Toyota Corolla Cross

Design & Quality

The Corolla Cross has a functional, practical and fabulous cabin with modern design touches, suitable for families, for their everyday driving needs.

The dashboard is designed nicely with an impressive, clean, neat and welcoming metallic accents. It comes across as modern, contemporary and also quite simple, like a typical Japanese philosophy without much overly complex controls, which makes it seamless for drivers of all ages. What we also liked is the ambient lighting, which actually gives a calm at premium feel to the cabin.

From a user experience, the dashboard offers effortless access, with essential controls and a nicely blended infotainment screen, for a quick interaction with distraction-free content. The tactile buttons and switches are quite comfortable to use, keeping in mind the ease of users of both tech-savvy and traditional drivers in Saudi Arabia.

Like you would expect in any Toyota car of this segment, the overall fit and finish across the cabin is consistently elevated, so don't see any compromise of quality. For example, the soft-touch materials mostly used on the dashboard and door panels make the interior refined. We have noted the accurate panel gaps and superior build quality, which certainly gives you a sense of confidence in the durability of the car, and also admire Toyota, the way they have given attention to detail on every small element.

Front Seat

The Corolla Cross’s front seats are something you won’t complain about, with a comfortable commanding driving position, with a promise of excellent visibility owing to the large windows and slim pillars. For your convenience and flexibility, the driver’s seat is 6-way adjustable, paired with a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, which allows you to set it as per your personal choice and comfort. We noted with joy the balanced cushioning and support during our long drive, and it felt very comfortable and had lower fatigue levels, which is quite nice for long drives across Saudi Arabia’s diverse terrain and climate.

Hand Brake

The electronic parking brake replaces the traditional handbrake, which certainly adds to the convenience aspects and also improves cabin space. Using it was smooth, and interestingly integrated with hill-start assist, which is vital for navigating urban hills and stop-start traffic. The EPB adds benefits and comfort with a cleaner interior layout compared to manual levers.

Rear Seat

Rear seating comfortably fits three average-sized passengers with sufficient legroom, headroom, and shoulder space, which a lot of families will need, as they would spend time during road trips.  The 60:40 split-fold seats promise flexible cargo options, while rear air vents and dual-zone climate control ensure passengers at the rear are well taken care of. While the rear seatback is slightly upright, however, you get enough support for everyday driving and weekend trips.

AC Vents

In low and high speeds, the air from front and rear AC vents is just fine, quite effective and can cool the cabin quickly, if you’re in the hot season. This is quite necessary for the overall comfort of the passengers. Similarly, the dual-zone automatic climate system allows personal comfort for all passengers. Rear vents are good for backseat occupants, giving the cabin comfort during long drives and city traffic.

Storage Options

Considering this is mostly a family SUV, practicality is crucial to achieve the storage spaces needed to keep all the stuff. Toyota knows it well, and so the Corolla Cross has a lot on offer, like a cooled centre console, door pockets with 1-litre bottle holders, multiple cup holders, an overhead sunglasses holder, and a spacious glovebox. The convenience of these compartments in helping you keep all your stuff organised is quite helpful for the cabin user-friendly for families and commuters alike.

Boot Space 

There is 440 litres of boot space with all seats up, and it should be enough for everyday needs, including groceries or small luggage. There is a convenience offered in the form of rear seats that fold in a 60:40 split to create extra cargo capacity by a flat load area for larger items such as suitcases or outdoor gear. You get a power back door with a kick sensor for easier loading. The boot’s lower liftover height makes access easy.

Charging Options

Another feature for everyday use to stay connected with their devices fully-charged, across the cabin, there are multiple USB ports, including USB-C, wireless charging pads and a 12V socket. This makes sure you get to charging without it being a problem at any given time, and this is something the tech-savvy drivers will cherish.

The Corolla Cross, like any Toyota SUV, gets all the key and comprehensive suite of features to protect you and your family at every single drive.

• Dual front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, and a driver’s knee airbag

1. Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-force distribution
2. Vehicle Stability Control and Hill Start Assist for greater stability.
3. Tire Pressure Monitoring System for extra security.
4. ISOFIX child seat mounts for family safety.
5. Rear parking sensors and a back monitor for ease of parking.
6. Toyota Safety Sense, including:

• Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection. 
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist.

• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.
• Automatic High Beam.
• Lane Tracing Assist.

