Morning routine here at The Autopian varies for everyone, but I’m a fan of rolling over, shutting off the iPhone alarm, and browsing for what’s new and noteworthy in the automotive kingdom. As it turned out, this morning served up something delightfully mundane. Did Toyota update the Corolla Cross for 2026? It turns out, that’s exactly what’s happened, serving up the third and fourth front ends for this subcompact crossover.
Yes, third and fourth; the original 2022 combustion-powered model used the standard front end while the outgoing hybrid model used the front end from the Chinese-market Frontlander. Nerdy bit of trivia that nobody really cares about, I know, but doesn’t that sum up the entire Corolla Cross? It’s oatmeal on four wheels, the definition of sufficient, just without much that’s exceptional.
Alright, if you really can’t remember, here’s what the old Corolla Cross Hybrid looked like. It’s a bit like if you asked MidJourney to combine all of Toyota’s crossovers into one vehicle, with its front fascia vaguely reminiscent of the Highlander XSE’s, the blisters over the arches being RAV4 stuff, the two-tone roof popularized by the C-HR, you know the drill.
Taking a look at the updated Corolla Cross, the styling is still anonymous enough that it’s easy to forget what the old one looked like. Basically, we’re looking at a minor update for combustion-powered variants and a slightly more significant update for the hybrids. Gas-only units get a grille that seems very Tacoma and 4Runner-influenced, the top-level alloy wheels get swapped out for a fresh design, and that’s about it. Anticlimactic, I know.
Meanwhile, the hybrid model draws influence from the Camry Hybrid and Crown Signia, shrinking its lower grille and adopting a bunch of hexagonal holes in the body color bumper for cooling. Add in a dark trim piece to bridge the headlights and some corner elements in the front bumper, and the result is a significantly different look than before. Oh, and the XSE Hybrid also gets new wheels, as is the style of the times.
Stepping inside the 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross, changes are equally subtle. A blockier center console, seems designed to bring previously somewhat under-dash controls closer to the driver and that seems admirable, but a quick look at the touchscreen makes it obvious the top trims of the Corolla Cross are taking a step backward. At 10.5 inches, the infotainment display is larger than before, but it also no longer comes with a volume knob, instead relying on buttons to adjust volume.
This may sound like a petty grievance, but I actually owned a car without a volume knob and it was annoying enough that I ripped out the entire center stack, sourced a bezel with integrated climate controls, and wired in an aftermarket head unit with a volume knob. Guess what? The car in question had steering wheel-mounted audio controls, but for quick, large adjustments of volume, nothing beats a knob.
Consider this a good reason to stick with a mid-range trim (only top trims get the aforementioned infotainment update), preferably a reasonably priced hybrid because there are no major mechanical changes slated for 2026, so you might as well spend less time at the gas station. After all, 196 horsepower is plenty for this application, through-the-road eAWD is enough to get you through snow drifts in conjunction with winter tires, and 42 MPG combined sounds pretty alright.
The 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross definitely received one of the lightest facelifts we’ve seen in recent years, but it’ll go down in automotive history as a delightfully banal tidbit of trivia, a slight change that didn’t strictly need to happen but was made anyway.
Top graphic credit: Toyota
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I like oatmeal better.
I am not a fan of the speedhole grilles Lexus and Toyota are doing now. It’s much easier/cheaper to replace a grille insert than to have to replace the whole bumper cover.
I don’t know which one is which, even after reading the article and I’m happy with that as I don’t care.
I’m certain the Corolla Cross was designed as a rush job when Toyota realized how badly they’d done with the CH-R and needed to replace it with something more ordinary-looking STAT.
Full disclosure: I own a 2024 hybrid XSE. I have to say I pretty 3 the uninterrupted “mesh” look of the old one. Fake Lexus vibes, I know.
I know they’re bringing it more in line with the rest of their corporate design language but yeesh they really fucked up that front end on the ICE version. Nobody thinks your tiny CUV is tough, stop it with this pseudo-macho design. It’s even worse than people who put angry eyes on their Jeep.
Want a fifth and sixth front end to go with that?
