2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid AWD review

Can you spot the difference?

Toyota has given its Corolla Cross small SUV a very minor update for 2025. Like the Japanese auto brand’s wider hybrid model range, it now ditches the ‘Hybrid’ badging and instead picks up ‘HEV’ badging.

Another minor specification change is the addition of wireless Android Auto connectivity across the whole range. It was previously only available in wired form.

Since its local debut in 2022, the Corolla Cross has remained largely the same. Last year, all the pure-petrol variants were axed in a move that saw Toyota’s entire passenger car and crossover lineup, bar its performance cars, go hybrid-only.

While you’d expect a crossover version of a vehicle that was once the world’s most popular vehicle to be a top-seller, it hasn’t necessarily taken the sales charts by storm in Australia.

WATCH: Paul’s video review of the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid AWD

Last year, a total of 8902 examples were sold, which is more than Toyota’s own C-HR but far less than the larger mid-sized, yet similarly priced RAV4 (58,718 sales).

Even in the context of small SUVs, the Corolla Cross was outsold by the likes of the MG ZS (22,629 sales), Hyundai Kona (17,374 sales), and GWM Haval Jolion (14,238 sales). All of these cars now offer a hybrid powertrain too.

Also proving more popular among Australians last year were the Mazda CX-30 (12,672), Mitsubishi ASX (12,330), Subaru Crosstrek (11,545) and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (9221).

Times have changed since the Corolla Cross launched and there is plenty more competition out there, so is this small SUV worth considering? Read along to find out.

How much does the Toyota Corolla Cross cost?

This small hybrid SUV isn’t cheap, especially at the top of the range.

At $50,030 before on-roads, top-spec Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid AWD is considerably more expensive than comparable rivals, including the GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid ($38,990 drive-away), Honda HR-V e:HEV L ($42,900 drive-away), Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium N Line ($46,500 before on-roads), and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid S ($45,090 before on-roads).

In fact, it firmly creeps in hybrid mid-sized SUV territory, which is a fiercely contended segment. This means versions of the GWM Haval H6 Hybrid, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Kia Sportage Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester Hybrid are more affordable.

It’s worth mentioning you can get a range of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery-electric (BEV) SUVs now for under $50,000. These include the BYD Sealion 6 and Atto 3, Chery Omoda E5, Leapmotor C10, and MG ZS EV.

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Toyota Corolla Cross like on the inside?

Like pretty much all crossover SUVs, the Corolla Cross is an easy vehicle to get into. You step across into the cabin, rather than stepping up or down. It’s clear to see why so many people, especially those with poor mobility, like these kinds of cars.

Compared to the Corolla hatchback and sedan, the Corolla Cross’ front seats look nowhere near as sporty or bucket-like. Despite the more conservative, flatter design, they’re still comfortable.

The driver’s seat offers plenty of electric adjustment, including thigh support and lumbar support. This means people of many different sizes and statures will be able to get comfortable behind the wheel.

The front seats are also heated, which is handy in the cooler months, but they’re not ventilated. During the scorching Melbourne heat, this meant the leather-accented seats got rather warm.

Ahead of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel that’s reasonably sized and has a thin rim, so it’s nice to hold as a result. All the buttons on the wheel are logically placed – though it did take me a second to find the button to set the cruise control – and have a clicky action when pressed.

Behind this is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that’s becoming common now in newer Toyota models. It looks smart, and the display itself is high-resolution.

You’re able to configure the digital instrument cluster in many different ways. This ranges from different screen layouts, themes, and widgets. My personal favourite was having the typical gauges with the hybrid system and trip computer showing so I could see my fuel economy.

Strangely, no Corolla Cross variant gets a head-up display. It’s a commonplace feature in a number of rivals and it does help you see your current speed without having to glance far from the road ahead.

Moving across, there’s a 10.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system that’s mounted proudly on the dashboard like a tacked-on iPad. It’s high-resolution and appears to have plenty of processing power, meaning it turns on quickly at startup and new pages load snappily.

There isn’t a whole heap to this infotainment system’s interface, which means it’s a breeze to navigate. Even if you do get lost, there are shortcut buttons on the right-hand side of the touchscreen.

One thing that is a little disappointing about this larger screen, though, is there isn’t a dial for adjusting the volume. Instead, there are up and down push-buttons on either side of the screen power button, which isn’t as user-friendly as passengers need to spam them to change the volume quickly.

