Hyundai Sonata vs Toyota Corolla Cross

What's the difference?

The updated Sonata N Line looks beautifully modern from its new face to the refreshed cockpit, while remaining a ‘driver’s car’ with good dynamics, and a sporty engine. 

The Sonata isn’t an ideal family car, however. This is down to a lack of practicality. Although the cabin is fairly roomy, if that roofline wasn’t so coupe-like and cabin storage was better, and the boot had a large hatch opening, and the ride height was more elevated then it would be a great family car. Oh, I’ve just described an SUV.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The Corolla Cross is the SUV that was so obvious it’s a wonder Toyota didn’t do it sooner. Sure, it might not look much like a Corolla but this SUV has the same appeal of being a small, safe good-value for money car but with even more practicality than the hatch and sedan that shares its name. 

The Corolla Cross is also great to drive - better than most of its rivals such as the Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan Qashqai, Honda HR-V or Haval Jolion.

The sweet spot of the range would have to be the GXL Hybrid with 2WD, it's the best value and the most fuel efficient in the line-up.

So, we’ve established that the Sonata N Line is a sedan and that means if you’re still reading this you are, a) A Sonata owner looking to trade the old one in for this new one, b) Driving another type of sedan such as a Toyota Camry or Volkswagen Passat and looking to update your trusty steed with one from Hyundai or c) Not in the market for an SUV.

Whatever the reason, sedans lend themselves to being sleek and sophisticated in their styling just by being lower to the ground than SUVs and generally longer than sports cars.

The Sonata N Line is long at 4.91m end-to-end. That’s only 8.0cm shorter than the gigantic Hyundai Palisade which has eight seats. I know… it bends the mind.

This new Sonata N Line looks even wider than the previous version, too, with that broad flat bonnet meeting the Seamless Horizon LED strip.

Fact is the Sonata N Line is 1.86m across - exactly the same as the previous version. Remind me never to wear a 'seamless horizon' T-shirt on days I’m feeling rotund. 

If you look closely at the photos you can see the hidden LED headlights flanking the large, dark and low-set grille.

The rear of the new Sonata looks so different from the previous version, too, with its boot lid spoiler and LED tail-lights. 

The menacing body kit comes with the N Line grade and accentuates the sporty nature of this car. It’s a good thing it has an engine to back up the looks, but more on that later.

Inside, the Sonata has been given the new 12.3-inch curved screens and a digital climate control display, while the steering wheel is new and adorned with the Hyundai 'Morse Code' badge (the letter H is four dots in Morse Code). It’s a premium and modern looking cockpit topped off with suede and leather leather N Line sports seats.

The Corolla Cross looks nothing like a Corolla hatchback or sedan from the outside. Although, if I look at the rear of the Corolla Cross and squint I can convince myself it has a similar taillight design to the Corolla sedan.

Personally I’m a bit disappointed in the exterior design of Corolla Cross. The styling already appears dated even though this is a new SUV which was only unveiled to the world for the first time in 2021.

That’s not to say the Corolla Cross is not good looking, it is. I like its tough face and boxy wheel arches - in many ways it’s like a mini RAV4. The problem for me is that like the RAV4 it feels as though the Corolla Cross has already been with us for years and years.

Inside, there are far more similarities to the regular Corolla. The Corolla Cross’ dashboard, steering wheel and centre console are almost identical to those in the sedan and hatch.

This isn’t the plushest cabin you’ll find among the rivals. Even the top-of-the-line Atmos which costs 50 grand doesn’t look very premium or special inside, but like all Toyotas the materials feel high quality and superbly put together.

The real similarities between the Corolla Cross and the Corolla are the mechanical underpinnings with both the SUV and the car versions sharing the same platform.

The Corolla Cross is a small SUV at 4460mm long and that means it nicely in the Toyota family tree above the C-HR which is 4395mm end-to-end and below the RAV4 which is 4615mm bumper-to-bumper.

Sedans might be sleek and sophisticated but practicality is not typically their strength because their low height means passenger access isn’t as easy as it is with an SUV, but mainly because the cargo carrying ability is limited by the relatively small boot opening.

Still, the Sonata N Line does have a big 480-litre boot and cabin storage has been improved thanks to the gear shifter being relocated to the steering column and freeing up space in the centre console for stowing items and a wireless phone charger.

Rear legroom is also good. I’m 189cm tall and I can sit behind my driving position with space to spare. Headroom back there is also good thanks to contoured heading which has a ‘carved out’ section for extra space.

Along with the wireless phone charger there are two Type-C USB ports up front and another two for the second row.

There are four cupholders (two up front and two in the second row) and decent sized bottle holders in the doors.

