The 2027 Toyota Corolla Cross is arriving at dealerships this fall with one meaningful structural change and an otherwise steady hand on the lineup. Gas models start at $25,535; the hybrid side opens at $31,415. Both are assembled at Toyota’s Huntsville, Alabama plant.
Six years in, the Corolla Cross sits in a specific lane: bigger than Toyota’s own Corolla Hatchback but well below the RAV4 in size and price. That lane is crowded with the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-30, Subaru Crosstrek, and Jeep Compass, where base MSRPs run from the low-to-mid $20,000s up through $29,550 for the Compass. The Corolla Cross’s $25,535 entry point holds the segment middle without trying to undercut everyone.
Gas Models: L, LE, and XLE
The 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the gas Corolla Cross produces 169 hp, unchanged from the 2025 model. Toyota pairs it with either front-wheel drive or Dynamic Torque Control AWD, the latter routing up to 50 percent of power to the rear axle when conditions demand it and fully disengaging when they don’t. AWD gas models return a manufacturer-estimated 29 city, 31 highway, and 30 combined MPG. FWD models do slightly better at 30/32/31. Towing capacity on both configurations is 1,500 pounds.
The three gas grades ladder logically. The L opens at $25,535 with FWD, an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, LED headlights and taillights, and 17-inch steel wheels. Step up to the LE and you add Qi wireless charging, Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, 17-inch alloy wheels, a Smart Key with push-button start, auto climate control, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. The XLE pushes to 18-inch machine-finished alloys, a 10.5-inch touchscreen, SofTex seating, a 10-way power driver seat with lumbar, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking. Toyota has not announced individual LE or XLE MSRPs, only the $25,535 L grade starting price.
Hybrid Models: SE and XSE
The bigger structural news is on the hybrid side. Toyota is trimming the Corolla Cross Hybrid from three grades to two, cutting the S grade and landing on SE and XSE. Both run the fifth-generation Toyota Hybrid Electric Vehicle system with standard electronic on-demand AWD — the e-AWD setup uses a rear-mounted IPM motor to preemptively send torque to the rear wheels before front-wheel slip occurs, rather than reacting after the fact. Combined system output is 196 hp.
Fuel economy is the headline for the hybrid: a manufacturer-estimated 46 city, 39 highway, and 42 combined MPG on both grades. That 42-mpg combined figure represents a meaningful efficiency advantage over the gas AWD model’s 30 combined, and does so while keeping AWD standard rather than optional. Towing capacity matches the gas models at 1,500 pounds.
The Hybrid SE at $31,415 includes fabric seating, an 8-inch touchscreen, Blind Spot Monitor, single-zone auto climate control, 17-inch machined alloy wheels, black roof rails, and sport paddle shifters. The XSE steps up to a 10.5-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, SofTex mixed-media seating, 18-inch black-finished alloys, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, and a rear folding armrest. Toyota has not announced the XSE MSRP.
Shared Tech and Safety
Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 is standard across every grade, gas and hybrid alike. The suite covers pre-collision with pedestrian detection, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, automatic high beams, and proactive driving assist. The LE, XLE, SE, and XSE grades add Safe Exit Alert to that foundation.
The standard infotainment setup runs an 8-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen on L, LE, and Hybrid SE grades, with the 10.5-inch unit standard on XLE and Hybrid XSE. An optional Multimedia Upgrade package brings the 10.5-inch screen to the LE and SE grades. A JBL 9-speaker audio system with subwoofer and amplifier is optional on the XLE and Hybrid XSE. All 2027 Corolla Cross grades come with a 5-year trial for Safety Connect and Service Connect, plus a 30-day, 3GB Wi-Fi trial.
Optional packages round out the lineup’s flexibility. The Moonroof Package adds a moonroof and tonneau cover to LE and SE grades. The Convenience Package brings a power rear liftgate and moonroof to XLE and XSE. The Cold-Weather Package, available on LE AWD and SE, adds a heated steering wheel and heated front seats to grades that don’t already carry them as standard.
Exterior and Colors
Gas and hybrid models wear distinct grille treatments: a wide, rugged look for the gas models and a sleeker, color-matched front for the hybrid. Seven single colors are offered alongside four two-tone combinations. Cavalry Blue with a Jet Black roof and Soul Red Crystal with a Jet Black roof are among the two-tone options, though premium paint carries an additional charge. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 18 inches depending on grade, with the Hybrid XSE getting black-finished 18s and the gas XLE running machine-finished 18s.
The 2027 Corolla Cross arrives in a segment where the 2027 Toyota Corolla sedan itself starts at $23,325, so the cross’s $25,535 floor makes sense as a small premium for the elevated ride height and folding-rear-seat cargo flexibility. For buyers stepping past the sedan looking for more utility without committing to RAV4 money, the Corolla Cross’s gap-filling logic remains intact. The hybrid’s 42-mpg combined rating and standard AWD are the argument for spending the extra $5,880 over the gas L grade entry point.
Toyota built more than 50 million cars and trucks at its North American plants over its roughly 70-year presence on the continent. The Huntsville facility’s continued assignment to the Corolla Cross keeps one of the segment’s mainstream nameplates on domestic soil, a detail that tends to matter a bit more each model year.
Source: Toyota. Images courtesy of Toyota.
