Corolla Cross Revamp

The Toyota Corolla Cross: America’s Undervalued Contender

When talking about dependable and sensible vehicles, Toyota is always top of mind. This includes everything from track-ready GR Corolla models to rugged TRD SUVs. Yet, nestled in this lineup is the Corolla Cross, the smallest Toyota crossover available in the States. It is plentiful when it comes to reliability, yet lacks the pizzazz that turns heads on the streets. While it’s making a decent impact stateside as a competitive alternative to the Honda HR-V, it appears to need a styling shake-up to amp up excitement in other markets. A Toyota executive hinted that crafting distinct designs for different regions might fend off its shrug-worthy sales figures.

The Need for Style

In several European markets, sales of the Corolla Cross have suffered, with a slide of 14% early in 2025. This contrasts sharply with the Toyota C-HR, which soared by 9.6% within the same timeframe. What sprang from a shared global design has somewhat overlooked the unique preferences of European buyers. Toyota’s product strategy head in Europe, Andrea Carlucci, believes injecting a dash of local style could help bolster sales. Designing vehicles with a region-specific flair is not uncharted territory; case in point, the starkly different designs for the European and American versions of the Honda HR-V.

To spice things up, Toyota recently rolled out a GR Sport trim in the European market. Similarly, the U.S. version saw some edgy design updates, though it still doesn’t pack the same visual punch as rivals like the Hyundai Kona or Chevrolet Trailblazer.

Pumping Up the Power

When it comes to performance, the American Corolla Cross relies on a 169-horsepower engine paired with a CVT. The outcome? A rather sluggish and noisy acceleration. For comparison, the Mazda CX-30 sports 191 horsepower, along with a six-speed automatic that delivers a more engaging drive.

Yet, buyers in the U.S. appear to be less bothered by the Corolla Cross’s staid styling. First-quarter sales in 2025 witnessed an impressive uptick of 45.2% over the previous year. A key player in this surge is the 196-hp hybrid variant, renowned for its efficiency and relatively peppier performance compared to the standard model.

The future looks promising if Toyota leverages a similar redesign approach to what they did with the Prius. By going hybrid-only as demonstrated with the 2026 RAV4, the next Corolla Cross could emerge as a formidable player in its segment. A debut of this revamped model, though, isn’t anticipated until 2027.

Related: This Is The Cheapest New Toyota Car In America