• Reverse Collision Avoidance Assist

7. Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert

The Corolla Cross has always received admiration for its look, and it is rightfully so, as this SUV looks quite modern, and has an imposing stance, which buyers in KSA find appealing. The overall exterior blends modern design cues with attractive, rugged lines, along with balanced proportions and clean lines, which makes it look extremely desirable, not something flashy, fitting well in both city and suburban environments, especially for families.

Front

The first noticeable element is the modern trapezoidal grille with chrome accents and edgy LED headlights grant the front a classy look. Further, daytime running lights add safety and bolster the style, making the Corolla Cross distinctive in its category, and that is what most of the buyers like about this SUV, which conveys a refined yet assertive stance.

Side

Moving onto the side profile of this sleek SUV, again, Toyota has successfully been able to keep it cool and awesome. Like the elegant, highlighted by body-colored mirrors with integrated turn signals and glossy contours. Its size and design provide easy navigation in bumper-to-bumper traffic or congested areas of the city, at the same time keeping its sporty and premium feel intact.

Alloy Wheels

The Corolla Cross’s appeal is further enhanced by the attractive 17-inch alloy wheels. The unique design and sharp cuts give the car a true sporty look. It is quite easy to conclude that the wheels remarkably balance between modern styling and functionality, not to mention adding the driving dynamics to take on diverse road conditions.

Rear

At the rear, the LED tail lights and an exquisite rear spoiler offer a unified and energetic look, which is really quite cool for the overall design of the car.  The spotless and orderly look gives an upmarket feel, which is further cemented by practical elements like the rear spoiler, enhancing the aerodynamics and style.

Colours

Seven vibrant colours, including Platinum White Pearl and Nebula Blue, offer personalisation options for Saudi buyers. The palette balances classic and bold choices; this extensive choice of colour selection should appeal to a wider buyers in KSA.

In summary, among several of its strengths, the Toyota Corolla Cross scores high in overall exterior appeal, and it is one of its key selling points. It is hard to argue the combination of style, practicality, and sophisticated features that directly appeal to today’s buyer profile in Saudi Arabia. Frankly, these are the attributes apart from the performance that the Corolla has been one of the top-selling cars for years, and it continues to attract new buyers.

The Toyota Corolla Cross with its hybrid powertrain comes with a push-button start/stop system, which is an extra modern convenience. It works quite smoothly, as the hybrid powertrain gets active quickly in electric mode at startup, giving a refined experience when compared with conventional petrol gasoline engines, providing a quiet and composed start.

City Performance

In urban environments across Saudi Arabia, where most of the Corolla Cross most likely use the car will find its performance quite enough for daily driving, in fact, that is where it actually excels. The hybrid model offers smooth and linear acceleration, making it perfect for daily commuting like Riyadh or Jeddah. If you wish to overtake occasionally, it won’t be a tough task, with the electric motor kicking instant torque for quick power.

The hybrid’s electronic CVT (e-CVT) is notably smoother, eliminating the need for frequent gear changes, unlike a manual transmission. We noticed the Corolla Cross scores extremely well when it comes to the mileage, with the hybrid achieving around 23.7 kmpl in city conditions, This should appeal well to city drivers, bringing the cost down significantly without markdown in driving fun.

Highway Performance

On Saudi Arabia’s highways, such as those connecting Riyadh to Dammam, the Corolla Cross shows its real strength and may have some limitations. Its combined 121 hp makes highway overtaking at moderate speeds quite easy. Fuel efficiency on highways, too, is great, achieving approximately 17-18 kmpl, even under spirited driving, and slightly sportier suspension tune absorbing road imperfections well, though some road noise can seep into the cabin.

The Toyota Corolla Cross driving is a combination of easy, driver-friendly and efficient driving experience, and the credit goes to the hybrid powertrain. You get greater mileage with awesome driving dynamics and overall smoother and easier performance from the car, and it qualifies as a preferred choice for both city and highway driving. For Saudi consumers, the Corolla Cross offers an ideal blend of reliability, fuel efficiency, and the latest, most sophisticated, although it may not be up to the mark when it comes to sporty driving, but it is supposed to be a balanced car, and ot exactly a spirited one. With the aggressive price, it certainly is among the best choices when it comes to cost-effectiveness and practicality for families and commuters.

