The Toyota Corolla Cross was already perhaps the most practical car possible. Now, Toyota has made it more fuel-efficient amid record gas prices. If there’s a layup in the automotive world, it’s this one.
The Corolla Cross hasn’t been around long, so you may not be familiar with it. You can understand it in the time it takes to read the next sentence. The Corolla Cross is a small crossover version of the Toyota Corolla.
The Corolla was already history’s best-selling car when Toyota thought to give it the kind of high seating position and interior cargo space Americans love in small crossovers. Its exterior design plays it safe, and its driving experience is pleasant and easy to live with. The Corolla Cross starts at just $22,445 (plus a $1,215 delivery fee), making a serious argument for this being the most practical new car choice anyone can make.
The Corolla Cross is good for 32 mpg combined in front-wheel-drive form and 30 mpg with the optional all-wheel-drive. Those are respectable numbers. But with gas prices pushing $5 per gallon in many places, buyers might be attracted to an even-more-efficient option.
And no one knows hybrids like Toyota.
So, here it comes. The 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid is rated for 37 mpg in combined driving.
Toyota hasn’t revealed pricing for the hybrid version. If the brand’s usual patterns hold, hybrid variants are a few thousand more than the gasoline-only models.
The hybrid version gets a bit more power than the gas-powered version — 197 horsepower compared to the 169 of non-hybrid versions. Toyota says the added power helps the hybrid get from 0-60 mph in about 8 seconds – respectable, though no one is buying this car for the performance. There’s a different Corolla for that.
Toyota will also introduce a Sport model for the hybrid edition only. It gets a retuned suspension to make the little crossover a bit more fun in the turns.