As standard there is now both wired and wireless forms of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. With my iPhone 15 Pro Max connected wirelessly, I had a relatively good connection during my week of testing, though there were occasionally dropouts in known interference points.

There’s a wireless charger to keep your phone battery topped up while using smartphone mirroring, but the one in this car refused to charge my phone. It doesn’t help that there is no grippy surface or raised bumper to secure your phone on the wireless charging pad.

Looking around the cabin, it’s like a sea of black trim finishes, which makes it feel rather drab and boring. Even the headliner is black, which doesn’t help break up any of the interior colourway.

Thankfully, there’s a panoramic glass sunroof that brightens things up, but it’s a fixed panel, meaning it doesn’t open like some do. I appreciate there’s a block-out blind because it helped keep the cabin cool on stinking hot Melbourne days.

There are some soft-touch surfaces around the cabin, primarily on the armrests and other places where you interact frequently, but beyond this it’s all scratchy, hard plastic, which screams cost-cutting. It’s excusable in the base model, but it hurts in a top-spec small SUV that’s priced over $50k.

There’s also an annoying amount of piano black material around the climate control pod and gear selector. This gets dusty and grimy really quickly, and then scratches easily when wiped clean.

Storage up front is decent but not standout. There are two cupholders that are big enough, a small centre console box, as well as an adequately sized glove box and door pockets.

Moving to the second row, it’s much bigger than the cramped Corolla hatchback and sedan, but it’s still not overly spacious. It’s clear the focus is on the people in the first row, which is the case in many small SUVs.

At a leggy 182cm, I had adequate legroom, but there’s also a good amount of head, shoulder, and toe room. You can go two-up with ease, though pushing it to three would make things too squishy.

In terms of second-row amenities, there are air vents and USB-C ports on the back of the centre console, as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

Unlike some small SUVs, the Corolla Cross doesn’t have door pockets in the rear doors. Instead, there is a singular cupholder on each door panel.

Around the back, there’s a power tailgate, which has a hands-free kick function. This is handy if you have full hands and need to open the tailgate.

When it does open or close, however, it beeps incessantly and loudly, which is a Toyota trait. It occasionally makes people turn their heads because it’s that obnoxious.

Once the tailgate is open, there’s a surprisingly decent boot area. Toyota claims it offers 380 litres with the rear seats upright. It doesn’t quote a figure with the seats folded.

Unfortunately, the floor isn’t flat with the rear seats folded, but this is fairly common in the segment.

Boot-related amenities are slim, including a cargo cover, a light, hooks and tie-down points.

There’s no spare wheel under the boot floor. Instead, there’s a tyre repair kit. This is common for many hybrid SUVs, but it still can be annoying if you get a proper puncture in the middle of nowhere.

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

The Corolla Cross Hybrid is still powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which, in all-wheel drive variants, is augmented by two electric motors – one on each axle.

My observed fuel economy figure of 4.7L/100km included a mix of different driving scenarios, from everyday commuting in urban traffic to highway journeys. The best figure I saw was just 3.8L/100km, which I achieved on a trip into the office with minimal traffic.

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Toyota Corolla Cross drive?

Starting up the Corolla Cross Hybrid, there’s a singular beep that lets you know the car is ready to be driven. A ‘ready’ icon also displays on the digital instrument cluster.

The reason for the start-up beep sound is because the car starts silently without the petrol engine. It typically fires to life quietly a second or two after, however, to warm up the engine fluids.

The petrol engine stays on for a fair while, especially if it’s stone cold, to ensure it’s closer to operating temperature and to charge up the battery a tad. Realistically, this only takes a couple of minutes.

After this, the petrol engine typically switches off and the car cruises around on electric power alone. At low speeds, it can be rather electric-heavy, which makes for near-silent progression, but this depends on how much charge there is in the tiny lithium-ion battery pack.

If you’re light on the throttle and there’s plenty of battery charge, this car can accelerate up to 50km/h on EV power, which always feels like a fun achievement.

I’ve recently hopped out of a range of electric SUVs, however, then most recently the mild-hybrid Peugeot 3008. Off the back of these, the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s electric motors feel weak in comparison. Above 20km/h, or sometimes even from a standstill, the petrol engine usually switches on to aid progression.

Thankfully, though, the electric motors still provide a snappy initial acceleration feel. This is because the full amount of torque is available from standstill.

You can barely feel when the petrol engine first fires up. If you aren’t paying full attention, you likely won’t know it has come to life until it starts revving.

