2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos review: Facelift adds sparkle to the fuel-sipping small SUV, but the price…

The third and final member of Toyota’s small SUV line-up in Australia, the Corolla Cross, was launched locally in late 2022. Joining its Yaris Cross and C-HR siblings, the Corolla Cross is the largest and most practical of the trio, though its sales haven’t exactly lit up the charts with the regular Corolla almost outselling it two to one this year so far.

Trying to increase those sales, Toyota recently launched the mid-life update for the Corolla Cross with new styling details, redesigned interior parts and more standard features across the range. The price has also increased by almost $1000, though it’s still considerably cheaper than the C-HR. Is the Toyota Corolla Cross the small SUV to buy?

Price and equipment

The facelifted Toyota Corolla Cross still offers three model grades: base GX, mid-spec GXL and
top-spec Atmos, with the GXL earning the most new features with the update. But the company
has also added a sportier new GR Sport variant, which is due to land soon, with lowered
suspension, 19-inch wheels and sports seats. We tested the upper-spec Atmos in 2WD form,
priced from $47,990 plus on-road costs, for this review.

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Toyota Corolla Cross pricing (plus on-road costs): 

Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos standard features

• 18-inch alloy wheels with a space-saver spare
• Dusk-sensing all-LED exterior lighting
• LED front fog and grille lights
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Heated and auto-folding mirrors
• Rear privacy glass
• Roof rails
• Panoramic glass roof
• Electric tailgate with kick-to-open functionality
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
• Leather and cloth upholstery
• 10-way electric driver’s seat
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated leather steering wheel
• 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
• 10.5-inch touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• FM/AM/FAB+ digital radio
• Satellite navigation with live traffic
• Nine-speaker JBL sound system
• Wireless phone charger
• 3x USB-C charging ports
• Normal, eco, power and snow driving modes
• Toyota Connected Services (12-month subscription) with safety and security features, multimedia
  connect, driving insights and remote connectivity through the MyToyota smartphone app
• Auto-dimming rear mirror
• Interior ambient lighting

Safety features

• 8x airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, daytime cyclist and intersection turning
  assistance 
• Emergency steering assistance
• Automatic low-speed rear braking with object, vehicle and pedestrian detection
• Adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist
• Lane keeping assistance with adaptive lane guidance
• Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit assist
• Adaptive high beam
• Speed sign recognition
• Driver attention monitoring
• Emergency driving stop system
• 360-degree camera with ‘see-through’ mode
• Front, side and rear parking sensors
• Low-speed auto emergency braking (forward and reverse)
• Automatic parking
• Alarm

The Corolla Cross earned a five-star ANCAP rating in 2022 and that continues for all variants, bar
the GR Sport. It scored 85 per cent in adult protection, 88 per cent in child protection, 87 per cent
in vulnerable road user protection and 83 per cent for safety assistance.

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Interior, practicality and bootspace

Most attention has been paid to the interior in this Corolla Cross facelift, which has seen
revised trims, a new centre console and more features added across the range. Quality is identical
to before, so not as plush as the C-HR or Nissan Qashqai, but with more soft touch materials than
the cheaper Yaris Cross, such as the door tops and dashboard fascia. The new centre console
features ambient lighting on the sides and looks great at night.

As before, the Corolla Cross Atmos features a 10.5-inch touchscreen with a 12.3-inch digital
driver’s display, with both using high-resolution graphics. The touchscreen is well featured with
wireless smartphone mirroring, sat-nav with live traffic and DAB+ digital radio, though not the extra
live services such as the weather displays in the Kona. The nine-speaker JBL sound system
sounds fine, though we expect more from a name-branded system.

The Corolla Cross’ driving position is excellent and easy to set up thanks to the ample adjustment
for the driver’s seat and steering wheel. Visibility is great as well thanks to the big windows and
boxy shape, and the panoramic roof adds light into an otherwise dark cabin. The driver’s seat
features 10 ways of adjustment, though not the memory functionality that we’d expect for the price,
plus the front passenger seat is manual and isn’t even height adjustable. For warmer climates, the
front seats are now ventilated.

Storage inside the Corolla Cross has improved with the facelift, thanks to the new centre console
design that’s both more capacious and ergonomic than before. A big tray with a wireless charger
now sits below the dashboard, and the cup holders have been made larger as well – plus, the box
underneath the central armrest is reasonably big (it also has a sliding armrest) and the door
pockets will hold a big bottle and more as well.

