Toyota Corolla Cross 2025 review: GXL Hybrid FWD long-term | Part 2

The second month of our Toyota Corolla Cross GXL 2WD Hybrid loan shed some light on just how practical it is.

We didn’t get to spend as much time behind the wheel this month as the early arrival of a new baby meant most of the time was spent at home base.

Read More About Toyota Corolla Cross

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Previously a forward facing child seat fit in the rear seat with ease, allowing long legged passengers plenty of adjustment.

Now with a bulky baby capsule added to the mix, the front seat passenger leg room is heavily restricted, meaning a year of squished legs until the child seat can be turned around.

The rear doors also don’t open 90 degrees unlike those on the rival Nissan Qashqai or the bigger Honda CR-V.

This means it's harder to load the bigger capsule in the vehicle.

On the plus side the rear air-con vents means you can keep the littlies in the back comfortable all drive long.

The boot is also a good size and can swallow a pram, nappy bag and a scooter fairly easily. Anymore bulky items and you’ll have a game of Tetris to keep it below the rear window line.

The seats are a mix of cloth and synthetic leather, but the child seats cover all the cloth parts so it is easy to clean up spills and general mess made in the back seat.

The back of the front seats are hardwearing and that also helps them stand up against constant abuse from kids.

The back windows are big enough so kids can see out, which helps reduce motion sickness.

Safety is front of house for the Corolla Cross, too.

It’s packed with active driver aids. The Corolla Cross will automatically hit the brakes if it detects a potential collision with another vehicle. It will sound an alarm if it detects a vehicle approaching from the side as you reverse and will apply the brakes if you don’t appear to be stopping in time.

The Corolla Cross will also alert you if a vehicle is in your blind spot and if you are drifting out of your lane.

These technologies actually work properly in the real world. Unlike some new entrants to the market the Corolla Cross’ driver aids don’t constantly react and beep at you unless completely necessary.

It also performed well in physical crash tests with a score of 85 per cent for adult occupant protection and 88 per cent for child occupant protection when it was assessed by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) back in 2022.

On the road the Corolla Cross is what some might call a bit dull to drive, but others might think it reliable and composed.

Its hybrid tech is smooth on take off and it switches seamlessly from hybrid, electric or petrol-only propulsion.

Two-wheel-drive versions can spin the tyres a bit in the wet if you apply too much throttle off the mark, which is a common issue for front-wheel-drive hybrid vehicles.

There are instances where a grinding noise can be heard when braking over uneven ground, its ABS is triggered slightly when the car is using the regenerative braking. In no way did this affect the car’s ability to stop, but the sound is unusual.

Fuel use is excellent, as its ability to run on the cheapest unleaded petrol. Servicing is very cheap at just $255 a visit, which are scheduled every 15,000km or 12 months.

This adds up to a car that is extremely affordable to run.

Next month the plan is to hit the road more extensively, but some valuable lessons were learned on what the Corolla Cross is like to live with this month.

Acquired: January, 2025

Distance travelled this month: 146km

Odometer: 676km

Average fuel consumption this month: 5.1L/100km (measured at the pump)