Hyundai Kona Hybrid vs Toyota Corolla Cross GXL Hybrid FWD 2025 comparison review

Price and features – Do they represent good value for the price? What features do they come with?

So, let’s meet our contenders. First we have the Toyota Corolla Cross GXL. It’s the middle child in the Corolla Cross family, and it’s yours for $40,230 before on-road costs (or $44,446 drive-away, as of right now in NSW). It’s 2WD, has a 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

And we have the Hyundai Kona Hybrid, it’s the brand's entry-level Kona, and it’s $36,500 before on-road costs (or about $41,000 drive-away in NSW). This one pairs a 1.6-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).

Now, about that price gap. There is a cheaper Corolla Cross, the GX, which is yours for around $40,500 on the road, and there's an N Line version of the base Kona hybrid for an extra $4000, but that adds sportier design flourishes and some performance features. In the end, these are the two cars we have to compare.

So what do you get for that investment? 

In Toyota town, it means 17-inch wheels and all-LED lighting outside, while in the cabin, there are leather-accented seats (that do without any heating), dual-zone climate control, manual seat adjustment, a leather-accented steering wheel and shifter, and keyless entry with push-button start.

Tech is covered by a 10.5-inch central screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo and a 7.0-inch colour screen for the driver. No wireless charging seems an oversight, though.

Now, this might be the cheapest Hyundai Kona Hybrid, but it doesn’t feel like it, at least not based on its spec sheet.

It gets bigger 18-inch wheels and LED headlights and daytime running lights (DRL). Unlike the Toyota, it gets all-fabric seats, but it does add a wireless charging pad to go with its Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Like the Toyota, it gets dual-zone climate control and keyless entry and push-button start, while tech this time comes courtesy of a 12.3-inch central touchscreen paired with a six-speaker stereo, and there’s a 4.2-inch driver display screen.

With all of that in mind, you’d have to say the Hyundai shades the Toyota in a straight spec battle, but only ever so slightly. The Toyota will give you a little leather, but the Hyundai pretty much matches, or exceeds, the Corolla Cross elsewhere, and it does it for less money.

	Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Price (MSRP)	$40,230	$36,500
Mulitmedia screen	10.5-inch	12.3-inch
LED headlights	Yes	Yes
Android Auto / Apple CarPlay	Yes	Yes
Heated front seats	No	No
Upholstry	Leather-trimmed	Fabric
Audio	Six-speaker	Six-speaker
Nav	Yes	No
Digital radio	Yes	Yes
A/C	Dual-zone	Dual-zone
Keyless entry	Yes	Yes
Leather-trimmed steering wheel	Yes	Yes
Auto rain-sensing wipers	No	No
Alloy wheels	17-inch	18-inch
Privacy glass	Yes	No
Wireless charging	No	Yes
Rating	7	8

Design – Is there anything interesting about their designs?

This is a tough one, because it really doesn’t matter what I say or think, you’ll have one you prefer the look of, and that’s simply that.

Let’s start with the Kona. There is a more bonkers N Line version, but this is the more sensible choice, and I’d say it’s the more modern feeling of the two competitors we have here, what with its round edges, sharp body creases and its futuristic but elegant light treatment front and rear.

The Corolla Cross is a little more mature in its design, with its fairly muted styling, but I still think it looks sharp, I love the teethy textured grille, which is in stark contrast to the Hyundai Kona, and the kind of old-school design of the admittedly smaller 17-inch wheels.

Now the cabins of these two small SUVs do feel a little like an unfair match-up, given the Toyota - which is frankly a nicer place to spend time - is a mid-spec offering, and so more expensive than the entry-level Hyundai.

If you were to take the extra $5000 needed for the Corolla Cross and drop it on the Kona, you'd end up with the N Line pack, which improves the cabin materials considerably.

Anyway, the Corolla Cross is a nice, easy and pretty premium-feeling place to spend time, with a big central screen for multimedia, another that handles driving info, and some physical buttons to control things like the air-con controls.

Still, there are some quirks. For one, there's no wireless charging, which is present in the cheaper Hyundai. But more importantly, the way the cabin kind of pokes out at you makes the Corolla Cross feel smaller than it is, and a little claustrophobic.

The cabin of the Kona takes a more modern approach, which begins with the twin-screen setup, which looks clean and works well. But there are also a heap of physical buttons, meaning almost anything you need is a moment away, rather than having to dig through screen menus.

There are reminders you're in an entry-level car, though. It all looks nice, but start touching surfaces and you'll find lots of hard plastics.