This is what the facelifted version now looks like for the European market:
https://www.km77.com/coches/toyota/corolla-cross/2025/estandar/imagenes
Meh Car Monday is back! On a Thursday…
Utterly hideous, inside and out. And they all manage to look like they are pissed at something.
How does Toyota justify making a dozen or so crossovers and SUVs that don’t cannibalize each others sales but Toyota making a third truck that is actually smallish will cannibalize Tacoma or Tundra sales?
If Toyota made a compelling Maverick-Sized pickup with a manual and AWD, I would take out a loan to buy one.
I’ve got a Maverick and I will most likely trade it in for the smallest Toyota truck when the warranty runs out on it. So far that seems to be the Taco but I wouldn’t mind if something smaller is available.
I’ve got 50k miles on mine (warranty is up in 10k miles) and am VERY concerned that the transmission will leave the chat eventually. Real shame that the truck is so good but the build quality is garbage.
Anonymous compact crossover remains anonymous in a slightly different way.
Hot take: losing the volume knob for buttons is an improvement because the current Toyota volume knob is no good. At least if it’s anything like the one in my gen 5 Prius.
The ideal volume knob has a non-pressable (non … retracting?) outside ring and a clickable center button. But on my Prius, the whole thing is one rotatable, clickable button. So you have to like, be careful when adjusting the volume so that you don’t accidentally pause your music instead.
I only ever use the steering wheel volume controls in my car.
I replaced the head unit in my 2012 Prius v with an aftermarket one with no physical buttons or knob (since I only see ones with knobs starting at 10″ and up, and mine can only fit a 9″ screen), and I’ve also been fine. Besides, it has larger volume increments so I have it between 7 and 15 most of the time, anyway. And I can still push and hold the Mode button to mute it if I really need to.
My wife and I did the similar with our previous cars. We bought aftermarket stereos without volume knobs because we only used the steering wheel controls. We had zero issues adapting to life without volume knobs. Our current cars don’t have volume knobs either.
I parked next to one of these at Target the other day.
Was amazed at how friggin’ big it was.
The hybrid is on my short list to replace my manual Fit that my husband doesn’t want to learn how to drive. I’ve read the hybrids are actually (relatively) engaging and enthusiastic to drive.
The gas looks about the same, the hybrid looks better. No volume knob is dumb but maybe they don’t have room for it inside (it’s tight in there!)
Toyota has always loved a fascia change though, usually on sport vs. standard models. The result may not always look good but I actually appreciate the little extra length to differentiate the trims beyond wheels/fogs/chrome/spoilers. Years of Camrys, like the XV50 (XLE left, SE right). Current-gen Corolla (SE/XSE fascia in center, LE/XLE treatment on left in red). 3rd gen RAV facelift, Limited had a different front bumper treatment from base/Sport. Hybrid Camrys sometimes had a different nose from the regular ones (at least XV40 facelift) but the for the Cross it’s more that the hybrids are supposed to be the sport trims.
I’d rather take the Buick Roadmaster from down below.
The gas-only version looks stupid. It’s giving 2006 Dodge Durango. Easily the worst front end of the bunch.
I’m weird, I prefer using the steering wheel buttons on my VW for adjusting sound and advancing/rewinding tracks.
The hybrid definitely looks better, but overall it’s a fairly uninspired, dated look.
Or does your VW just have the power icon in the center that rotates with the knob and it stresses you out seeing it in an upright aligned position?
Never bothered me but a friend with a GLI will not let anyone adjust the volume from the knob, he will do so from the steering wheel control.
Damn, saw right through me. Yes, It stresses me out when it’s not aligned.
It doesn’t matter what they do to the looks. It will still blend into any parking lot indistinguishable from the sea of generic looking crossovers. No one sees these unless they actually look for them.
For example, I think I’ve only seen two of these, but I’ve really probably seen 50.
It’s been at least 15 years since I started b*tching about compact and midsize crossovers, but I struggle with how the RAV can’t be built to serve everyone’s needs (US market, at least) and fully replace the Corolla Cross and C-HR with a lower set of features.
