Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid vs RAV4 Hybrid: Which model and trim should you buy?
Our very own Motor Mouth recently wrote a fantastic article detailing which of Toyota’s three RAV4s — gas, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid — was the best buy. I won’t make you leave this page to find out what he concluded: the hybrid was, “by quite some margin,” the winner.
But here’s the problem: while you’re in a Toyota showroom, you could easily be distracted by the company’s equally-competent Corolla Cross. The small(er) SUV is also available in hybrid trims, and its price tag for the 2025 model year may seem like it’s less than for the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. (We’ll explain the “seem” later.)
You would be silly to not consider both hybrid propositions, if only because amongst today’s Corollas, the Cross boasts bigger dimensions than the first-generation Toyota RAV4 offered three decades ago. If you don’t need as much SUV as the RAV4 has become, the Corolla Cross could do you just fine.
Three reasons to choose the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
For its (almost geriatric) simplicity
Do you find yourself discouraged by the idea of taming all the new technologies being fitted to more and more new vehicles? Let’s admit, some manufacturers are working hard to reinvent the automotive “wheels” that have served us so well for over a century.
But if you’re rather looking for a user-friendly cockpit that’s easy to get to grips with, where everything’s at your fingertips, and, most importantly, where distractions behind the wheel are kept to a minimum, you might want to consider Toyota’s Corolla Cross.
On board Toyota’s smallest SUV, everything is right where you expect it to be, in its expected form, and can be adjusted in the wink of an eye. The audio, air-conditioning, and heated seat controls are ergonomically well-positioned on the dashboard, the gearshift lever is fortunate enough to remain on the center console, and the layout of the instrument panel makes deciphering the various warnings and alerts crystal-clear.
For its cargo space (and that’s not a joke)
According to Toyota’s spec sheet, the Corolla Cross can hold only half as much as cargo behind its rear seat as the RAV4 (609 litres vs 1,059 litres). But allow us to differ—in favour of the smaller SUV.
During an exchange of bags and large suitcases between the Toyota RAV4 and our Corolla Cross tester, the latter proved capable of taking everything its bigger brother had carried. And it could have taken more, as you can see in our photo below. Anyway, if we’d have needed more space, all we’d have had to do was fold down the bench seat — and then the Cross would have been only 12% (227 litres) less capable than the RAV4.
Among the many reasons why this “little brother” is so generous with its cargo space is this one: the Cross is almost as wide as the RAV4, give or take 29 millimetres or so. It helps.
For the fun factor—in the snow
As with the Toyota RAV4, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid comes standard with an electronic on-demand all-wheel-drive system. Basically, a pair of electric motors serves up torque at the rear axle when conditions require. On the RAV4, this system is enhanced by a Trail and/or Snow mode, but this sophistication is not available on the Corolla Cross. Yet, it was with the Cross that we felt most assured in the winter storm.
No surprise, there: on the one hand, ground clearance between the two vehicles is virtually identical. So, with 204 mm between floor and dirt, the Cross can cope with the same kind of snow banks as the RAV4. On the other hand, the Cross is shorter — by around 100 mm, or four inches — and lighter by around 200 kilograms, making it more manoeuvrable and easier to “catch up”.
Which Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid should you buy?
Don’t bother with the gasoline-only-powered (a 2.0L four-cylinder) Corolla Cross, which starts at $27,720. If you’re buying a Toyota, it should be a hybrid. But because there are only two hybrid trims — both well-equipped — they command a fairly hefty base price: $34,645 for the Cross Hybrid SE; and $37,405 for the Hybrid range-topping XSE.
The trim we tested was the base (SE), a trim that sorely lacks an important feature: lumbar support for the driver’s seat. Fortunately, the Cross XSE brings electric seat adjustment, offering substantially more comfort.
We therefore recommend the Corolla Cross XSE. The extra premium brings you a better-looking and higher-quality interior upholstery called Softex, as well as a host of our favourite options: the power-assisted tailgate, sunroof, dual-zone climate controls, and wireless cell phone charging. All make that $2,760 uptick worthwhile.
