Toyota Corolla Cross 2025 review: GXL Hybrid FWD long-term | Part 1

The Toyota Corolla Cross is a rarity for Toyota.

It is one of the few models where it isn’t one of the top-sellers in its segment. In fact, it's not even in the top five.

The Corolla Cross is a compact SUV and competes against the Haval Jolion, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, MG ZS, Mitsubishi ASX and Subaru Crosstrek, which all outsell it.

That’s surprising as it follows the same formula as all of Toyotas SUVs and passenger cars. Its looks don’t offend, it has enough tech inside, it has a practical cabin, it’s reliable, cheap to service, is hybrid only and most importantly it’s a Toyota, which is good enough for one in five new car buyers to sign on the dotted line.

There are three model grades: GX, GXL and Atmos. 

The GX is front-wheel drive only and the GXL and Atmos can be had with front- or all-wheel drive, with all-paw grip costing $3000 more.

Prices start at $36,480 (before on-road costs) and rise to $50,030, or about $40,000 and $54,000, drive-away.

That makes its point-of-entry higher than nearly all its competitors.

I’ve been living with a Corolla Cross GXL 2WD for the past month, but in full disclosure I’ve owned this exact model for the past two and half years.

The 2025 model has a few improvements over my 2022 version. For a start, the hybrid badges have been wiped from existence for the marketing-speak alternative HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) badging.

There is a bird’s eye view camera to aid parking and the USB-A charging ports have been replaced by USB-C points. Mechanically it's the same car. 

This month I’ve only managed to drive about 500km in the car but in reality I’ve spent much more time in it.

The Corolla Cross, like most compact SUVs, is aimed at downsizers and new families, the latter is why I bought mine.

It is the right size to fit two child seats in the rear and has a decent enough boot to swallow a pram and various child accoutrements. It also has the ride height and easy access of an SUV that older drivers prefer.

Its biggest selling point is its fuel efficiency. It uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor and a small battery. This set-up makes a combined 146kW, Toyota never provides total torque stats but it would be significantly more than the 190Nm made by the petrol engine alone.

Toyota claims it drinks 4.2-litres per 100km in front-wheel drive versions, which jumps to 4.4L/100km in the heavier all-wheel drive examples.

In the first 500-odd kilometres it’s averaging about 5.1L/100km, which is a fair chunk above the quoted figure but still very good.

It does win back points for only needing the cheapest unleaded petrol.

The Corolla Cross has a practical cabin with an easy to use layout.

There are physical dials and buttons for the climate control and the volume and driver aid controls on the steering wheel are simplistic.

The GXL has a 10.5-inch central display, up from the 8.0-inch unit in the cheaper GX variant. The driver display is a mix of physical dials and a small low-res digital information readout. Atmos versions have a full 12-inch digital driver’s display.

Seats are wrapped in a mix of cloth and synthetic leather and the gear shifter and steering wheel are wrapped in synthetic leather.

There are some things missing that you’d expect on a circa-$44,000 car. All the seats are manually adjustable, there are no heating functions for the seats and there are no auto wipers or panoramic sunroof.

It is packed with safety tech, which is well calibrated and a step above that fitted to most rivals.

So far it’s been an easy experience living with the Corolla Cross, except for one quick trip to a dealership to replace the windscreen wiper that had been destroyed by a pesky flock of crows that terrorises the wipers around my neighbourhood.

Next month we’ll detail how it is to drive and pose some challenges to our Corolla Cross courtesy of some long freeway runs to mind numbing workday commutes and bringing home a new baby.

Acquired: January, 2025

Distance travelled this month: 503km

Odometer: 530km

Average fuel consumption this month: 5.1L/100km (measured at the pump)