Toyota Corolla Cross GX 2023 Review

Starting at $33,000 plus on-road costs for the entry-level GX as reviewed here, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross is more than $4000 pricier than the basic Corolla small car that kicks off at $28,630 plus ORCs for the Ascent Sport hatch.

The disparities are even greater at the upper end where the flagship Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid, at $49,050 plus ORCs, is about $10,000 more expensive than the top-spec Corolla ZR Hybrid sedan (from $39,620).

The extended range pricing factors in a lot of advanced technology, while buyers are also offered a choice between conventional and hybrid powertrains with front-drive or electrically-derived AWD.

There are two engines – a regular 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder and, for the hybrid, a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle version which produces a little less power but supplements it with either a single electric motor for the front-drive versions or an additional motor at the back that provides all-wheel drive.

With the premium pricing comes elevated levels of standard specification for the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross, which according to the car-maker has the “richest suite of safety and connected services technologies than any other Toyota model”.

We’ll dive into safety and tech in the next sections, but the entry-level GX has an extensive equipment rollcall that includes a 7.0-inch digital information screen ahead of the driver supplementing a central 8.0-inch touch-screen, climate-control air-conditioning, smart entry and engine start-up, self-dipping LED headlights, heated and folding external rear-view mirrors, a full set of power windows, an electric park brake and 17-inch alloy wheels.

The bottom line is that, even at GX level, the Toyota Corolla Cross doesn’t really seem entry-level. There are few of the compromises (although the fact that there’s no inbuilt sat-nav is a biggie) that the ‘bogger’ status usually implies.

The five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with 12-month/15,000km servicing is what you’d expect, and what you get.

Servicing prices for the Toyota Corolla Cross are capped at $250 per service for the first five years or 75,000km of the vehicle’s life.

Engine and driveline warranties can stretch out to seven years if the owner services the vehicle on schedule at a Toyota dealer.

Hybrid batteries, under the same stipulations, can be covered for up to 10 years.

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX does a good job of providing plenty of safety tech under the Toyota Safety Sense umbrella, although this doesn’t necessarily make it best in class.

There’s forward-only, low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), whereas in some of its competitors including the Mazda CX-30 and the new Subaru Crosstrek, AEB works in both forward and reverse and is functional, when moving forward, at high and low speeds.

We’re pleased to note that AEB has pedestrian and cyclist detection, and an active cruise control system is fitted standard too, but less pleased about the latter’s ‘curve braking’ which we’ll discuss in the drive section.

There’s also lane departure warning, along with the more sophisticated semi-autonomous lane tracing function, lane change assist to help re-merge with traffic after making a lane change, speed sign recognition, blind spot monitoring with safe exit assist to avoid an exiting passenger ‘dooring’ a passing cyclist or vehicle, rear cross traffic alert, self-dipping LED headlights and a single reversing camera.

A total of eight airbags are fitted, including a front centre airbag to protect front passengers from each other in a collision.

The Toyota Corolla Cross has scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2022.

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX might be short of integrated GPS but that’s not really an issue for smartphone users, particularly those with Apple devices who, unlike Android owners, can connect to the car’s infotainment system wirelessly.

The 8.0-inch touch-screen offers a decent high-res view and the general functionality is easy to fathom for most users. Bluetooth connectivity is standard.

A myToyota smartphone app brings functions such as remote start, lock/unlock, remote control of the air-con and a car-finding ability to the table, while an inbuilt communication facility, which is automatically tuned-in to airbag deployment, is able to help in emergencies.

The Corolla Cross GX’s six-speaker sound system is generally effective with AM/FM/DAB+ radio and, even though not up to the impressive standard of the premium Atmos version’s upgrade to JBL audio, offers good reception and sound quality.

There is nothing fresh or surprising about the engine in the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX – it’s the same basic 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit that arrived in 2018 to replace the previous 1.8-litre engine and can be found in the Corolla sedan/hatch and the RAV4.

The normally-aspirated 2.0-litre engine’s slightly revvy outputs of 126kW at 6600rpm and 203Nm at 4400rpm place it either on par, or slightly ahead, of its non-turbo competitors.

