Compare the2023 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Crosstrek CVT are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Corolla Cross.

Both the Crosstrek and the Corolla Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 141 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corolla Cross has not been tested, yet.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Crosstrek’s reliability 35 points higher than the Corolla Cross.

The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (182 vs. 169) and 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 151) than the Corolla Cross’ 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The Crosstrek has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Cross FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Crosstrek has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Cross AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons).

The Crosstrek stops shorter than the Corolla Cross:

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Corolla Cross (225/60R17 vs. 215/65R17).

The Crosstrek’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corolla Cross’ standard 65 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Corolla Cross 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Crosstrek has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Crosstrek flat and controlled during cornering. The Corolla Cross 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Corolla Cross (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Crosstrek CVT (except Manual) has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Corolla Cross uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Crosstrek has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Cross (100.9 vs. 94.9).

The Crosstrek has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.5 inches more front hip room, 4 inches more front shoulder room, 4.5 inches more rear legroom, 11.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Cross.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Corolla Cross. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Crosstrek offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Crosstrek’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Corolla Cross L’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Crosstrek’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Cross’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Corolla Cross offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Crosstrek and the Toyota Corolla Cross, based on reliability, safety and performance.