Toyota Corolla Cross vs Mitsubishi Outlander

What's the difference?

The Corolla Cross is the SUV that was so obvious it’s a wonder Toyota didn’t do it sooner. Sure, it might not look much like a Corolla but this SUV has the same appeal of being a small, safe good-value for money car but with even more practicality than the hatch and sedan that shares its name. 

The Corolla Cross is also great to drive - better than most of its rivals such as the Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan Qashqai, Honda HR-V or Haval Jolion.

The sweet spot of the range would have to be the GXL Hybrid with 2WD, it's the best value and the most fuel efficient in the line-up.

Mitsubishi has leaned into its strengths with this Outlander update, spending its money in subtle areas to upgrade what was already a widely appealing mid-size SUV.

The local tuning has made a notable difference to the refinement and comfort of this version, while subtle updates to the software and interior trim help to refine things even further.

If you’ve had an Outlander before, you’ll love this one, although it doesn’t help the brand to challenge new players on the value front. This leaves you with the decision of whether to pick a brand with the reputation and network of Mitsubishi, or roll the dice on a far more affordable new player.

For what it’s worth, it’s genuinely tough to pick a sweet spot here. I think the best picks are at either end of the spectrum, with the ES being outstanding value, and the Exceed being particularly plush.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Corolla Cross looks nothing like a Corolla hatchback or sedan from the outside. Although, if I look at the rear of the Corolla Cross and squint I can convince myself it has a similar taillight design to the Corolla sedan.

Personally I’m a bit disappointed in the exterior design of Corolla Cross. The styling already appears dated even though this is a new SUV which was only unveiled to the world for the first time in 2021.

That’s not to say the Corolla Cross is not good looking, it is. I like its tough face and boxy wheel arches - in many ways it’s like a mini RAV4. The problem for me is that like the RAV4 it feels as though the Corolla Cross has already been with us for years and years.

Inside, there are far more similarities to the regular Corolla. The Corolla Cross’ dashboard, steering wheel and centre console are almost identical to those in the sedan and hatch.

This isn’t the plushest cabin you’ll find among the rivals. Even the top-of-the-line Atmos which costs 50 grand doesn’t look very premium or special inside, but like all Toyotas the materials feel high quality and superbly put together.

The real similarities between the Corolla Cross and the Corolla are the mechanical underpinnings with both the SUV and the car versions sharing the same platform.

The Corolla Cross is a small SUV at 4460mm long and that means it nicely in the Toyota family tree above the C-HR which is 4395mm end-to-end and below the RAV4 which is 4615mm bumper-to-bumper.

Blink and you’ll miss the changes. Actually, squint and you still might miss them. Aside from the eye-catching new 20-inch wheels on the Exceed and Exceed tourer grades and the new ‘Moonstone Grey’ paint colour, it’s hard to tell the new Outlander apart from its predecessor.

Look closer and there’s new lower garnish designs front and rear, a tweaked grille and a smoked appearance for the rear tail-light clusters.

It’s very subtle stuff, but Mitsubishi has chosen to spend its time and money on upgrades on unseen areas.

For example, the bonnet is now steel rather than aluminium, which helps with noise insulation (and also has the side-effect of removing the high-speed ‘fluttering’ effect the aluminium bonnet had on the previous version), there’s additional sound insulation throughout the car, and cladding in the transmission tunnel to make the cabin a quieter place.

Back on the topic of appearance, though, the dash and console has also been tweaked a little. For example, the new screen looks a bit more contemporary, with a much smaller bezel and more attractive software. The console has been rearranged to move the bottle holders to one side of the electronic gear shifter, which makes for a larger centre console.

High-grade leather seat trims also now have alternate patterns, but the range follows the same trims, from cloth on the ES and LS, while the Aspire gets a microsuede and synthetic leather blend, while the Exceed and Exceed Tourer get the ‘high-grade semi-aniline’ leather trim.

The Corolla Cross is a more practical version of the Corolla sedan and hatchback. 

The Corolla Cross’s boot is a lot larger than the hatch’s and while the cargo capacity is smaller than the sedan’s, the wide, tall tailgate opening will mean you’ll be able to fit in bulkier objects.

Boot size depends on which Corolla Cross you choose. The GX and GXL non-hybrid versions have the biggest boots at 436 litres (VDA), while the Atmos non-hybrid is 425 litres.

As for the hybrids, the GX and GXL front-wheel drives also have 425 litre boots, while the GXL and Atmos all-wheel drives have 390-litre and 380-litre luggage capacity respectively.

