2023 Toyota Corolla Cross review: GX hybrid

Since landing just a couple of months ago, we've really put the Corolla Cross to work.

It has been in a four-way test with its main rivals and the Wheels COTY Mazda CX-30. We’ve also put it into twin tests with the Honda HR-V and again with the Mazda.

We have not messed about, because we knew this car would resonate with Australian buyers, with three badges they love – Toyota, Corolla and hybrid. Hybrids are huge business for Toyota, too, so you won’t see many tests of the sluggish petrol-only version.

Apart from snaffling one for a few months, the real test is having this car on the driveway for a week or two. It just so happened that it shared some of its time on my drive with a Corolla ZR hybrid too, so there was an interesting counterpoint sitting right there the whole time.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on fuel?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

Here’s something weird – Toyota reckons that this entry-level GX trim will be top seller in the Corolla Cross range. Hardly any other model in the country has its base model as the top seller and yet here we are.

The GX petrol front-wheel drive starts at $33,000 but the hybrid is $35,500 (both before on-road costs).

Although I don’t have the exact numbers, you can bet almost three-quarters of GX versions bought will be hybrids and, in this case, you can only have it in front-wheel drive. Which seems weird given it’s meant to be the highest-selling variant – why not give all-wheel drive a go?

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How do rivals compare on value?

There are rivals aplenty in this packed space, from locations far-flung and close to home. But if you want a hybrid, the Toyota is by far the cheapest.

Kia offers the Niro in all-electric and hybrid forms. It comes in limited numbers, which is just as well because it’s rather more expensive than the front-wheel drive Corolla Cross GX hybrid at $44,900 (before on-road costs), although it’s packed to the gills with equipment and also roomier.

The Honda HR-V, which fared well in our group test, is also markedly more expensive if you want hybrid power, landing at $47,000 drive-away. Again, it’s full of kit and again, it’s roomier.

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At the moment, that’s pretty much it for hybrids. You can look to Volkswagen for the T-Roc 1.4 or Skoda for the Kamiq, but neither are hybrid and both are over forty grand to drive away.

The Kia Seltos starts at under $30,000 (just) for the basic, steel-wheeled S. In front-wheel drive format with an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT), the $32,700 (before on-road costs) Sport comes close to the petrol-only Corolla Cross GX for specification and is a more spacious alternative. No hybrid though.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

First impressions are important so a plastic steering wheel when you slide into the driver’s seat is not a good start.

It feels nasty, and is nasty for a car over thirty grand. Not even the Seltos S still has a plastic steering wheel.

The Corolla Cross’s dash is basically the same as the Corolla hatch. As I said, I had these two cars at the same time and it’s remarkable what a lower-grade plastic choice can do to an interior, not to mention how blanks in the dashboard make you feel.

Although impeccably assembled, the GX looks and feels cheap. You kind of expect more from Toyota, especially when paying more than the hatchback. The GXL seemed slightly better, but my wife remarked how bitty it felt.

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Toyota’s new-found love of good front seats does improve matters, with very comfortable and very manual chairs (apart from the generous inclusion of powered lumbar support) to keep you held in place and ache-free for many miles. These are great seats.

You don’t get a wireless charging pad to go with the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is wired, so you’ll need to use the USB for that too.

A pair of cup holders are provided, along with single-zone climate control and bottle holders in the doors.

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Moving to the back, if you’re over about 170cm tall, things are a bit on the tight side, particularly when you consider how roomy competitors such as the Niro and HR-V are. It’s tight in the Toyota and the back seat isn’t especially comfortable, either, but you do get a centre armrest and two cup holders. Apart from that, it’s fairly sparse.

Boot space is rather better than its hatchback counterpart at 425 litres and it has a space-saver spare. It’s just 11 litres down on the non-hybrid Corolla Cross and a mere 35 litres more than the tiny Yaris Cross. That said, it’s almost double that of a hybrid Corolla hatchback, so that’s a win (but says more about packaging issues afflicting the hatch).

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What is it like to drive?

The basics

Toyota hybrids are, generally speaking, excellent to drive due to a couple of decades of experience in working out how to get it all done smoothly and unobtrusively.

