2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Adds Hybrid Efficiency and Hustle
What's happening
Toyota's cheapest SUV is going hybrid.
Why it matters
This electrified model beats its gas sibling by 7 mpg and should easily become one of the most affordable hybrids on the market.
What's next
Look for this broadened Corolla SUV range to continue to eat into sales of the nameplate's more traditional sedan and hatch models.
The Toyota Corolla Cross has been a value-minded (if low-frills) proposition at the entry-level end of the Japanese automaker's SUV lineup, offering good space and solid fuel economy for a bargain price. Now entering its second year, this crossover is getting an even more efficient model, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid.
This new gas-electric crossover relies on Toyota's fifth-generation hybrid architecture, a seemingly easy port over from other TNGA-C platform vehicles like the Corolla Hybrid sedan, a model with which the Corolla Cross shares its basic underpinnings. Toyota says the Cross' four-cylinder with electric assist is good for 194 horsepower and a projected 0-60 mph time of 8 seconds. Those are modest figures, but they should also be enough to make the Hybrid model meaningfully quicker than the 169-hp gas-only Corolla Cross, which is one of the more leisurely accelerating vehicles on the market today.
More importantly, Toyota says buyers can expect 37 miles per gallon on the EPA combined city/highway fuel economy cycle. That would be a solid 5-mpg improvement over today's front-wheel-drive gas-only Corolla Cross, which gets 31 city/33 highway/32 combined mpg ratings. Even more impressive? The Hybrid manages those figures with standard all-wheel drive, which means the efficiency delta is an even-more-impressive 7 mpg on the combined cycle over the gas-only AWD Corolla Cross.
This new Hybrid model will be available in LE and XLE trims, along with a trio of new S, SE and XSE Sport grades. S models get unique front and rear fascias along with a sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lights and an 8-inch infotainment display. Stepping up to the SE trim adds paddle shifters, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert, as well as roof rails and darker privacy glass. The sportiest and most equipment-rich XSE trim nets inch-larger wheels, a power heated driver's seat trimmed in SofTex faux leather upholstery, as well as even fancier LED illumination and fog lamps.
In news that should appeal to all of the model's customers -- not just hybrid shoppers -- the entire 2023 Corolla Cross range receives updated infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, along with USB-C connectors. The new system features a more powerful voice recognition setup along with over-the-air updates and an available AT&T 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
No word yet on pricing for the crossover, but look for its MSRP to be commensurately higher than today's 2022 Corolla Cross L AWD gas model, which starts at $24,960 (including $1,215 delivery).
The new 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid will be built in Huntsville, Alabama, and is expected to roll into dealerships this fall.
A new infotainment system includes an 8-inch touchscreen plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