	Toyota Corolla Cross	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Rating	8	7

Practicality – How practical is their space and tech inside?

Both of these SUVs are the same width, but the Corolla Cross is slightly longer, while the Kona rides on a slightly bigger wheelbase. But of course those are just numbers, the big question is, what sort of impact do they have on cargo and passenger space inside.

When it comes to boot space, the Toyota will serve up 425 litres with the rear seats in place, while the Hyundai is good for 407 litres. Where there is some daylight between the models is with towing. The Toyota is limited to 750kg braked, while the Hyundai claims a maximum 1300kg.

The big question is how do those dimensions translate to interior space?

Remember how I said the front seats of the Corolla Cross felt lightly claustrophobic? That feeling extends to the backseat, too. It's not that it's too tight - at 175cm I still had enough head room and knee room - it's just that it feels tighter and more closed in than in the Kona.

Elsewhere, there are rear vents (but no temp controls) and twin USB ports. There's no pull-down divider, instead cupholders are moulded into each of the rear doors.

The Kona, on the other hand, feels bigger, and more airy, than the Toyota, and I honestly think there a lots of smaller Aussie families that could make do with the space on offer here.

Sitting behind my own driving position, I found I had lots of leg and headroom, and the space just feels lighter and brighter than in the Corolla Cross.

Like the Toyota, you've got air vents and twin USB ports, but unlike the Corolla Cross, to use the cupholders you'll have to deploy the central armrest.

Dimensions	Toyota Corolla Cross	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Length (mm)	4460mm	4350mm
Width (mm)	1825mm	1825mm
Height (mm)	1620mm	1585mm
Wheelbase (mm)	2640mm	2660mm
Boot volume (L)	425L	407L
USB front	1 x C	2 x C
USB rear	2 x C	2 x C
Cupholders front	2	2
Cupholders rear	2	2
Bottleholders front	door bins	Door bins
Adjustable rear A/C vents	Yes	Yes
12-volt socket	1 x front	1 x front
Rear map pockets	Yes	Yes
Spare tyre	Space-saver	Space-saver
Glove box	medium	medium
Front centre box/armrest	Yes	Yes
Rating	7	8

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for their engines and transmissions?

Both these hybrid SUVs achieve much the same goal, they just go about it in slightly different ways.

In the Toyota, you get a 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces 112KW and 190Nm, but the electric assistance lifts those outputs. That power is fed through an occasionally annoying CVT automatic and sent to the front tyres.

In the Hyundai, a 1.6-litre petrol engine makes just 77kW and and 144Nm, but it too gets electric help from its front-mounted motor, lifting those figures to a total 104kW and 265Nm. In this case, the grunt is channeled through a six-speed DCT automatic and released into the world through the front tyres.

Toyota claims a 7.6-second sprint to 100km/h. Hyundai doesn’t actually claim a zero to 100km/h time, but honestly, they both feel pretty similar. 

	Toyota Corolla Cross	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Engine	2.0L 4cyl atmo petrol	1.6L 3cyl atmo petrol
Power (kW)	112kW @ 6600rpm	77kW @ 5700rpm
Torque (Nm)	190Nm @ 4400rpm	144Nm @ 4000rpm
Power combined (kW)	146kW	104kW
Torque combined (Nm)	TBA	265Nm
Transmission	CVT Automatic	Six-speed DCT
Drive	FWD	FWD
Rating	7	7

Efficiency – What is their fuel consumption? What are their driving ranges?

This is where it gets interesting. And for the record, we’ve left both these vehicles in their normal 'Eco' drive mode - we’re trying to keep this as balanced as possible.

So, the claims. Toyota says to expect 4.2L/100km on the combined cycle. Hyundai goes one better, suggesting 3.9L is possible on the same cycle. 

Real world, though, we’ve found the Corolla Cross reporting 4.9L/100km, and the Kona Hybrid delivering 5.0L/100km. Not much in that, then. 

And to be fair to both models, our test program involved some fairly enthusiastic and twisty driving. We have not been trying to eek out the best fuel use, so to get five litres or less I think is pretty good. 

The Corolla Cross has a 36-litre fuel tank, while the Kona gets a 38-litre tank, and both accept the cheapest 91 RON fuel. So with that in mind, and using a realistic 5.0L/100km as the guide, you should get around 720kms from a tank in the Toyota, and around 760kms in the Hyundai.

Fun fact, using today’s prices, it will cost you less than $70 to completely fill either of these two SUVs, and that will get you from Sydney to pretty close to the Queensland border. See why hybrids are so popular?

