Impressive gas mileage is only just enough for this little crossover.
2024 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid review by The Road Beat
Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman
Besides the excellent fuel economy served up by the refreshingly compact Corolla Cross Hybrid, to the frugal tune of 37 MPG with ease, there are not a whole lot of reasons to want this little Toyota crossover. While I did enjoy this time around more than my previous go in a Corolla Cross Hybrid, I still think it's missing some vital tangible components to the driving and potential long-term ownership experience. Even with a low starting price, by the time you equip it right, you're also knocking on RAV4 territory, making for an interesting intra-war among their own brand. Meanwhile, when judged alone, the Corolla Cross still feels too much like a toy in quality and the feel of its vital controls.
For this test, Toyota sent a 2024 model year Corolla Cross Hybrid with the Nightshade package, sprucing up the mundane exterior with gloss black accents and wheels, plus adding a splash of coordinated red in the cabin. The as-tested price on the window sticker will ring the register for $34,498.
Impressive hybrid mileage
The good begins with the already-mentioned outstanding gas mileage. Even if my measured figure of 37 is impressive in its own right, that is a fairly far cry from the window sticker's promise of 42. No bother, though, 37 is mighty for any kind of petroleum powered vehicle. The Hybrid version of the Corolla Cross also brings necessitated power to the Corolla Cross line, as the terribly tepid standard Corolla Cross should not even be considered at this point anyways due to its snail-derived pace and relatively poor economy for such a slow and small slug. If anything, the non-hybrid version of the Corolla Cross should just not exist in its entirety.
So, with the Hybrid edition, horsepower does jump notably from 169 to a reasonable 196. You still won't be winning drag races in a Corolla Cross Hybrid, but throttle response is readily immediate and has enough poke for the most basic of daily driving routine requirements, giving easy confidence. The downside is, like many Toyota four-cylinders, this engine is a moaning and groaning affair, like the ghoul living upstairs in the attic, with coarse noises that sound like the typically trademark Toyota blender.
Compact size is welcome, but is too small?
Depending on what you're seeking, the compact size will either be a plus or minus. However, I found the Corolla Cross feels even smaller than it actually is, so it gives the impression of a miniature on the inside, but the 176-inch length is only four inches fewer than that of a RAV4. Whereas the elder RAV4 has a hospitable back seat for any size or shape of human (or dog), the Corolla Cross limits legroom and comfort to a disappointing degree largely in no thanks from the 104-inch wheelbase measurement. Opening the tailgate also reveals a weak cargo area volume, measuring only 21 cubic feet, or nearly 50% fewer than what a RAV4 affords in the back. So, if the size works for you, then great, but it's not that much smaller than a RAV4 on the outside, yet significantly and disproportionately smaller and cramped on the inside.
The SE model I drove has all the bells and whistles you could expect or hope for in terms of safety and usably convenient tech and entertainment (minus any kind of sun or moonroof, if you're into that), and despite the fabric seats, it also proved surprisingly comfortable for the driver. A huge plus when it comes to any Toyota is the presence of a real leather steering wheel here, replacing the cardboard 60-grit sandpaper steering wheel that comes as standard on cheaper Toyotas that anyone should avoid like the plague.
Depressing interior
As far as the rest of the interior is concerned, it's assembled ruggedly, obvious by the lack of any rattles even after 2,000 miles, but it is a dull and overdone affair when it comes to design. Black Toyota interiors always feel drab and like a dungeon to me, and this is no different, being a far cry from the sensual luxury that can be had in a brown leather Mazda CX-30's cabin (for not much extra). I know this isn't an expensive car by any means given the $34,498 sticker, but there's nothing in the interior that screams quality, or like it received any considerable thought. Toyota has made numerous and significant improvements in their cars the past decade, but interiors still seem to be the Achilles heel as competitors continue to make leaps and bounds of progress when it comes to appearance and perceived quality of touchpoints. Like I said, at least it was tight and didn't rattle. Even a new Honda HR-V feels considerably more upscale and grown-up in comparison.
Where the Toyota really feels like a toy is from the first turn of the wheel, where at low speed, the steering is devoid of all life and feel. Weighting is absent, too, so it really feels like playing a video game at an arcade, or using a steering wheel on a video that does without any force feedback. Put simply, the only way to know you're turning is to look out the windshield and see that you're turning. Other Toyotas don't exhibit this trait as badly, but here it's disorienting and leaves me cold at the lack of engagement. At freeway speeds, weight at least builds somewhat for increased confidence, but there is still no connection to be had. And this is a shame since the Corolla Cross has decent enough handling and balance when chucked through corners at surprising pace, and a good enough balance when driven at 6/10ths on my favorite backroad. I was actually quite impressed with its basic composure and handling characteristics, but the lack of anything resembling feel through the wheel is a great turnoff for me, and a weak point compared to many competing makes. As a result, it just feels too much like a toy and not enough like a car.
Safety becoming unsafe?
Toyota safety systems appear to be regressing, with features like lane assist now acting more dangerous than helpful. Often on the highway, the Corolla Cross would aggressively attempt to follow an exit and attempt departing from its lane, more so than usual. And it would make serious steering corrections even on backroads, well in advance of even being near the white lines of your lane, so much so that it felt like the tie rods were shot and that I was just fighting the steering of a car completely out of alignment. You can turn these safety items off, of course, but I don't remember these safety features being this unhelpful and intrusive even only a couple short years ago. I also didn't care for the unimpressive JBL stereo, with odd little speakers on the A pillars that look more like barnacles and can block forward and periphery vision.
That's not to say the Corolla Cross Hybrid is a bad car, because for some it may make a lot of sense, or hit exactly at your desired price point. But you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't explore other options first, such as the Mazda CX-30 or Honda HR-V, neither of which are hybrids and therefore suffer in gas mileage as a result, but they are much nicer driving cars with far better interiors when comparable trims are considered. I for one would be easily swayed to consider spending more for a RAV4 Hybrid to get the extra space, but to each their own. As it stands, this crossover delivers the gas mileage goods, but the weak interior and arcade game steering tendencies leave too many reservations for me in a car that seems to have received too little thought and attention.
2024 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Nightshade
Price as-tested: $34,498
Pros: Compact exterior can be welcome; Great mileage
Cons: Too small on the inside; Dated interior
Thank you for reading The Road Beat's 2024 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid review. Please subscribe if you enjoy these candid and frank real world reviews. Photography by mitchellweitzmanphoto.com.
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