The reasons for the big difference in capacities between non-hybrid and hybrid Corolla Cross variants are the hybrid batteries which are located under the rear seat and eat into the boot area, while those with all-wheel drive have a second motor at the rear which takes up space.

Room inside is good for a small SUV. Headroom in the second row is excellent, while legroom was just passable for me to sit behind my driving position. I am 191cm tall though, so that’s almost a worst case scenario.

It's fair to say an SUV of this width won't fit three child seats across the back seat, but there are three top tether points across so you can choose which two positions to use. There's also two of the sturdier ISOFIX points in the outboard positions for appropriate baby seats.

Cabin storage could be better, with cupholders in the second-row door armrests, but no actual door pockets and only the Atmos comes with a fold-down centre armrest with two cup holders. There are the usual two cupholders in the front centre console as well, but it's surprising there's no dedicated bottle holders in the doors like most new cars these days.

Up front there are door pockets, a hideyhole under the dash for a phone and a small centre console storage area under the centre armrest.

I do like that the seats are large and accommodating even for me, and the positions of the controls and switches are spot on. 

The previous Outlander was already known for having a spacious and versatile cabin, and this continues for the new car with a few small tweaks.

The width and satisfying seat positioning continue, and seats in all grades are generous and comfortable, but particularly the leather seats on the Exceed and Exceed Tourer grade we tested.

Adjustability is good in all positions, and the digital instrument cluster has an attractive dual-dial layout and functional display options. While not the best in class, it’s far better than many rivals.

The touchscreen’s new software is meant to be faster, but I found it a bit laggy still, although the integration of Google’s API into the navigation suite is an excellent tweak, making it relevant and useful for much longer.

The tweaks to the centre console make the area more space efficient and useful, but the new cupholders seem strangely shallow, potentially causing large bottles to tip. The tweaked centre console box is nice and large, and the wireless charger is nice and accessible, although its surface is not quite rubbery enough to stop your phone from leaving the charging area in the corners.

The back seat is noticeably stadium – you sit a fair bit higher than in the first row, which eats into headroom in cars equipped with a sunroof for adults. However, width is good, as is the seat comfort.

The rear doors open nice and wide, which should make fitting a child seat easy enough, and the floor is surprisingly flat, too, which makes the middle position more useful.

The third row, which I sampled in an Aspire grade, is both hard to get into and tight once you’re in there. The second row can slide forward on a rail, offering just enough room for me, at 182cm tall, to fit back there, with my knees hard up against the seat in front, and my head nearly touching the roof.

It is for this reason Mitsubishi calls seven-seat versions ‘5+2’. Good for kids, maybe, but not adults for any extended period of time.

The boot is enormous with two rows in use (485 litres in five-seat versions, or 478 litres in seven-seaters), and for this update, the space now has a wider aperture that should make loading objects easier. Space with seven seats up is 163L. Five-seaters get a full-size spare under the floor, while seven-seaters get a space saver.

Braked towing capacity is a middling 1600kg for petrol-powered variants. The brand says not many Outlander buyers are focused on towing as a key capability for the mid-sizer.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: prices are up across the whole Outlander range.

The increases are modest, contained to between two to three thousand dollars across this mid-size SUV’s sprawling eight-variant range.

It sounds like an overwhelming number of versions but the Outlander is split across five grades in front- or all-wheel drive, with either five or seven seats.

Check out our pricing table below for the detailed prices before on-road costs:

Traditional rivals in the 5+2 mid-size SUV category include this model's platform-mate Nissan X-Trail (from $38,025 - $59,265) and the Honda CR-V ($41,900 - $59,900), with the Hyundai Santa Fe ($53,000 - $72,500) and Kia Sorento ($50,880 - $84,660) being a price-bracket above.

The biggest issue is the Outlander is facing increased competition from models like Chery’s Tiggo 7 (as a five-seater), which can be had for as low as $29,990 drive-away! Even the most expensive version of the Tiggo 8 (seven-seater) in plug-in hybrid form costs the same as a mid-grade Outlander, at $49,990 (d/a). 

Options like this put the choice back in your hands. You can choose a brand with the heritage and support network of Mitsubishi, or you can go with the value of a new player yet to put those runs on the board.

Although it has an almost identical visage to the previous car, there are some major upgrades hidden below the metal. Sure, there’s a tweaked equipment list, but importantly, there’s a completely revised ride and handling tune, which was developed by Mitsubishi right here in Australia using local expertise.