L/100km	Toyota Corolla Cross	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Official combined cycle	4.2	3.9
On test (dash)	4.9	5.0
CO2 (Combined cycle - g/km)	96	89
Fuel tank (L)	36	38
Fuel grade	RON 91	RON 91
Range - Theoretical (Combined cycle - km)	857	974
Range - Real world (On test - km)	720	760
Hybrid battery	4.08Ahr	1.32kWh
Rating	8	8

Driving – What are they like to drive?

Prepare to split hairs here. The reality is both the Hyundai Kona and Toyota Corolla Cross are solid on-road performers, without much to split them.

In terms of easy-breezy city motoring, the Corolla Cross does it all really well. But I still think Toyota's hybrid tech is lacking in a little refinement, not helped by a CVT automatic that likes to drone when you flatten your foot.

But if those are the bad, there is still a lot of good in the little Toyota. The ride is great, gliding over all but the worst imperfections. The steering is super light, but it also feels natural and direct, without feeling darty.

The other point I'd make is that the power outputs, which don't sound stratospheric, are actually more than enough to get the Corolla up and moving. We had it on suburban roads, freeways and even some twisty stuff, and it faced it all with ease.

So, easy to drive, and actually quite fun in places, and ridiculously frugal to boot.

The Kona, too, shines in its natural urban environment. I much prefer its more natural-feeling transmission, and it feels more refined in the way the petrol engine and electric motor talks to each other, too. 

In typical Hyundai fashion, the ride is really well sorted, and like the Toyota, it feels plenty sprightly for a vehicle in this segment, too.

But there is one oddity that gives the Toyota a slight win in this section. It is the steering, which has a heft that is missing from the super-light action in the Toyota, but it also feels a bit dead and artificial, and like the weight has simply been dialled up to mimic sportiness, but which ends up just feeling a bit annoying.

Advantage Toyota in this one.

	Toyota Corolla Cross	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
0-100km/h (sec)	7.6	7.5 (est)
Suspension	strut / torsion beam	strut / multi link
Steering	Electric / Rack & pinion	Electric / Rack & pinion
Wheels	17-inch alloy	18-inch alloy
Tyres	TBA	215/55
Spare	Space-saver	Space saver
Brakes	vented disc / disc	vented disc / disc
Kerb weight (kg)	1475	1525
Rating	8.0	7.0

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What are their safety ratings?

The Hyundai Kona range scored a four-star ANCAP safety rating when it was tested back in 2023, while the Toyota Corolla Cross is a five-star ANCAP-rated car from testing done in 2022.

So the big question is, how to they put that tech to use?

Annoyingly, to be honest, but more so in the Hyundai than in the Toyota. Both are equipped with a long list of active safety features, but it’s the Hyundai that annoys slightly more with its chimes and bonging. Happily, they’re fairly easy to turn off.

That wasn’t my experience with the Toyota. They feel tuned for Australian conditions, to the point that you can easily forget they’re there. That said, the reversing camera isn’t the best, with an unclear image, even in perfect conditions.

	Toyota Corolla Cross	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
AEB	✓	✓
Adaptive cruise control	✓	✓
Lane departure warning	✓	✓
Lane keeping assist	✓	✓
Lane departure prevention	✓	✓
Lane change assist	✓	⛌
Blind-spot monitoring	✓	✓
Traffic sign recognition	✓	✓
Pedestrian and cyclist detection	✓	✓
Rear cross-traffic alert	✓	✓
Reversing camera	✓	✓
Parking sensors	✓	✓
Tyre pressure monitoring	⛌	✓
Driver monitoring	⛌	✓
ANCAP	Five stars	Four stars
Front airbags	✓	✓
Front side airbags	✓	✓
Curtain airbags	✓	✓
Child seat top tethers	Three	Three
ISOFIX anchors	Two	Two
Rating	8	7

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are their service intervals? What are their running costs?

The Hyundai Kona is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing required every 12 months or 15,000km. It gets capped-price servicing, and the first five years will cost you a total $2575, or an average $515 per service.

The Toyota Corolla Cross gets the same warranty, and the same service intervals, but it drops the price per service to $255, or a total $1275 for the first five years of ownership.

	Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid	Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Warranty	Five-year/unlimited	Five-year/unlimited km
Service interval	12 months / 15,000km	12 months / 15,000km
Roadside Assist	Five years	Five years
Fixed price servicing	Yes	Yes
Annual average	$255	$515
Rating	7	6

Verdict