Let me get one thing straight right away: The Corolla Cross is not a bad car. It just happens to compete with a lot of other subcompact crossovers, some of which possess more character like the Chevrolet Trax, or off-road chops like the Subaru Crosstrek, fun driving dynamics like the Mazda CX-30, or near-luxury features like the Hyundai Kona. The Corolla Cross delivers none of those, but it does make car ownership and operation a total breeze if you’re the type who wants your car to disappear into the white noise of your life.
The gas-only Corolla Cross is especially forgettable, powered by a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-4 that sends 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque to either the front or all four wheels through a continuously variable automatic transmission. This combination is EPA rated for between 31 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 32 mpg combined for the most efficient front-wheel-drive Corolla Cross L, and 29 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined for top XLE AWD cars, which is a bit underwhelming.
Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik
On top of that, my test Corolla Cross XLE AWD felt underpowered in a lot of settings, which caused me to push the engine harder and thus achieve even worse results closer to 25 mpg. When I asked the little two-liter to hustle the 3,500-ish pounds the Cross weighed with my butt in the driver’s seat, it grew quite loud and thrashy. Passing maneuvers required great long-distance vision and plenty of patience and the lack of power became even more apparent when I drove above sea level.
Beyond the car’s weak engine, its steering is dead but at least light for easy parking lot maneuvering, and the brakes do their job just fine. Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 suite of active safety features are standard on the Corolla Cross, though you have to step up from base L to LE grade in order to get blind-spot monitoring, and you have to get an XLE for front and rear parking assist with automated braking. The adaptive cruise control worked great during my week with the car, and it’s easy to operate using the steering wheel controls.
Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik
The top XLE trim gets an upgraded 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, which is clear and easy to see without causing fatigue at night, but navigating through the menus on the cluster is needlessly overcomplicated. The standard 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, however, is very clear and easy to navigate, but it lacks a home screen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard on all Corolla Crosses, and I had no issues with connecting my iPhone 15 to the car at any point during my loans.
At least it can be relatively cheap, with a starting price of $26,485 including destination for the base Corolla Cross L FWD, but my loaded Corolla Cross XLE AWD had a sticker price of $33,954. At that price point, the Corolla Cross’s value proposition feels weak.
