the market, separated into three categories: small, large, and luxury. 

The Subaru Crosstrek topped the list of small SUVs with a reliability rating of 80/100, the same score as the less-readily-available Crosstrek Hybrid. In the large (three-row) category, it was Toyota Highlander Hybrid owners who noted the fewest issues, helping earn it a 74/100, three points above the gas Highlander’s 71 total and 15 above the second-place Kia Telluride’s 59/100 rating. And Lexus’ fourth-largest SUV, the GX 460 AWD, led the pack of luxury units with a score of 91, followed by the Lexus RX at 82 and Lincoln Nautilus at 73. 

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Some of the least reliable SUVs include the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Kia Sorento, and Nissan Pathfinder. 

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross has a Canadian starting price of $25,790

Toyota’s 2023 Corolla Cross is incoming with a host of modern features including Toyota Multimedia, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, and a 169-peak-horsepower 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, all standard for under $26k. It is available in FWD or AWD, and comes in four trims: L, LE, LE Premium, and XLE. 

The $25,790 entry level is equipped with LED headlights, 17-inch steel wheels, and a 4.2-inch screen, and rear-window, while a few thousand dollars more for the LE trim unlocks a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, an anti-theft alarm system, the Toyota Smart key system push-button, and blind-spot monitoring. At just over $30,000, the LE Premium adds a power moonroof, roof rails, and a wireless smartphone charging system to the LE’s offerings. Finally, the $34,550 XLE trim fits in a seven-inch display, 18-inch alloys, a power back door, and more. 

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Study suggests unvaccinated drivers crash more often

It’s probably more of a correlation than a side effect, but a recent study conducted by Toronto researchers and published in the American Journal of Medicine has connected the unvaccinated with a higher incidence of traffic crashes. Of the over 11 million Ontarians accounted for in the study, 84 per cent had received the COVID-19 vaccination and 16 per cent had not. But that small 16 per cent minority was responsible for 25 per cent of the entire group’s 6,682 total crashes requiring emergency medical care. Looked at another way, those who had not been vaccinated had a 72 per cent increased relative risk compared to those who had. 

The vaccine itself “has no direct effect on traffic behaviour or the risk of a motor vehicle crash,” the researchers noted. “Instead, we theorized that individual adults who tend to resist public health recommendations might also neglect basic road safety guidelines.” 

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The 2024 CX-90 will be the first Mazda PHEV in Canada

Mazda has confirmed that the 2024 CX-90 three-row SUV is coming to Canada with a special tuning just for North America and a new e-SkyActiv powertrain. It will be the brand’s first plug-in hybrid in the country. The CX-9 replacement will be available as a rear-wheel-drive PHEV, but also likely as a gas variant — all will be revealed at the global debut next month. 

Mazda CEO Akira Marumoto recently verified rumours of further electrification of the MX-5, the sports car formerly known as Miata. “To achieve carbon neutrality, we will proceed with electrification of those [MX-5] models,” he said. “And we want to keep the joy of driving that is the essence of the Mazda brand.”

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2024 Corvette e-Ray details leaked on GM visualizer

A Corvette lover who was recently poking around Chevrolet’s online visualizer discovered a profile on the 2024 Corvette E-Ray and, before GM could delete the bug, snapped a few screen shots. 

Assuming the temporarily posted details were not some elaborate red herring, the E-Ray will use an electric-assist motor on the front axle and a 6.2L V8 to earn in the status of the fist production-grade all-wheel-drive mid-engine Corvette in Chevy’s history. Styling was also accidentally previewed, like body-colour trim pieces and ‘E-Ray’ badging on the quarter panels, plus listed paint options like Riptide Blue and Sea-Wolf Gray. GM didn’t give it all away, though, and there’s still lots to watch for when GM officially drops the 2024 E-Ray. You can’t save the date, because it has not been set.