Taken to its logical end, a crowded marketplace for a single brand always means that some models are subsidizing others, and that rubs me the wrong way when car prices are constantly creeping up. Consolidate production efficiencies even more and stop building for every little sub-segment just because you have specific marketing data on one specific cohort of 18-29 Taylor Swift fans who also own guineau pigs (and/or other small rodents).
Well said. Does a manufacturer really need a swath of crossovers in 2 inch length increments? Toyota as 14 crossovers and 7 suvs on their website (just the US webite)
I also think the number of different models is redundant, but I think the market for sedans used to be similar if you go back enough decades….right?
Even just a few years to the most recent Malibu/Impala sedans.
Yeah. Which, to be clear, doesn’t mean I think all these size increments should exist, but just to make the point that the small differentiations in size have existed for a very long time.
I’m not sure what they could strip out of a RAV4 to shave 5 grand off the price. Part of the point is the size, it is 5-6″ shorter, that gap will probably widen when the next RAV4 hits and won’t be any different than the Corolla vs. Camry really. And it does unlock certain features at a lower price point than a RAV4 with those features would go for.
Given that the RAV4 is the best-selling non-pickup in the US it is serving a lot of needs though.
That’s a perfectly linear thought…I was going a little bigger, though:
Imagine we killed the C-HR and C-Cross, then doubled RAV production to fill the gap. Now you might have the volume to bring the price down $3-5k across the board through sheer purchasing and production efficiencies.
I know it’s just a thought exercise. But it still pains me to see brands demanding that every segment be filled just because the competitors are doing it. It’s all about the market share, logic be damned.
(This approach may not apply to parts of Europe and Asia where there is a need for smaller cars than the RAV, but those markets have traditionally been more crowded, anyway)
Would they, though? I think a lot of people would step to a value-priced RAV given the option, but it assumes a lot of benevolence on Toyota’s part when they already sell every RAV they make, somehow, against the odds (seems like dealer inventories remain low and it’s pricey for an aging design). How often do we see a price cut when something is already successful?
Brands have been trying to fill every segment for years, and choice isn’t a bad thing, it’s just bad for/to ‘us’ because it’s not the segments ‘we’ want. If Toyota still made the Avalon on top of the Crown and Camry and ES I feel like a lot of people here wouldn’t bat an eye even though there’s arguably more overlap there than even the late Venza vs. a RAV.
Actually that excercise is pretty much what happened with the smaller end of passenger cars especially at Toyota. A Corolla was always priced in spitting distance from a Yaris, they made more Corollas and could discount them more.
The RAV and Cross prices are really only “close” if the RAV is decontented. The difference if you buy similar models? A quick search of the hybrid XSE versions shows a price difference of 8 grand, then add on another 500- 1k depending on how taxes work where you live. That’s a lot of extra dough for a car that’s larger than I want or need.
Yep exactly. Reviews of the Cross are usually loaded examples which brings out “for that money just get a RAV4!” comments but there is a distinct feature difference, even with the trim naming not quite 1:1 relative to equipment. The top Cross’ start where the base RAVs start so it’s the “loaded smaller car vs. base bigger car” dilemma.
The Cross at least gets generally better mileage than a RAV too, unlike an HR-V vs. CR-V.
If you cannot decide what the model should look like is it even necessary to make that model? At least BMW makes it’s X1-10s different looking.
Audi seems to be successful selling the same SUV in multiple sizes.
I can’t wait to continue mistaking this for a RAV4.
Bonus: That XSE grill looks an awful lot like the camo’d front end of the not-yet-announced next gen RAV4.
ICE-powered design looks like a pig snout, but squinty headlights. These designs do not work well together.
The hybrid design is way more cohesive
The new ICE clip is terrible. Reminds me of the blob fish photo (The current RAV4 also reminds me of the frowning blob fish).
We’ve got a RAV4. You’re not wrong.
They should have called it the RAV2
Do they call it the Corolla Cross in the UK market? Because that would be like the Corolla Pissed.
Wait, wrong word, that’s like calling it the Corolla Drunk.
Either way, I vote for making it look drunk and angry.