[Auto] 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Tested: Three's Company Too

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Adding a three-motor hybrid system gives this all-wheel-drive crossover the motive force it so sorely needed.UPDATE 6/1/23: This review has been updated with test numbers.

 

The Toyota Corolla Cross is the SUV for people who choose the "no spice" option when ordering Indian. It's a supremely inoffensive conveyance focused on value and familiarity over standing out. That's okay, but its internal-combustion powertrain is as weak as pre-spinach Popeye, and its fuel economy doesn't tell such a happy tale either. That's where the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid comes in, adding a trio of electric motors for some much-needed horsepower and netting better fuel economy too.Instead of making do with the 169 horsepower of the Corolla Cross, the Hybrid bumps that figure to 196 ponies. As in the all-wheel-drive 2023 Toyota Prius, a 150-hp Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter inline-four pairs with three electric motors: two up front that combine for 111 horsepower and a 40-hp motor on the rear axle that enables standard all-wheel drive. There's a small lithium-ion battery under the rear seats, and front-axle torque arrives via a continuously variable automatic transmission.Even with its newfound power, the Corolla Cross Hybrid promises far better fuel economy than the nonhybrid model, and it mostly delivers. Toyota estimates 45 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway, and 42 mpg combined, versus 29, 32, and 30 mpg, respectively, for an all-wheel-drive Corolla Cross. During our 75-mph highway fuel economy test, our hybrid XSE test car achieved 36 mpg, a hair under Toyota's estimate of 38 mpg but still vastly better than a gas-powered variant.HIGHS: Extra efficiency, adequate acceleration, improved infotainment.Acceleration is improved too; the Corolla Cross Hybrid required 7.3 seconds to reach 60 mph. That slices almost two seconds from our test results with a nonhybrid Corolla Cross, despite the hybrid carrying around nearly an extra 50 pounds. That mass may negatively affect braking, though, as our 182-foot stop from 70 mph is 10 feet longer than that of a nonhybrid 2022 example.

 

But you don't need a Racelogic VBox to know the Corolla Cross Hybrid is the quicker horse in the barn. A sensitive throttle and instant electric torque combine for more off-the-line snappiness than before, and the hybrid doesn't give up the ghost on inclines like the gas version does. The new model is more acceptable for joining highway traffic—the 50-to-70 sprint takes 5.7 seconds, three-tenths quicker than a gas model—although, as we've seen in many hybrids, performance suffers with a depleted battery.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a43496587/2023-toyota-corolla-cross-hybrid-drive/