Ride 

We experienced the Corolla Cross’s balanced ride across most of the city roads in Saudi Arabia. Starting from the suspension setup comprising MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, nicely tuned to absorb most road imperfections, you get an extremely relaxed and easy ride. What was an eye-opener is that even though the elevated stance and 161 mm of ground, the ride quality was composed and stable with absolutely minimum body roll on highways. On rough challenging road conditions, the suspension feels slightly firm but capable of taking on uneven surfaces perfectly. So, the Corolla Cross is good in terms of comfort and stability, and a lot of buyers will find it suitable for their everyday driving needs, and also for highways too.

Handling 

In terms of handling, being a Toyota, the Corolla Cross is quite satisfactory, this is more visible in the city when you’re navigating bumper-to-bumper traffic. The light and accurate steering delivers agile manoeuvrability and quite easily navigates congested lanes and parking spots with less space. With its proven and well-fine-tuned hybrid powertrain, it gives a soft and smoother acceleration with enough torque for overtaking and cruising. The CVT transmission helps a lot in seamless gear shifts, though a slight lag may be noticeable in some hard and heavy acceleration. Drive modes like Eco, Normal, and Sport allow drivers to customize performance to their preference.

Variants of the Toyota Corolla Cross in Saudi Arabia

• LE HEV (SAR 103,845)
  • Suitable for price-conscious buyers looking for a hybrid powertrain.
  • Combining higher mileage, basic comfort and safety features
  • A far affordable option for everyday city and highway drivers, but misses out key features.

• XLE HEV (SAR 113,505)
  • Get premium features like fog lights, roof rails, sunroof, and moonroof, making it a high-end choice. 
  • Blends affordability with modern style and a lot of convenience features. 
  • A best pick for city users who can spend that extra money to get features and comfort.

• LTD HEV (SAR 129,260)
  • This variant has a lot of focus on luxury with leather seats, wireless charging, and advanced safety tech
  • With that extra price, you get blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, and multiple airbags
  • And, so offers you that luxury feel and range of comprehensive driver assistance

• Limited Plus HEV (SAR 130,410)
  • Fully-loaded, top-end variants with all LTD features plus additional refinements
  • A choice for buyers who don’t want to compromise on anything, features, comfort, safety and convenience.
  • The best combination of luxury, modern technology, and safety for a superior experience

Sayarabay Recommends: For buyers in KSA, who want a balance of luxury, safety, and technology, they should choose the LTD HEV variant as it stands out for its key benefits. Such as premium features like leather seats, wireless charging, advanced driver-assist systems, and blind spot warning. What it also gets is a luxury and premium interior and a whole lot of safety tech. The LTD HEV promises a comfortable, confident driving experience, and so a top pick for those wanting a well-equipped, value-packed hybrid SUV.

The Corolla Cross is a nicely packaged compact SUV that appeals to Saudi buyers who want a combination of practicality, efficiency, and reliability. There are some strong characteristics, including a spacious and comfortable cabin, which give a premium feel. It is well-built, as one might expect from Toyota, and all of this is topped by the Japanese proven hybrid powertrain, which ensures great mileage and lower running costs. While the interior materials are decent rather than luxurious, the user-friendly infotainment and advanced safety features make it a bargain in terms of value. What you’re getting is a superior driving position and better handling, and so it qualifies as the best for both the world-city and highway driving. One might feel it is underpowered and not very flashy, but what impressed instead upon the balance of comfort, technology, and Toyota’s renowned durability, making it a practical, dependable SUV at the right price for families.

Other cars to consider

Hyundai Creta 

Reasons to consider

• Stylish and modern design
• Feature-packed with advanced safety
• Competitive pricing around SAR 82,135

Reasons to ignore

• Audio system quality is poor
• Interior materials feel cheap

Kia Seltos

Reasons to consider

• Strong and reliable powertrain
• Premium features for the price
• Affordable starting at SAR 80,000

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• The ride can be a bit firm
• Interior plastics lack

Nissan Kicks

Reasons to consider

• Budget-friendly, starting near SAR 70,000
• Reliable with modern tech features
• Good fuel efficiency for city driving

Reasons to ignore 

• Lacks some premium features
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Mazda CX-30

Reasons to consider

• Sporty and engaging to drive
• Premium, stylish interior
• Balanced performance and comfort

Reasons to ignore

• Higher starting price around SAR 90,000
• Rear-seat space is limited