What’s it like?
The Toyota Corolla Cross was quite a late entrant to the highly competitive C-segment crossover-SUV game, landing in 2022 to plug a gap in the Japanese manufacturer’s hierarchy between the C-HR and the long-serving RAV4. Rivals to the Corolla Cross include an absolute multitude of machines such as the Volkswagen T-Roc, Kia Niro and more, but because this is a Toyota and it’s a hybrid, the Corolla Cross is a strong choice in the eyes of Irish buyers – which, in turn, makes it a great second-hand buy.
Which model to go for?
There are but two drivetrains for the Corolla Cross, which are a 140hp 1.8-litre hybrid and then a more potent 2.0-litre hybrid with 197hp. The 2.0-litre arrived first, with the 1.8 joining later, and you can expect 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds from the former, with the latter taking 9.9 seconds for the same sprint.
All Corolla Cross models are front-wheel drive and have automatic gearboxes, so the choice is reasonably simple based on whether you want the added performance of the 2.0-litre, at the expense of increased fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. But we’re talking very minor degrees of separation here.
Typically, the 2.0-litre engine is reserved purely for the higher grades – in the refreshed-for-2026 line-up, it can only be specified as a GR Sport, for instance – while the 1.8 is more widely available in Luna, Sport and Sol trims. The last point to note is that Toyota quotes a smaller boot capacity for the more powerful hybrid powertrain, the 2.0 coming with 425 litres of cargo space while the 1.8 can hold 473 litres.
Does anything go wrong?
Because the Corolla Cross is a relatively new car, no serious issues have yet presented themselves. Realistically, you shouldn’t be able to find a poor-condition Corolla Cross on the used market, because they’re just too new – and if you do find a tired, badly cared-for or battered-looking example, simply walk away as there’s no need to take the risk on it.
There have been four recalls affecting the Toyota Corolla Cross so far, which were for a flaw in the combination meter programming that could lead to the speedometer and various warnings failing to display; a fault in the programming of the forward recognition camera software; camera cases on vehicles coming apart under stress due to improper welding; and a problem where a software update error can cause the data communication module to fail to restart at the vehicle’s next ignition cycle.