The 2.0-litre engine in the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX drives the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and is pretty easy on fuel if you believe the quoted combined-cycle consumption figure of 6.0L/100km.

On test, we recorded 7.8L/100km over a week of hard flogging and we thought it capable of producing better under less-demanding conditions.

It makes do with regular 91RON fuel, equating to the bulk of its normally-aspirated competition.

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX slots neatly into the small SUV genre.

With its 17-inch alloy wheels and 215/60 tyres it does a good job of dealing with sharp-edged road surfaces and angular, creeping-pace metal speed humps.

The price paid is a small but nevertheless noticeable deficit in its steering and handling which is identifiably middle-ground Toyota. The steering is neither slow nor fast and falls short of sporty – which will be fine with the bulk of buyers not attracted to the idea of a quick-handling, tight-riding SUV hot-rod anyway.

Though it could never be accused of being noisy at cruising speeds, the inner calm of the Corolla Cross is subtly impinged on by a degree of suspension noise that creeps into the cabin.

The performance is brisker than you might expect. With the eager 2.0-litre engine and the fact its 1380kg kerb weight puts it among the lightest in its class, the Corolla Cross has an advantageous power/weight ratio – a fact that becomes particularly evident with a solid squeeze of the throttle.

The transmission’s inbuilt conventional ‘launch gear’ – which can be felt engaging at times – helps too, providing quick off-the-line acceleration before the usual CVT belt-and-pulley antics kick in.

But while everything is generally fine in a dynamic sense with the Corolla Cross, there’s one thing – common to the Toyota brand – that, for most drivers, is the mind-addling, so-called ‘curve speed reduction’ system that’s linked with the active cruise control.

This calmly activates when the road deviates from a straight line and slows the car to what the engineers clearly deem a safe speed.

Though the system has been developed with the best of intentions, try telling that to a following driver who has to back off to avoid tailgating as your speed washes off rapidly and without any warning at the slightest sign of a bend in the road.

It would just be nice, for those with a degree of driving nous, if the function could be simply switched off while leaving the cruise control active.

Based on the same TNGA-C platform as the Corolla, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross is not claimed to offer any more cabin space than the small passenger car.

However, the Corolla Cross does have a bigger 436-litre boot – it would need to: the Corolla hatch is decidedly stingy at just 217 litres – and, at 1380kg, weighs around 40kg less than the Ascent Sport version of the hatch.

Inside, there’s no imitation leather, power seat adjustment, sat-nav or titillating trim, but the Corolla Cross GX’s cabin isn’t at all low-rent.

For the driver, the layout of the carefully conservative dash is intuitive, clean and non-threatening.

The 8.0-inch touch-screen tends to look a bit tiddly compared to the bigger 10.5-inch screen that’s standard from GXL upwards, but as we’ve already mentioned it’s easy to use.

What’s more, the electric park brake and steering wheel buttons looking after functions such as audio, cruise control and information display are easily deciphered and convenient to use on the move.

The seats are well-shaped, and although legroom and headroom in the back rate as more acceptable than generous, there is otherwise plenty of space – including for feet under the front seats.

The adjustable-rake, 60/40-split folding rear backrest also enables a degree of personalisation.

Air vents are provided in the rear seat area too, but only the left side offers a seatback pocket.

In a growing segment that is doing decidedly better than traditional small cars, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross is already making its mark.

With its clean looks, functionality, spot-on competitive pricing and its overall non-challenging Toyota essence, the Corolla Cross can’t help but be embraced by SUV buyers who don’t need to step up to a mid-sizer like the RAV4 but still want more space that is offered by the Yaris Cross.

The high-riding new Corolla SUV is also an appealing choice next to the ageing and tending-to-radical Toyota C-HR.

Overall, the Corolla Cross packs in all the elements – value for money, practicality, driveability, reliability, environmental friendliness – that are sought-after in a hungry marketplace.

It’s a Corolla alright, despite moving away from historical expectations of what the nameplate actually means.

2023 Toyota Corolla Cross GX at a glance:
Price: $33,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 126kW/202Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 136g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)