It doesn’t take long for the petrol engine’s sound to get old. Given the Corolla Cross, like all Toyota hybrids, is equipped with an electronic continuously variable automatic transmission (e-CVT), it has an annoying drone that just hovers at the same revs. This isn’t uncommon, as this type of transmission typically prioritises efficiency rather than driver engagement.

With everything on tap, the Corolla Cross doesn’t feel overly quick. If you do punch the accelerator a bit harder, or slot the car into the ‘Power’ mode, it just revs the petrol engine more to the point where it sounds like it is screaming for you to stop. It’s clear this car prefers to be driven with docile throttle inputs.

Once you reach cruising speeds around town, the engine usually switches off, depending on the battery charge and outside ambient temperature, among other factors. I found the engine would stay on for longer in hot weather, as the air-conditioning was working hard to cool the cabin down.

EV cruising in the Corolla Cross is very quiet and serene, as there’s only the odd electric motor hum. It’s almost a game to eke out as much electric driving as possible because the petrol engine does notably dull the driving experience.

There is a dedicated ‘EV’ drive mode, but it’ll switch off as soon as you press the accelerator just that bit too hard or when the battery charge is too low.

Both the front and rear electric motors help with initial acceleration, but as soon as you get above 40km/h or so, only the front electric motor drives the car.

The rear electric motor reactivates around some corners for added security, but ultimately it feels like it doesn’t add much traction and instead weighs the car down. Indeed, the claimed 0-100km/h sprint time for the all-wheel drive model, compared to the front-wheel drive model, is slower. It also has higher combined fuel consumption.

Regenerative braking in this vehicle only has one setting, but it strikes a nice balance between being too weak or too strong. Under light deceleration, only the front electric motor regenerates energy, but backing off the accelerator completely lets the rear electric motor help out.

The regenerative braking also negates that annoying CVT speed creep you sometimes get when travelling down a hill.

There is a degree of added regenerative braking built into the brake pedal, and the transition to the physical brakes when coming to a complete stop can be a little jarring. It doesn’t take long for the battery pack to charge up. This is nice because it equals more EV driving.

Around town, this is a fun and dynamic car to drive. It doesn’t feel quite as dialled-in as the Corolla hatch or sedan due to the inherent higher centre of gravity. As a result, it also has a bit of body roll when pushed in corners.

Compared to front-wheel drive Corolla Cross variants, the all-wheel drives have a more sophisticated trailing-arm rear suspension setup. From the seat of the pants, the ride isn’t noticeably different, however, as all Corolla Cross vehicles iron out urban road imperfections, and even larger speed bumps, with ease.

A big highlight of this car is its light but direct steering feel. I’m thankful this trait has carried over from the Corolla hatch and sedan because it makes navigating tight urban parking scenarios fun and easy.

Speaking of parking, there are front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera that has good quality.

In this top-spec Atmos trim, there’s also a semi-autonomous parking system that works fantastically. Unlike systems from other carmakers, this one can see parking lines and is able to slot the car in within these.

Beyond 60km/h the Corolla Cross’ hybrid powertrain starts to feel out of its depth. It relies much more on the petrol engine, which in turn makes the droning noise a lot more prevalent in the cabin.

At certain points when travelling at highway and even freeway speeds, the car can flick into EV mode, but this is typically only on completely flat ground or when coasting downhill. Any push of the throttle, or even a whiff of an incline, causes the engine to fire back up.

The Corolla Cross, like many Toyotas, is a comfortable highway tourer that feels rock solid from behind the wheel. At higher speeds there is a lot of road noise, especially on coarse-chip road surfaces, that emanates into the cabin, which further reveals the budget roots of this car.

The ride still feels good at higher speeds, though hard singular bumps can feel a little firm and transmit into the cabin. This is likely due to the larger 18-inch alloy wheels, which have lower-profile tyres.

On the safety front, the Corolla Cross is fully loaded. The adaptive cruise control is good at managing a consistent distance between the car ahead, though even in the closest distance setting it leaves a generous gap. This means other cars sometimes cut in front of you, which then makes the car brake.

The lane-keep assist doesn’t intrude whatsoever, which is exactly how it should be. The only time it goes off is when you actually cross over the lane markings.

In conjunction with the adaptive cruise control, there’s a lane-centring function that takes a more direct control of steering efforts. It’s not overly intrusive like some, making it a fantastic aid for longer highway and freeway journeys where it can reduce driver fatigue.

Lastly, the Corolla Cross Atmos comes with bright LED headlights. These are great for when you’re travelling in rural areas where wildlife can jump out around any bend.