This lack of practicality compared to an SUV or even a station wagon means the Sonata N Line really isn’t the perfect family car.

The Corolla Cross is a more practical version of the Corolla sedan and hatchback. 

The Corolla Cross’s boot is a lot larger than the hatch’s and while the cargo capacity is smaller than the sedan’s, the wide, tall tailgate opening will mean you’ll be able to fit in bulkier objects.

Boot size depends on which Corolla Cross you choose. The GX and GXL non-hybrid versions have the biggest boots at 436 litres (VDA), while the Atmos non-hybrid is 425 litres.

As for the hybrids, the GX and GXL front-wheel drives also have 425 litre boots, while the GXL and Atmos all-wheel drives have 390-litre and 380-litre luggage capacity respectively.

The reasons for the big difference in capacities between non-hybrid and hybrid Corolla Cross variants are the hybrid batteries which are located under the rear seat and eat into the boot area, while those with all-wheel drive have a second motor at the rear which takes up space.

Room inside is good for a small SUV. Headroom in the second row is excellent, while legroom was just passable for me to sit behind my driving position. I am 191cm tall though, so that’s almost a worst case scenario.

It's fair to say an SUV of this width won't fit three child seats across the back seat, but there are three top tether points across so you can choose which two positions to use. There's also two of the sturdier ISOFIX points in the outboard positions for appropriate baby seats.

Cabin storage could be better, with cupholders in the second-row door armrests, but no actual door pockets and only the Atmos comes with a fold-down centre armrest with two cup holders. There are the usual two cupholders in the front centre console as well, but it's surprising there's no dedicated bottle holders in the doors like most new cars these days.

Up front there are door pockets, a hideyhole under the dash for a phone and a small centre console storage area under the centre armrest.

I do like that the seats are large and accommodating even for me, and the positions of the controls and switches are spot on. 

We can talk about looks later, so let’s see much it costs to buy a Corolla Cross.

First thing to know is there are three grades in the Corolla Cross range. 

The most affordable versions of the Corolla Cross are those with just the petrol engine, not the petrol-electric hybrid options further up the range. The non-hybrid GX lists at $33,000, the GXL is $36,750 and the top-of-the-range Atmos is $43,550.

It’s a good time to point out that if you want a Corolla Cross with a non-hybrid drivetrain then you’ll only be able to get it as a front-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive..

The hybrid variants are available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. 

So the GX Hybrid front-wheel drive is $35,500. The GXL Hybrid is $39,250 for the front-wheel drive and $42,250 for the all-wheel drive. The Atmos Hybrid is $46,050 for the front-wheel drive and $49,050 for the all-wheel drive.

Got it? You may have noticed the GX Hybrid doesn’t come in all-wheel drive, so yes, you’ll have to step up to the GXL if you’d like it.

Do you need all-wheel drive? It’s not at all vital, but if you’re travelling regularly on gravel roads or snow then all-wheel drive tends to provide much better traction than front-wheel drive.    

Coming standard on the GX are LED headlights and 17-inch alloy wheels, fabric seats, climate control, proximity keys, an 8.0-inch touch screen, Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, a six-speaker stereo and digital radio, a reversing camera plus advanced safety tech covered in detail in the Safety section of this review.

The GXL gets all that and adds roof rails and rear privacy glass, leather upholstered seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a 10.5-inch display with built-in sat nav.

Now the Atmos, which sounds like a bathroom cleaner but it’s the very fanciest Corolla Cross with its panoramic moon roof and 18-inch alloys, a power tailgate and power driver's seat. Those front seats are heated, and so is the steering wheel. There's a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and wireless phone charging.

The Corolla Cross is well-priced compared to its rivals.The Haval Jolion has almost identical pricing across its range but the Corolla Cross goes one better for value by offering a hybrid variant in every grade, not just the top-of the-range as the Haval does. The Honda HR-V is another rival and while it's pricing is close to the Corolla Cross its two-grade line-up doesn't offer much choice. 

The Sonata N Line comes with a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine making 213kW and 422Nm, which is plenty of oomph, and it all goes to the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

So no, there’s not a diesel version nor an all-wheel drive version, but this sporty engine suits the Sonata N Line perfectly.

That said a hybrid variant would be good seeing it’s 2023.

How would you like your Corolla Cross to be powered? By petrol-alone or with a combination of petrol and electricity as per the hybrid variants?

The non-hybrid Corolla Cross has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine which makes 126kW and 202Nm. Remember, too, it only comes in front-wheel drive.

