Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid 2024 review

Upon landing in Australia in late 2022, the Toyota Corolla Cross was a vehicle that on paper we didn’t seem to need. With two charming small-stature SUVs in the Yaris Cross and C-HR already on offer, to many, it might seem an unnecessary excess.

In truth though, the former is technically a compact, probably too small for most. And the latter? Well, I’ve seen animal cages seized by the RSPCA that look more humane than the backseat occupancy of the just-replaced first-generation C-HR, while its successor is priced like a designer poodle.

The Corolla Cross was quite different. It’s a generously sized small contender, practical in packaging, more sensible and family friendly in nature, a likeable slightly shrunken RAV4 format for thriftier pricing. And with a nice Corolla-like manner to the driving experience.

After a short ramp-up period, the Corolla Cross really hit its stride in 2023, recording 7932 sales, which is a decent effort but still shy of established rivals such as the Mazda CX-30 (13,115) and Volkswagen T-Roc (8943) along with new/updated competition such as the Subaru Crosstrek (8991) and Kia Seltos (10,473).

Although we’ve seen small updates overseas, the Corolla Cross is the same as it was when it launched and no major updates appear to be on the horizon. Besides swapping some USB A ports to the more modern USB C, and the addition of the slick two-tone paint option on the top-spec Atmos, this model is the same as it was on debut.

In a time of record inflation, prices have naturally followed, now up $980 across every grade in the range.

The entry point starts at a friendly $33,980 before on-road costs for the petrol GX. But not for long. At the time of publication, Toyota has just announced that it will halt orders moving forward on important petrol-only engines for a range of models including the Corolla Cross.

So once the current stock is gone you’ll have to front up the extra cash for the hybrid, or currently $36,480 for the base hybrid GX.

At launch, the Corolla Cross presented itself as a well-rounded proposition that would serve as a good alternative for buyers who were tired of the midsized RAV4’s long wait lists or looking for something with a