2022 Toyota Corolla Cross Review: Small, Efficient and Rough Around the Edges

The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time. In fact, the company just put the finishing touches on its 50 millionth example of the nameplate last year. Toyota knows what most drivers want. And now that most drivers want a crossover, Toyota is acquiescing with the new Corolla Cross, a tall version of its mega popular compact sedan.

The new runabout only comes with one powertrain (eventually a hybrid will be offered), a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 169 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The Corolla Cross comes standard with front-wheel drive though all-wheel drive is an option ($1,300), with Toyota's Dynamic Torque Control system directing up to 50 percent of the power to the back wheels.

This vehicle starts at $22,195, and buyers shouldn't expect to be blown away with acceleration or refinement. The four-cylinder just makes enough power to get up to expressway speeds, but with a lot of drama.

The transmission keeps the rpms high when accelerating forcing a lot of buzz into the passenger cabin. Passing power is surprisingly good, though loud, and keeping expressway speeds is easy with radar cruise control.

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That feature is part of Toyota's standard Safety Sense 2.0, which also includes forward collision warning, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist and automatic high beams.

The little Corolla Cross can tow 1,500 pounds when properly equipped. That's enough to pull a small trailer with a personal watercraft or motorcycle. And the benefit of that efficiency is seen at the gas pump, where the compact returns 30 mpg combined with all-wheel drive and 32 mpg in front-drive trim.

The all-wheel drive model comes with fully independent suspension, making it a little sharper to drive than its average competitor, including the Kia Seltos, Nissan Rogue Sport and Jeep Compass. Wheels come in reasonable 17- and 18-inch sizes for a comfortable ride, even over broken pavement.

The brakes are solid with a predictable reaction and the steering is better than expected. Those two things together make this car a surprising amount of fun to drive fast, as long as the driver doesn't mind the engine and road noise.

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The cabin features mostly Sof-Tex, a faux leather, though the steering wheel does get true animal hide. The passenger compartment is mostly plain, with lots of cubbies for storage, but the seats are not as comfortable as some of its competitors. However, the cabin is utilitarian, which is sometimes more important than style.

The most utilitarian part is the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment, an 8-inch touchscreen is optional. It features physical knobs for volume and tuning, along with redundant mode buttons on the flanks, including a map button. These cut down the time a driver's eyes are off the road, and make the experience so much smoother.

Below the screen is the climate control, also with two easy-to-use physical dials, along with real buttons for controls. The whole unit together isn't much more than a square foot, and it's the only place drivers will need to look at when not focused on the street ahead.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross comes in three grades. The base L starts at $23,410 including destination and comes standard with the 7-inch touchscreen, 4.2-inch driver cluster screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa, satellite radio, keyless entry and two USB ports. The LE comes in at $25,760 and adds the 8-inch screen, wireless charging, push button start, auto climate control and three USB ports.

The top XLE has a base price of $27,540. It gets all the above equipment plus a 7-inch driver cluster, 10-way power seats, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors and LED daytime running and fog lights. This tester featured the upgraded audio, moonroof and a few other bits for a grand total of $32,419, which is about as expensive as the Corolla Cross can get.

Its competitors come from all sides including the more rugged and better-looking-than-ever Jeep Compass ($25,590), the cool and funky Kia Seltos ($23,165) or the popular Nissan Rogue Sport ($27,275). The Nissan has more passenger space than the Toyota, but it has less power.

The Compass is bigger too, and more powerful, but more expensive and less efficient. The Kia is one of the best looking, and offers a turbocharged engine for those looking for a little more sport.

The choices in the small SUV category are wide ranging, but with Toyota's knowhow in making small vehicles that work, the Corolla Cross will do well. The company is hoping those early buyers eventually graduate to a 4Runner, if not a full-blown Lexus SUV.