It’s a similar program to the successful ones undertaken by Kia and Hyundai in recent years to improve the handling of their cars, and Mitsubishi in Japan was impressed enough with the depth of the changes that most of them have been adopted to the global tune for the car.

On the topic of standard equipment, LED interior lights and the 12.3-inch digital dash have been made standard across the range, there is now seat ventilation to join the seat heating for the front two positions in the top Exceed and Exceed Tourer grades, while the upper mid-spec Aspire grade scores front seat heating and a heated steering wheel.

The 12.3-inch multimedia screen has also been upgraded, featuring a smaller bezel and more processing power for a faster response rate, as well as a tweaked software suite with a new layout. This screen also hosts wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the range.

In addition, there’s also the introduction of the Mitsubishi Connect phone app, which features a range of safety and security features, as well as the ability to remotely control things like the ignition, climate system, navigation and locking system.

Across the range the audio system has also been upgraded to an eight-speaker Yamaha-developed system, with the top-spec Exceed Tourer grade scoring a 12-speaker Yamaha system with up to 1650W of power.

The interior now uses higher-quality materials, according to the brand, with extended upholstery across the range. The top-spec Exceed Tourer also scores a new brown interior colour.

A 360-degree parking camera is now standard across the range, and the safety suite also includes the driver monitoring system and traffic sign recognition system as also used in the Triton.

The plug-in hybrid version, which is what the Outlander is arguably most famous for, is not yet available, but Mitsubishi tells us it will arrive in a few months time, at very least before the end of 2025, and it, too, will carry an Australian-developed ride and handling tune.

How would you like your Corolla Cross to be powered? By petrol-alone or with a combination of petrol and electricity as per the hybrid variants?

The non-hybrid Corolla Cross has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine which makes 126kW and 202Nm. Remember, too, it only comes in front-wheel drive.

The hybrid variant combines a 112kW/190Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with an 83kW206Nm electric motor. And if you choose the AWD then there’s a second motor at the rear axle making 30kW.

Both the non-hybrid Corolla Cross and the hybrid have a CVT automatic transmission. Nope, no manual gearboxes here.  

The braked towing capacity for the range is 750kg. Interestingly, without trailer brakes, most of the range is rated even lower, with the non-hybrid GX and GXL rated at 725kg, the non-hybrid Atmos at 735kg, and the hybrid GX at 745kg. The hybrid GXL and Atmos get the full 750kg, regardless of trailer braking.

The petrol-powered Outlander soldiers on with a drab non-turbo, non-hybrid 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

The brand calls this combination “proven” and it’s hard to argue given it hasn’t cropped up with any major reliability issues in the pre-facelift car.

Still, it produces a middling 135kW/244Nm, not as punchy as many turbo options, and nowhere near as efficient as hybrid alternatives.

Those seeking a more powerful fuel-sipping option may want to wait for the PHEV version arriving later this year.

If you want to save fuel the hybrid is absolutely the way to go with the front-wheel drive using 4.3L/100km and the all-wheel drive consuming 4.4L/100km according to official combined figures.

I drove the GXL all-wheel drive hybrid from Sydney’s CBD to the city’s northern beaches during horrendous peak hour traffic and the trip computer reported an average of 5.3L/100km being used. That’s not bad at all.

The Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t require plugging in to an external power source to charge the batteries. Instead the batteries are charged through regenerative braking. That is, you step on the brake pedal and the deceleration energy is converted into electricity and sent into the battery.   

The petrol variant doesn't quite have double the thirst of the hybrid at 6.0L/100km, which is still fairly efficient. 

As a result of its relatively old-school sounding powertrain, fuel consumption isn’t at the forefront of the petrol-powered Outlander, with official consumption ranging between 7.5L/100km for the lightest five-seat ES 2WD version, to 8.1L/100km in the heaviest, top-spec Exceed Tourer AWD.

C02 emissions are also on the high side, which the brand will no doubt be off-setting with the new PHEV version which will offer even more emissions-free driving range than before.

One benefit of this long-serving engine, though, is it can be fed entry-level 91RON unleaded, better for the back pocket. The petrol-powered Outlander has a 55-litre fuel tank.

Toyota has a reputation for reliability and value, but one admirable attribute which should be added to this is also driveability. Nearly every new Toyota SUV I’ve driven in the past three years including the Kluger, C-HR and RAV4 has been an impressive all-rounder on the road.

The Corolla Cross feels a lot like the C-HR and RAV4 to drive in that it handles well, but has a comfortable ride with a secure planted feel on the road.

