Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
The engine is underwhelming and styling is fairly vanilla, but the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross shines because of the value it brings.
Answering the question no one asked, “Can you turn my Corolla into an SUV?” Toyota said, “Yeah. Why not?” The Corolla is, after all, the best-selling car of all time so clearly people love it. In fact, Toyota sold their 50-millionth Corolla last year. It seems fitting to do as Hollywood does when they stumble upon something successful, make a spin-off... or two.
Larger than the C-HR and smaller than the RAV-4, the base 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross can be had for $22,445. Toyota is hoping their new SUV can play into the new crop of exciting, value-driven vehicles out there. Sure the engine isn't very exciting, and the design is fairly flat, but with some impressive options at a decent price point combined with America's insatiable appetitive for all things SUV, this might be a huge hit.
The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross is an average looking sub-compact SUV with a few more edges than its four-door sedan relative. We wish it leaned more toward the exciting GR Corolla than the sedan sibling. But let's keep in mind, vanilla design is likely a smart business move from Toyota. They want to appeal to the Corolla faithful who continue to buy this car in droves without ostracizing them through edgy design. The means the silhouette of the Corolla Cross turns out to be a mix of a shortened Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-30, and Toyota's own RAV-4 all wrapped into one.
Up front on our Celestite Grey 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, the flat grill with prominent Toyota logo and large lower body-cladding make the first impression. The black roof rails are standard on the LE and XLE, adding a nice touch. And our top line XLE had chrome accents throughout. LED headlights and taillights are standard across all trims (#value). Our XLE came with the upgraded 18" wheels and fog lights as well. The front and rear wheels arches have a slight flare to give the Corolla Cross a wider, more planted look. That didn't quite translate into performance, but more on that shortly. The piece of design that stuck out to us most was a chrome piece stamped "Corolla Cross" located near the top of the C-pillar. It was a nice bit of flair for an otherwise average exterior.
RELATED: Here's Why the new 2023 Crown is Toyota's Most Unique Car
Toyota has given the 2022 Corolla Cross three different trims. The base is the L for $22,445, then LE for $24,795, and finally XLE for $26,575. All trims come with the same 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine paired with a CVT yielding 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. Toyota offers each trim the option for standard front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive ($1,300) returning 32 MPG and 30 MPG respectively. Our XLE also had the upgraded moonroof and power liftgate ($1,250), auto-leveling adaptive headlights which turn the direction the driver steers for better visibility ($615), and JBL audio with nine speakers plus subwoofer in the cargo area ($1,465). All in, our well-equipped budget crossover SUV was coming in near $33,000. Curiously, a hybrid XLE RAV-4, which is equally dependable, offering more space, more power, and better fuel economy starts at $31,000. Worth noting.
RELATED: CVT Transmission: The Pros And Cons In terms of comfort and usability, the upgrades make for a much better driving experience. I drove it around town with a mix of adults and kids at various times. The sound system, cargo storage, and spacious (for the segment) cabin were excellent. I also drove it a few hundred miles across the freeways of Georgia on the way to drop off my daughter at camp. We had bags loaded in the back with plenty of room. When we needed to pass someone, a shift of the lever to manual and some "downshifts" of the CVT allowed us to do what we needed - though the engine wasn't too happy at high revs. Despite the small engine and CVT, our real-world MPG numbers were only around 27 or 28 mpg, a bit disappointing.
The interior of the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross feels higher scale than a basic Corolla. Our upgraded nine-speaker JBL sound system also grows the standard seven-inch touchscreen up to an eight-inch version. Each trim gets a customizable seven-inch multi-information display on the dash. Along with fuel economy, speed, and RPMs, it displays a rear seat indicator icon. This alerts you which passengers in the back still need to click in. Our XLE had the standard 10-way power adjustable driver seat with lumbar (nice for us old folks). The SofTex seats--a synthetic leather-like material--were comfortable enough but on hot days we found our backs and backsides getting sweaty. We certainly didn't need the optional seat heaters.
Adding to the value proposition of this 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross are the standard features in trims like LE and XLE. Both come with standard wireless charging which is usually found in a costly "tech package" option with most other brands. That said, you still have to plug in your device to access Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which are standard on all trims. By plugging it in, it charges, thus rendering the wireless charger useless. So it seems more like a feature for the passenger or anyone rocking two phones.
Our XLE trim also had all the goodies that come with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 such as radar cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, road sign assist and a few others. These are features that even 10 years ago were only available on high-end European brands or as a very expensive upgrade package. More and more brands such as Toyota, Kia, and Honda are now offering these types of safety/convenience options standard. These offerings are yet another value plus for the Corolla Cross.
The rear leg and headroom were surprising for a smaller-than-a-RAV-4 type of SUV. As a 6'1" driver, I was able to sit in the back seat without having to move the driver seat forward. The designers added a bit of an interior scoop to the roof giving some more headroom as well. The cargo area was big enough to hold a few duffel bags and carry-on luggage if you need to drop a friend at the airport or head to grandmother's house. That said, on a longer trip two adults, no problem. Four adults and you might be loosing a friend.
RELATED: 10 Things To Know Before Buying The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross
The Toyota Corolla is an icon; not in the way a McLaren F1 is so special, but it has a right to its own fame. Spinning off versions like the Corolla hatch and this SUV makes a lot of sense for Toyota. Certainly, a brand that can sell 50 million Corollas knows more than a regular ole' auto journalist when it comes to the car business. So maybe there is some deeper planning at hand to test this model and eventually move it to fully-electric like the quirky-but-awesome Toyota bZ4X.
The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross is what it is. This socks and sandals of the SUV world knows it won't be at Fashion Week in NYC, but it gets the job done. It checks most of the boxes that Corolla drivers want: reliability, versatility, and usefulness. It is curious that a fully loaded XLE costs more than a better, larger, faster RAV-4 but maybe people don't care. The good news for anyone considering a Corolla Cross is that Toyota recently announced the 2023 hybrid version. This will improve the power, fuel economy, and styling. Seems like the sequel to this Hollywood spin-off actually might be a lot better than the first one.
Bradley Hasemeyer is an Emmy-Award winning host, father and lover of station wagons. As a child, Bradley and his father would walk around car lots after they closed in order to explore cars without annoying salesmen interruptions, watched VHS tapes of F1 races and try to ID cars at night based on their tail lights. His father would always win. This early love of all things automotive led Bradley to spend more than 15 years in the industry as a journalist, host and consultant. For more than 150+ episodes, he helmed the Autoblog show Translogic while also writing for and producing videos for various outlets like Gear Patrol, Road & Track and Business Insider. When not internally obsessing over his next wagon purchase, he can be found chasing his 2-year old son around the yard, strategically negotiating with his 8-year old over screen time and helping his wife find her phone (we got a Tile!).