Three reasons (and more) to choose the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
First and foremost, for its soundproofing
Toyota RAV4’s biggest advantage over the Corolla Cross is its soundproofing: wind noise, road noise, tire noise, and, of course, the whine of the continuously variable transmission are definitely less intrusive. Oh, we’re not talking Lexus-grade silence, here, but still, if you care about the serenity of your driving, you’ll want a RAV4 over the Cross.
For its fuel consumption(!)
We tested Toyota’s two hybrid SUVs in January and February, in cold and with serious snowstorms, and were surprised with the results. Despite its extra weight (200 kg) and its more powerful engine (with 219 horsepower, the 2.5L four-cylinder of the RAV4 delivers 23 more horses than the Cross’ 2.0L four-cylinder) the bigger SUV proved more frugal in our winter-y circumstances. Thanks, among other things, to its powerful electric motors, the RAV4’s average fuel consumption never exceeded 7.0 L/100 km.
By contrast, and in similar conditions, the “little brother” couldn’t do better than 7.6 L/100 km. At current fuel prices, and for someone driving 20,000 km/year, the RAV4 would represent at least $2,000 of saving in gasoline over 10 years. Keep that in mind for a couple of minutes.
Better accommodations for rear-seat passengers
As mentioned earlier, the Toyota Corolla Cross has no reason to be ashamed of its cargo capacity compared to its big brother. But where it does lose out is in rear-passenger legroom—with a substantial drop of 18% versus the RAV4 (812 mm vs 960 mm). If you regularly ferry teenagers or adults using the rear bench – and if their comfort is important to you – we can’t recommend enough that you seat them in the RAV4.
Because it can tow (a little) more
You know what’s surprising? The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid can tow up to 680 kg (1,500 lbs). The majority of its competitors do not “recommend” any towing activity. That said, for those who need to pull a bit more, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid gives you even more latitude, with up to 794 kg (1,750 lbs) of towing capacity. It’s almost a fifth more (17%) than the Cross.
Because the RAV4 is made in Canada
If there’s something on everybody’s radar these days, it’s “buying local.” The good news is the Toyota RAV4 (gasoline and hybrid variants) are assembled in Canada, at Ontario’s Woodstock plant. Corolla Crosses, meanwhile, are built on Toyota’s American assembly lines in Huntsville, Alabama!
Which Toyota RAV4 Hybrid should you buy?
Because the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid comes in eight(!) different trims and packages, the price tags are spread over a wide spectrum: they go from $36,505 (RAV4 Hybrid SE); to $47,525 (RAV4 Hybrid Limited).
The base Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is rather meagre in terms of equipment, but the second step, the XLE version starting at $39,645, brings a very decent proposition to the table—and it’s the one we recommend. For an additional $3,140 compared to the base RAV4 Hybrid, you’ll gain power adjustment for the driver’s seat, power-assisted tailgate, keyless ignition, and sunroof.
Of course, if you want to get even more, there are six other trims between there and the fully equipped Hybrid Limited. This one is the only one that will get you the ventilated front seats, the heated rear seats, and the hands-free operation of the tailgate. And know one thing: every dollar you’ll invest in a RAV4, you’ll get it back in resale value. No sweat.
Conclusion
If you’ve followed us so far, you’ve probably gleaned our preference for the Toyota RAV4. And so here’s the good (monetary) news we’ve been hinting at. The gap between our suggested Cross Hybrid version (XSE, at $37,405) and the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid version we recommend (XLE, $39,645) is only an extra $2,240. It’s even less, if you factor in the more or less $2,000 of gas savings that, according to our testing, the RAV4 Hybrid will bring you over a decade of ownership.
Now, you know why the RAV4 has been the best-selling SUV in Canada since 2016. In fact, last year in Canada, one out of every 25 new vehicles sold was a Toyota RAV4. I guess that means Canadian consumers are smart!