2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE Reviewed

2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE
42 MPG combined Hwy/City
MSRP $31,065

When I was a kid, my mom was so proud and so grown when she purchased her first car, a burgundy Corolla XE. I personally was so hyped because we’d been bussing it for a while, waking up before the sun just to get to school and work. But that car became our lifeline and saved us so much commuting time. Plus, we had keys to the world! A good, solid working car to get us around LA and everywhere we wanted to go. We drove everywhere and we loved that car. It lasted clear through my young adulthood, even after we gave it away to a family member. That Corolla was the business. And driving this one, was a bit nostalgic, although it was more of a mashup of the Corolla and RAV 4. The Corolla Cross is cute, sporty, zippy and versatile. It doesn’t have a whole lot of power like a bigger vehicle, but it does get the job done.

A Sporty Girl’s (or Boy’s) BFF: One of my favorite features of this car is the hatchback-like style with a large trunk space. Of course, because it’s summer and I’m a nature girl, I took her up to the mountains for a few nights camping. Carrying a bunch of camping equipment was a breeze and everything for a few nights was stowed easily in the trunk. The back row seats fold to increase storage space. Plus, this vehicle handled the windy roads like a champ and powered up inclines with no problem. Like many four-cylinder hybrids, don’t look for that quick highway burst of speed when merging into traffic. But once it gets going, it moves. 

The 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE is quite versatile, in my opinion of course, and can be used for getting closer to nature or running the night in the city with its sporty design. 

Passenger Friendly-ish: Discovering the front passenger mic felt like discovering gold. Not a lot of vehicles feature a second mic specifically near the passenger. If ever you’ve had your auntie on speaker phone and everyone in the car had something to say, sometimes she’d have a hard time hearing. This second mic gives other folks a level of conversation autonomy. However, there wasn’t a whole lot of legroom for rear passengers. It was a bit of squeeze seating long-legged adults in the rear while driver and front passenger sat comfortably. 

All the Tech You Might Need: This vehicle isn’t offering super souped-up technology, but what comes standard is worth noting. Coming with four USB-C outlets throughout the vehicle and a wireless charging station, no one will be out of juice. Plus, the driver gets an added lumbar support feature, but only in this model. Standard across all hybrid models, an 8-inch multimedia screen is a little small, but efficient for the vehicle and offers CarPlay for all Apple users and Android Audio for the others. One thing I absolutely loved is the Bluetooth connectivity that allowed me to use CarPlay without having the phone hardwired to the car. This particular feature is something I haven’t come across in many vehicles. But not always did it activate without some fiddling around. I do even remember a time while I was driving CarPlay got disconnected, even with it being hardwired. My passenger had to unplug and replug a few times to get the feature back up.

Overall, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE is a fun ride, great for distance and around the city and it looks good! I wouldn’t say it’s a family car, but it will get you and your buddies from point A to B without too much fuss and is great for a big shopping trip. I liked it and would drive it again. 

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