The hybrid variant combines a 112kW/190Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with an 83kW206Nm electric motor. And if you choose the AWD then there’s a second motor at the rear axle making 30kW.

Both the non-hybrid Corolla Cross and the hybrid have a CVT automatic transmission. Nope, no manual gearboxes here.  

The braked towing capacity for the range is 750kg. Interestingly, without trailer brakes, most of the range is rated even lower, with the non-hybrid GX and GXL rated at 725kg, the non-hybrid Atmos at 735kg, and the hybrid GX at 745kg. The hybrid GXL and Atmos get the full 750kg, regardless of trailer braking.

As we were saying above there’s no hybrid variant of the Sonata N Line and there should be. Actually there is, but Hyundai says it isn't available for the Australian market.

So, this turbo-petrol four-cylinder is all we have and according to Hyundai it uses 8.1L/100km on the combined cycle.

When we tested it at the launch our trip computer was reporting exactly 8.1L/100km, but the roads were clear, the traffic was nowhere to be seen, so you can expect that consumption to climb higher if you’re commuting around the city.

If you want to save fuel the hybrid is absolutely the way to go with the front-wheel drive using 4.3L/100km and the all-wheel drive consuming 4.4L/100km according to official combined figures.

I drove the GXL all-wheel drive hybrid from Sydney’s CBD to the city’s northern beaches during horrendous peak hour traffic and the trip computer reported an average of 5.3L/100km being used. That’s not bad at all.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t require plugging in to an external power source to charge the batteries. Instead the batteries are charged through regenerative braking. That is, you step on the brake pedal and the deceleration energy is converted into electricity and sent into the battery.   

The petrol variant doesn't quite have double the thirst of the hybrid at 6.0L/100km, which is still fairly efficient. 

The Sonata N Line’s performance matches its sporty looks. That turbo-petrol engine is responsive and provides great acceleration, the transmission shifts fast and the steering is nicely weighted and accurate. 

Add to this better rigidity in the car’s structure in this updated model and a feeling of stability thanks to this being a sedan with a low centre of mass and you have a dynamic and enjoyable vehicle in your hands.

Sure it doesn't have the sky-high visibility that comes from the pilot’s seat of an SUV, but the Sonata N Line is for those who like to drive but still want the practicality of four doors, back seats and a boot.

Toyota has a reputation for reliability and value, but one admirable attribute which should be added to this is also driveability. Nearly every new Toyota SUV I’ve driven in the past three years including the Kluger, C-HR and RAV4 has been an impressive all-rounder on the road.

The Corolla Cross feels a lot like the C-HR and RAV4 to drive in that it handles well, but has a comfortable ride with a secure planted feel on the road.

I drove both the all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive hybrid versions and the petrol variant at the launch and found that while both felt much the same there were two stand-out differences.

The first being the acceleration difference. The hybrid is far quicker off the mark than the petrol version. According to Toyota's claims, the actual 0-100km/h time for the hybrid is 7.5 seconds while the petrol variant can do it 9.0 seconds.

The other way these two Corolla Crosses differ is the smoothness of the hybrid powertrain and the way it moves silently at lower speeds in traffic in EV mode.

Both petrol and hybrid Corollas are easy to drive with steering that’s accurate and light. 

Are there any bad points to the driving? The small back window means rear visibility is restricted although the reversing camera is good. The wing mirrors also appear to be overly large and also obstruct vision slightly, too. 

Other not-so-good points are the relatively noisy petrol engine in all Corolla Cross variants, and the CVT transmission in both also causes the engine to drone.

The Corolla Cross hasn’t been given an ANCAP crash test rating yet, but the advanced safety tech every grade comes with is impressive.

All Corolla Crosses come with AEB that can detect pedestrians and cyclists, and impressively can function between 5-180km/h. There’s also lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.

If you step up to the GXL you’ll get auto braking which works while you’re parking and the Atmos gets auto parking.

The impressive airbag tally is the same across the Corolla Cross range, with a total of eight. These include a front centre airbag and driver's knee bag, but there's no side airbags for back seat occupants.

The Sonata N Line is covered by Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. 

Servicing is recommended annually or every 10,000km. There’s no capped price serving but you can buy a 'Lifetime' or a five-year plan that work out to be between $350-$400 on average a year. 

The Corolla Cross is covered by Toyota’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is currently average across the industry. The battery is also covered by that five-year/unlimited km warranty. 

Extended coverage of up to seven years/unlimited kilometres is available if the owner services the vehicle according to the warranty and service book.

The hybrid battery coverage can also be extended to 10 years with an annual health check inspection.

Services are a convenient 12months/15,000km and pricing is capped for five years at $230. That’s outstanding.