I drove both the all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive hybrid versions and the petrol variant at the launch and found that while both felt much the same there were two stand-out differences.

The first being the acceleration difference. The hybrid is far quicker off the mark than the petrol version. According to Toyota's claims, the actual 0-100km/h time for the hybrid is 7.5 seconds while the petrol variant can do it 9.0 seconds.

The other way these two Corolla Crosses differ is the smoothness of the hybrid powertrain and the way it moves silently at lower speeds in traffic in EV mode.

Both petrol and hybrid Corollas are easy to drive with steering that’s accurate and light. 

Are there any bad points to the driving? The small back window means rear visibility is restricted although the reversing camera is good. The wing mirrors also appear to be overly large and also obstruct vision slightly, too. 

Other not-so-good points are the relatively noisy petrol engine in all Corolla Cross variants, and the CVT transmission in both also causes the engine to drone.

The Australian team had a significant amount of input on the driving dynamics of this new Outlander, but does it make a big difference behind the wheel?

We were granted the chance to drive the old one alongside the new version to find out, and the changes are significant.

Overall, the character of the car hasn’t been fundamentally altered. This is still a somewhat plush and soft-around-the-edges family SUV, but redeveloped new suspension parts and even very minor, nerdy modifications like the thickness of sway bars have added up to a much more pleasant vehicle to spend an extended amount of time in.

The first thing you’ll notice is the retuned steering. Mitsubishi’s engineers tell us the tweaked feedback was all down to the software in the rack, and it’s a big difference, upping the firmness of the steering at low speeds, keeping the vehicle on track with more confidence while heading straight, and also removing a slight twitchiness with sudden adjustments.

Next is the cabin ambiance. The new Outlander is a relatively quiet place to be thanks to the extra insulation throughout. It combines with the new steering to give the car much more of a sense of heft than before. The engine is reduced to a distant thrum, and the road is damped away for the most part. Mitsubishi says the 20-inch wheels are a particular hit with buyers, which to me is a shame because I’m willing to bet it’s particularly comfy on the lower-grade tyres.

Elsewhere, the Outlander has a softer initial response to bumps thanks to retuned shocks, and the reduced width of the front sway bar makes for less ‘head toss’ for front seat occupants.

Does it make a significant difference? Yes. The new Outlander is all-round better balanced and better suited to our road conditions. It might not have the sophistication of more expensive options, and it still might be a tad off what the also balanced-and-comfortable RAV4 offers, although it will be interesting to get one back to see how it compares to rivals in a like-for-like test.

Just expect a much more comfort-oriented option than some rivals. These changes don’t make the Outlander as fun to drive as a Mazda CX-5 or a Skoda Kodiaq. For example, while the 2.5-litre engine and CVT combo provides a surprisingly urgent initial response, it's a dull, rubbery power application from there on.

The Outlander has a robust array of active safety kit, with all the key gear like autonomous emergency braking, lane support, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert available across the range. Traffic sign recognition and driver attention monitoring is now available from the new Triton, however it is also worth noting some relatively minor items are only available on higher grades.

The ES and LS grades miss out on adaptive high beams, traffic jam assist and steering assist (although they maintain lane departure warning and lane-keep assist).

Mitsubishi is hoping the updated Outlander will qualify for a continued five-star ANCAP safety rating held by the pre-facelift model.

During our drive we also found the lane-keep and driver attention software (which was much-derided at the launch of the Triton) was reasonably well behaved, with the brand saying it had had significant software tweaks over time to make it less invasive. We’ll need to save our final verdict on this system for when we spend an extended time behind the wheel.

The Corolla Cross is covered by Toyota’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is currently average across the industry. The battery is also covered by that five-year/unlimited km warranty. 

Extended coverage of up to seven years/unlimited kilometres is available if the owner services the vehicle according to the warranty and service book.

The hybrid battery coverage can also be extended to 10 years with an annual health check inspection.

Services are a convenient 12months/15,000km and pricing is capped for five years at $230. That’s outstanding.

Mitsubishi continues to offer its near-industry-leading 10-year/200,000km warranty, conditional on the car being serviced at a Mitsubishi dealer. Otherwise, it reverts to a five-year/100,000km promise.

The 10 years of warranty is joined by 10 years of capped-price servicing required at 12 month or 15,000km intervals.

Prices are tame, varying between $320 and $680 per visit, for a total yearly average of $434. It’s not the cheapest yearly average out there, but most brands also don’t have capped price servicing extended this far, so it seems like a good deal regardless.