For some reason, the Corolla Cross doesn’t quite nail that.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s still pretty good and probably better than most other hybrids on the road, it’s just not as good as (again) the Corolla hybrid I had the same week. At low speeds it’s terrific, pootling slowly around on electrons fed by the new lithium-ion battery.

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There’s just that edge on the braking that made me sit up and take notice. If it had been in any other car I’d barely have registered it but going back-to-back with the hatch made me realise it wasn’t quite right. 

Like their Yaris Cross brethren, front-wheel drive Corolla Cross variants have cheaper torsion beam rear suspension whereas all-wheel drive comes with an independent rear end. That translates to a less lovely ride quality (the Corolla hatch has double wishbones) and a propensity to crash over speed bumps and skip on mid-corner bumps.

But you know what? This car is fun. It’s got plenty of get-up-and-go from its overall power figure of 146kW and unspecified-but-feels-like-plenty Nm of torque. It dashes to 100km/h in under eight seconds, which is quick for this kind of car.

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The steering is nicely weighted and the Corolla Cross will cheerfully allow itself to be chucked about. The ride, as I’ve mentioned, will be a little crotchety on the rough stuff but never “I’m going to spit you off the road” grumpy.

In town, you’ll barely notice the difference so if you never experience the all-wheel-drive version, you won’t care. As with most hybrids, this is where the Corolla Cross works best. With strong acceleration to beat the other hordes of SUVs with around 100kW and 200Nm (this is a joke I make and I will keep making it until it is funny), you’ll have no trouble getting ahead of traffic.

By the same token, the hybrid system with its more powerful and lighter battery than previous Toyota set-ups will move you along for longer and at higher speeds in traffic, which makes this car very relaxing. Except when you get a bit of a grab on the brakes. And then there’s the fuel economy…

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How is it on fuel?

The fuel economy in this car is mighty impressive. Against a claimed 4.3L/100km on the ADR combined cycle, I got 4.8L/100km.

That's impressive for a decent-sized car with SUV aerodynamics, achieved with a lot of city driving and a run up to Katoomba in Sydney’s Blue Mountains.

The only problem is the improbably small fuel tank of just 36 litres. Still, it’s only 11 fewer than the non-electrified version.

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How safe is it?

The Toyota Corolla Cross scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating, the highest available. This is entirely unsurprising as the car is stacked with safety features.

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The Corolla Cross’s lavish airbag count includes a driver’s knee airbag and a front centre airbag meant to avoid head clashes in a side impact.

Its forward auto emergency braking (AEB) also features front cross-traffic alert with braking (which stops you from turning across oncoming traffic). The base GX misses out on the low-speed brake support that stops you bumping into things at low speeds. Not critical, just worth knowing.

For the kids, there are two sets of ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.

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Warranty and running costs

Toyota’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty applies to the Corolla Cross, as is only right and proper.

Capped-price servicing lasts for the first five services – which are spaced at 12 months or 15,000km – and cost $230 each, $25 more than the hatch. That works out at $1150 over five services, which is pretty good going.

If you want to keep Toyota Connected Services going after the initial 12 months – where it reverts to a small subset of features – you’ll have to pay $9.95 per month for remote connectivity to locking, engine start and climate control. If you want to keep the fancy sat-nav features, that’s another $12 a month. More than Netflix.

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VERDICT

The Corolla Cross GX hybrid is easily the best of the two GXes, so push for the hybrid if you can. The other car is a ho-hum without the electrification you might as well get a Seltos.

And again, stretch for the Corolla Cross GXL hybrid if you can – it’s got nicer stuff like the bigger screen, better cameras, rear USB charge ports and a not-plastic steering wheel.

Yes, I’m going on about it. Yes, I’m spoilt. (To be fair, every brand does this, pointedly giving you in-your-face reasons to upgrade to a more compelling variant.)

At its core, the Corolla Cross is a good car as long as it’s a hybrid. All-wheel drive is just a nice-to-have as I was perfectly happy with front-wheel drive.

Most owners probably will too, with the extra few grand in their pockets and a spare tyre in the boot.

Is the Corolla Cross a better car than the hatch? If you carry people and things, most definitely.

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2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX hybrid specifications