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

On test here is the top-spec Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid AWD.

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross GX standard equipment highlights:

• LED headlights
• Halogen daytime running lights
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Space-saver spare wheel
• Power folding, heated side mirrors
• Embossed fabric seats
• Manual front seat adjustment
• Rear seats with tilt function
• Urethane steering wheel
• Electric park brake
• 2 x front, 2 x rear cupholders
• Retractable luggage cover
• 60:40-split rear seats
• Automatic climate control
• 7.0-inch driver’s instrument display
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• 12V power socket, front
• USB-C port in centre console
• Power windows
• Door pockets with bottle holders
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 6-speaker sound system
• AM/FM/DAB+ radio
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Toyota Connected Services (12-month subscription)

Corolla Cross GXL adds:

• Tyre repair kit (Hybrid AWD)
• Front fog lights
• High-grade LED headlights
• Sequential turn signals
• Rear privacy glass
• Roof rails
• 10.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Satellite navigation
• Dual-zone climate control
• USB-C rear charge ports
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Leather-accented shift knob
• Leather-accented steering wheel
• Leather-accented/fabric upholstery

Corolla Cross Atmos adds:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Panoramic glass sunroof
• Hands-free power tailgate
• Rain-sensing wipers
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• Wireless phone charger
• Illuminated entry system
• Rear cupholders
• Rear armrest
• Heated steering wheel
• Leather-accented upholstery
• 8-way power driver’s seat
• Advanced Park Assist

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Toyota Corolla Cross safe?

The Toyota Corolla Cross range was awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating against 2022 criteria.

Standard safety features include:

• Toyota Safety Sense
  • AEB with Pedestrian, Cyclist detection
  • Adaptive cruise control incl. curve speed reduction
  • Auto high-beam
  • Lane departure warning
  • Lane keep assist
  • Lane Trace Assist (centring)
  • Lane change assist
  • Speed sign assist
• Blind-spot monitoring incl. safe exit assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Reversing camera
• 8 airbags incl. front-centre airbag

GXL adds:

• Parking support brake incl. vehicle, object detection
• ‘Simple’ panoramic view monitor (360 cameras)

Atmos Hybrid adds:

• Enhanced panoramic view monitor (360 cameras with see-through view)
• Advanced Park Assist
• Parking support brake incl. pedestrian detection

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Toyota Corolla Cross cost to run?

There’s a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and if you service your car on time as per the logbook, that extends to seven years for the powertrain.

Further to that, if you maintain your car with Toyota annually, and have a hybrid system checkup done on schedule, the high-voltage battery warranty is 10 years or unlimited kilometres.

To see how the Toyota Corolla Cross lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota Corolla Cross

While there’s plenty more competition popping up, the Corolla Cross is still likely to be all the car that many people will need, especially singles, couples and empty-nesters.

Compared to some other small SUVs, though, it doesn’t scream ‘pick me’. It’s conservative, if a little dull, both inside and out, and for many non-car people this may be a pro and not a con.

The hybrid drivetrain in this car is clearly the centrepiece. It’s fun cruising around on EV power, eking out as much as you can before the petrol engine fires up. This also results in a fantastic real-world fuel consumption figure.

While this drivetrain is efficient, it doesn’t produce a great note when pushed. Plus, there’s a surprising amount of road noise that enters the cabin at higher speeds on coarse-chip roads.

Yet the Corolla Cross is nimble and fun to drive, and these are characteristics of all the models based on the Toyota TNGA-C platform to date.

I’d personally steer clear of the all-wheel drive Corolla Cross variants unless you want the extra security that all-wheel drive can provide in all weather conditions.

The front-wheel drive version isn’t weighed down by the weak rear electric motor, so it offers better performance and fuel economy while also being $3000 cheaper. Additionally it gets a space-saver spare wheel, which is considerably more helpful than a tyre repair kit if you have a bad puncture.

Sure, Toyota is known for its vast dealer network and competitively priced servicing, but this top-spec Atmos Hybrid AWD variant, as tested, costs well over $50,000 drive-away, which is jaw-dropping.

You can spend a similar amount to buy a substantially larger RAV4 and still retain similar hybrid efficiency. The sales charts prove a lot of Australians are doing just this.

However, if you’re budget-minded and want a small SUV, check out some of the competition because Toyota is now far from the only carmaker to offer hybrid technology in the small SUV segment.

Interested in buying a Toyota Corolla Cross? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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