- The 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross and its hybrid counterpart receive some mild updates.
- Both the hybrid and gas-fed models have new grille designs, with the former adopting a body-color mesh.
- Along with new wheel options and paint colors, the refreshed Corolla Cross is now available with a 10.5-inch touchscreen.
The Corolla Cross is Toyota’s smallest SUV. For the 2026 model year, the subcompact ute gets similarly small updates. If you can’t tell what has changed since last year, allow us to help you out.What’s New with the Corolla Cross?Both the regular gas-fed Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross Hybrid adopt new grilles and revised bumpers. The former’s face takes on a tougher look with a black bezel and an egg-crate mesh that appears to take inspiration from Toyota’s TRD trucks. Previously, the hybrid model had a unique grille, and that’s still the case. But now its snout looks sleeker, with a lattice-like motif that matches the body color and is similar to the Toyota Camry’s front end. New paint colors and fresh wheel designs are also par for the course when it comes to mid-cycle refreshes. A set of dark gray 18-inch rollers is offered on the XLE trim. If you opt for the XSE trim, those same wheels turn black. Speaking of black accents, the Corolla Cross Hybrid SE and XSE get a Jet Black roof when paired with the new Cavalry Blue paint job (pictured above).Inside, Toyota has reconfigured the center console. Now there’s more space surrounding the wireless charging pad below the center stack. The shifter is new too, and the surrounding bezel has a matte surface that should better repel fingerprints and dust than the previous piano-black trim. An 8.0-inch touchscreen is still standard, but higher trim levels get a new 10.5-inch touchscreen.Since there aren’t any powertrain changes, the regular Corolla Cross is still powered by a 169-hp four-cylinder engine. The gas-electric Corolla Cross also still features a 196-hp hybrid setup. Toyota estimates the hybrid will earn 42 mpg combined; that estimate drops to 32 mpg combined on nonhybrid models. All-wheel drive is the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s default drivetrain, but the gas-only variant offers a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.Toyota hasn’t yet said how much the 2026 Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross Hybrid will cost. When they start arriving at dealerships later this year, we expect the gas model to start at around $26K, while the hybrid will likely start around $30K. Related StoriesEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.
Source: caranddriver.com
