Toyota knew that it needed an entry-level compact SUV to complement its fantastically successful RAV4, the best-selling vehicle in 2024 and the best selling SUV eight years in a row. It had introduced the tiny Toyota C-HR in 2016, but saw limited success and pulled the gas-only subcompact from its vehicle lineup in 2022. Its solution was to leverage the brand equity of the Corolla sedan by badging the new compact SUV the "Corolla Cross". This new vehicle showed up in the USA market in 2022, with the improved hybrid appearing for 2023, and it's... interesting.
Tip: The Toyota C-HR is coming back next year as an EV, and will be one to watch!
Toyota offered me a 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross HV Nightshade for a week, and after a bit of research, I was most curious about this new entry to the Toyota lineup. It's one of the fastest-growing vehicles in the Toyota line, with an impressive 93K sold in the USA in 2024. The 'Cross showed up looking nothing like a Corolla compact sedan; it's an SUV. And it's got some great exterior design:
There were a lot of complaints about the original Corolla Cross, primarily focused on the gas engine being underpowered, but this model has the excellent Toyota hybrid drive system, powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder dual VVT engine with its eCVT, the electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission. It's a fun drive, and in sport mode, it's surprisingly zippy, though a bit sluggish from a stop for the first second or two compared to a more powerful hybrid.
This is where the dual identity of the Corolla Cross starts to emerge, though, because it's a budget Toyota vehicle - with all that implies for features and options - coupled with an excellent drive experience. It offers an impressive 45/38 mpg with an average of 42 miles per gallon. But once you get past that, everything's very entry level, from the manual seats to the tiny infotainment screen (one that's so small there's no space in Apple CarPlay to show battery status on the display).
But let's have a look at the interior, and we'll touch on these other aspects as we proceed. The dash is a modern Toyota design, which is to say it's solid and offers a very familiar layout and driver experience:
The gearshift is worthy of note, a design that's right out of a classic '50s hotrod with its leather shifter and comfortable hand feel. It only moves forward/backward, so you don't quite have the complex shifting pattern of a manual transmission (sorry, the Cross doesn't offer a manual transmission as an option). It's a narrow vehicle, which is hinted at by the width of the center console, but there are all the must-have modern accoutrements, including a Qi wireless charging spot.
I appreciated the main gauge display too, though bucking industry trends, it's actually physical gauges, not an entirely digital display. Then again, why have a tachometer showing engine RPM if it's a CVT? (Because it has paddle shifters! I'll get to that in a moment).
The center information display was very limited in what you could have displayed, and I never did figure out how to have average combined fuel efficiency shown. Notice the range too: About 300 miles with the tank almost completely full. It's interesting how many people worry about EVs with 300 miles of range, not noticing that their ICE vehicles offer the same range. Yeah, I know, it's partially about charging stations and charging time, but most cars have more than 300 miles range because better fuel efficiency means a smaller gas tank, which lightens the vehicle and thereby offers better fuel efficiency.
The steering wheel controls are beautifully symmetric, one of the most elegant designs in the industry. The right is primarily the Adaptive Cruise Control, one of the many features of Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 lineup, while the left offers controls for the info display, phone, and entertainment (well, the entertainment controls are spread across the bottom buttons on both sides).
Hidden behind the bar are those paddle shifters that you can just barely see. They let you manually shift up and down gears, but with a continuously variable transmission, what does that actually mean? Turns out that the eCVT has a set of what's known as "virtual gear ratios", typically 6-10 of them, that you step between with the paddle shifters. Ingenious, really, but as with all paddle shifters, I can't help but wonder what percentage of owners even know what they are, let alone use them in even the most demanding of driving conditions.
You can get a good sense of how narrow the Corolla Cross is by noticing that the cup holders are front/back, not the more typical driver/passenger orientation. There ain't enough space for them to be rotated 90ยบ, but while it's a cozy interior, it never feels too squeezed. The drive mode control is behind the gear shift, an awkward placement, but the Qi charging pad, which is behind that control, is even more awkward. When the vehicle is in Park, it's downright tricky to extract a larger smartphone from the charging pad. I adapted by pulling my phone before shifting into park. A necessary trade-off for space, but worth knowing about.