Two adults will be more than comfortable in the rear seat of the Corolla Cross, with fine legroom
and excellent headroom, despite the panoramic roof that eats into space a bit. Amenities include
one map pocket, bottle holders in the doors, a centre armrest with cup holders, air vents and two
USB-C ports – though no heated seats or proper door pockets, unlike the Kona. The quality
downgrade is noticeable in the rear seat, especially the hard plastic doors with naff fake stitching.

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The boot size depends on which Corolla Cross model is chosen, but in the Atmos 2WD it
measures 414 litres with the seats up (Toyota doesn’t quote a figure with the seats folded), but in
other models it ranges from 390L to 425L. It features include a few bag hooks and tie down points,
but a dual-level boot floor would be a great addition as it would make it easier to lift items into the
boot and give a flat floor with the rear seats folded.

Performance and fuel economy

The Corolla Cross range uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain with an e-CVT gearbox sending power to the front wheels, or in some models, all four wheels have drive. The petrol engine alone makes 112kW of power and 188Nm of torque, while in total, the system makes a healthy 146kW (Toyota doesn’t quote a combined torque figure), which is 42kW more than a Kona Hybrid and 6kW more than a Qashqai e-Power.

The Corolla Cross Atmos 2WD is one of the most fuel efficient cars on the market, rated at just 4.2L/100km with claimed CO2 emissions of just 96g/km – we achieved slightly higher at 4.6L/100km, though our test car was brand new so that should improve further with more distance.

It uses 91RON regular unleaded and its fuel tank is a small 36 litres, though a range of more than 800km is possible based on our consumption score.

On the road

The Corolla Cross hasn’t seen many changes under the skin, but that’s largely a good thing as it
has always been one of the better small SUVs to drive. Toyota has made it quieter than before with
improved refinement at all speeds, and the typical hybrid drone at full acceleration is now quieter
than before, though still more noticeable than the geared system in the Kona.

The drivetrain in the Corolla Cross is great: punchy when you need it, very efficient and talented
with switching between electric and petrol propulsion, most times when you don’t even realise it.
There is a selectable EV mode if there’s enough charge in the battery, but even without it, it’s very
eager to switch the engine off to help fuel consumption. Even on moderate throttle, most starts are
done on EV power, and any coasting or braking is generally done with the engine switched off.

As before, the chassis of the Corolla Cross makes it enjoyable to drive. It’s very comfortable, with a
compliant and well-judged ride quality, as well as quick steering and a nimble feeling from behind
the wheel. We’re keen to drive the sportier GR Sport model and its retuned steering and
suspension, but for a wide range of tastes, the Atmos is great.

The Corolla Cross’ active safety features continue to be well tuned and don’t annoy. The hyper-
sensitive driver monitor of the C-HR isn’t fitted, making any drive more relaxing, and everything
works well. The adaptive lane guidance is some of the best we’ve seen, providing accurate and
reliable steering assistance, while the traffic jam assist is excellent too.

Service and warranty

The Corolla Cross is backed by a five-year/unlimited warranty, with mechanical coverage extended
up to seven years and battery coverage up to 10 years with dealer servicing/an annual battery
check for that time. There’s no roadside assistance, but it can be purchased for an annual cost
starting at $99.

The Corolla Cross’ service intervals are once-yearly/every 15,000km (whichever comes first) and
five years/75,000km of servicing costs $1250 ($250 per service).

Verdict: Should I buy a Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos?

There’s no doubt that the facelifted Toyota Corolla Cross has been improved thanks to its overhauled
interior design and standard equipment, making it feel more modern. It’s still the perfect size for many buyers with more space than you’d expect, it’s lovely to drive and its hybrid drivetrain is powerful enough for most, yet capable of excellent fuel consumption.

Counting against the Corolla Cross is that it’s even more expensive than before, its interior quality could be better and that it could also be more practical if a dual-level boot floor was fitted. But in the small SUV segment, all-round excellence is the name of the game and the Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos scores well.

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Corolla Cross Atmos rivals

Hyundai Kona Premium Hybrid

Kia Niro GT-Line

Nissan Qashqai Ti

Specs