The Cavalry Blue paint is a new colour that helps it stand out in a parking lot.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The Toyota Corolla Cross is a really nice vehicle. That’s it in a nutshell: really nice. Not exciting, nor stunning, nor a bargain, nor a rip-off. If it makes a statement, it would be that its driver is probably really nice, too. Sensible and quintessentially Canadian, even though the little SUV is built in Alabama. Is that what you’d like on your headstone?
I drove the top-of-the-line XSE AWD hybrid for this review, which costs $42,100 before taxes. You can add about $5,000 for taxes in most of Canada. A more representative cost is the $31,900 for the most basic L FWD trim, before taxes, with five other non-hybrid models and packages available within that $10,000 spread, and one other with a hybrid engine for just more than $39,000.
For that money, you get a nice subcompact SUV that will likely serve you well. I could never quite adjust the driver’s seat to be properly comfortable, but perhaps that was just me. Inside, there’s plenty of space in the smartly designed cabin for four people; however, if there are three people in the back row, they’d better be small. The whole interior is bright and airy, especially with the large moonroof that’s available with the more costly trims. The rear seats flip flat to create a generous amount of cargo room.
The cabin is bright and airy, especially if you opt for the moonroof.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
It is a smartly designed interior for four people, but would be tight with three in the back.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The drive itself is really not a priority with the Corolla Cross, though that’s probably fine with most people, who just want to get where they’re going with no fuss. I found the SUV to be a little loud on the highway – not Jeep Wrangler loud, just less-expensive-car loud. I also drove it down a bumpy, rutted, unassumed road – the kind with a warning sign before you enter – and the all-wheel drive made it through with no issues; I wouldn’t want to subject it to that every day, though.
The vehicle’s biggest drawback is the continuously variable transmission (CVT) paired with all versions of the SUV. When you step on the throttle, the transmission seems to think about it for a while – are you sure you want to do this? – before pulling the car up to speed, rather than giving you the little kick in the pants that a truly enjoyable car provides.
This hesitation occurred in the more powerful hybrid, too, which adds an extra 27 horsepower under the hood. There are three drive modes – Normal, Eco and Sport – and none made a noticeable difference. I quickly set the mode to Normal and forgot about it.
The CVT, however, is also one of the vehicle’s greatest strengths, because it helps consume a truly frugal amount of fuel. The non-hybrid sips as little as a claimed 7.4 litres every 100 kilometres, while the hybrid drops that to 5.6, even with all-wheel drive. I averaged 7.0, which included lots of stepping on the gas and cruising at highway speeds.
The hybrid Corolla Cross has 196 horsepower.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The hybrid version sips fuel at 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres of combined highway and city driving.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
In the end, the only truly annoying thing for me about the Corolla Cross was the seatbelt reminder. The beeper stayed active while the car was in Drive at the coffee shop drive-thru, even when the car was stopped with the gas engine shut off. I unbuckled the seatbelt to fumble for my wallet in my pocket, but the safety-obsessed Corolla Cross kept beeping until I put the vehicle in Park. A small thing, and I should probably just pay with my phone, but having this happen every time I get coffee would become hugely annoying.
The 2026 edition is slightly changed from before, with a newly designed front fascia: “a modern, tech-forward design for the hybrid model and rugged wide design for the gas model,” says Toyota. Maybe that’ll tug at you a little more, but Toyota was careful not to mess too much with its second-best-selling SUV behind the RAV4. The Cavalry Blue paint of the tester is new, too, helping it to stand out in the mall parking lot.
There’s a long waiting list for the Corolla Cross; your local dealership will probably tell you the SUV you order today may not be delivered until next year. Drivers who appreciate a little more excitement in their lives and who live for the moment may well walk across the street to any number of other dealerships; the competition will likely cost less, and finance and leasing rates will almost certainly be cheaper. For those who value the sensible reliability and overall “niceness” of the Toyota brand, however, they’ll be content to wait for however long it takes, and be well rewarded when it arrives.
The hybrid has a two-litre, four cylinder engine with a hybrid motor.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2026 Toyota Corolla Cross
- Base price/as tested: $31,952/$41,102 including freight and pre-delivery inspection, plus taxes
- Engine: Two-litre, four-cylinder, and with hybrid motor
- Horsepower: Non-hybrid: 169; Hybrid: 196
- Transmission/Drive: CVT/front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): Non-hybrid FWD: 7.6 city, 7.2 highway, 7.4 combined; Non-hybrid AWD: 8.1 city, 7.6 highway, 7.8 combined; Hybrid AWD: 5.2 city, 6.1 highway, 5.6 combined
- Alternatives: Mazda CX-30, Honda HR-V, Subaru Crosstrek, Hyundai Konda, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taos
The rear seats fold flat to easily carry longer items.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
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