You can see in this close-up of the modest 8-inch infotainment screen that there's no battery charging status information on the display. It's usually immediately below the connectivity ("LTE") information on the left side. It does have the dual mode Apple CarPlay, however, where you can switch between having the Toyota controls column (as shown) or use the two-headed arrow to stretch the CarPlay display to also utilize that inch of display. It's still noticeably small for a modern 2025 vehicle, though once you're used to the display size, probably not a big deal.
The climate controls are standard Toyota, with the "ECO" option to maximize fuel efficiency on a very hot or very cold day. Functional, straightforward, and similar to what you might have found in a 2015 Corolla.
And then we get to one of the real limitations of the vehicle: leg room, or lack thereof:
There's no way around it; this is a small enough vehicle that if the driver or front passengers needs all their legroom - I'm 6'3" and always push the seat all the way back - the back passenger better be in a carseat, facing backwards. This is not a vehicle where four adults can sit comfortably, not even teens or tweens. The rear of the center console again shows the budget nature of the vehicle:
There are two USB-C charging ports near the bottom, but those only show up in the higher trim levels. This is the most rudimentary rear climate control I've seen in rather a while. Modern vehicles are about modules, however, particularly from a huge, highly efficient manufacturer like Toyota, so it's no surprise to see this basic control, but then notice that the overhead moonroof controls are the same you might see in an entry-level Lexus:
I tried to fold down the back seats, but their height coupled with the lack of legroom meant it was quite a production, requiring the front seats to be fully forward - with that darn manual bar between your feet, no automatic controls in this vehicle - and popping off the rear headrests. Instead, you can see in this photo that I just have one of the 60/40 split seats leaning forward:
This is a nice amount of cargo space, typical for the SUV form factor, even in the compact SUV design. You can also see the Nightshade's upgrade sound system, a 9-speaker JBL system with subwoofer that delivers very good sound. A cargo net or mat would be useful in the back, but that's an upgrade, probably more easily acquired from a third party than Toyota.
Oh! Worried about a flat tire? There's no spare, but there is a rather complicated emergency repair kit hidden under the back cargo area:
I highly recommend you watch the Toyota video about how to repair a flat with this setup before you get into an emergency situation. You'll thank me later. Toyota Tire Puncture Repair Kit Video.
If this vehicle were in the high $20,000's, I would say it's an excellent starter vehicle and a solid option for a budget compact SUV, but with its out-the-door price of $34,705.00 (which means your actual out-the-door price will be closer to $37,500) the budget elements were a bit inexplicable. What most surprised me was the lack of power seats. For a car that might end up costing $40K if your local Toyota dealer succumbs to a demand-based markup (and too many of them do), where are the buttons to adjust the seat? Why are there any budget elements here, particularly given that the base RAV4 LE is $30,645 and the 2025 RAV4 Hybrid LE starts at $33,695. If you're getting an SUV, why not pay another $50/mo and move up to the RAV4?
Having said that, I can also see why the Corolla Cross is so popular, particularly with the hybrid drivetrain: It's a fun little car to drive, with solid fuel efficiency and a lot of the industry-leading Toyota safety technology. It would be great for a solo driver or couple, even as a vehicle towed behind an RV. If you're in the market and looking at the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek, or Mazda CX-30, I recommend that you add the Corolla Cross to your list for a serious test drive.
2025 Toyota Corolla Cross HV Nightshade, powered by a 2.0L 4-Cylinder hybrid engine and eCVT transmission. BASE PRICE: $30,640.00. Options included: JBL Premium Audio, Moonroof Package, Premium Paint, Two-Tone Exterior Color (yes, those two are separately priced options!). AS DRIVEN: $34,705.00.
Disclaimer: Toyota loaned me the Corolla Cross for a week in return for this candid write-up and review. This article originally appeared on PlanetDave.com with the title The 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross HV Nightshade is a Vehicular Mashup and is republished with permission.
