For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.
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 Corolla Cross Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE has a standard Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Corolla Cross Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Outlander Sport.
The Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE has standard Front and Rear Parking Assist to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a front parking aid.
Both the Corolla Cross Hybrid and Outlander Sport have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Outlander Sport’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.
The Corolla Cross Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
The Corolla Cross Hybrid has standard Safety Connect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.
Both the Corolla Cross Hybrid and the Outlander Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is safer than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport:
|
Corolla Cross Hybrid |
Outlander Sport |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
187 |
208 |
Neck Injury Risk |
27% |
29% |
Neck Stress |
243 lbs. |
412 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
50 lbs. |
90 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
330/310 lbs. |
334/511 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.6 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
27% |
43% |
Neck Stress |
165 lbs. |
221 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
86 lbs. |
91 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
301/156 lbs. |
394/494 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is safer than the Outlander Sport:
|
Corolla Cross Hybrid |
Outlander Sport |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
Steering Column Movement Rearward |
0 cm |
1 cm |
Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Max Chest Compression |
19 cm |
28 cm |
Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Femur Force R/L |
.4/.4 kN |
3.43/.93 kN |
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
1%/0% |
Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Tibia index R/L |
.43/.25 |
.68/.36 |
Tibia forces R/L |
1.8/1 kN |
1.9/1.9 kN |
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 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is safer than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport:
|
Corolla Cross Hybrid |
Outlander Sport |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
92 |
163 |
Abdominal Force |
129 lbs. |
163 lbs. |
Hip Force |
330 lbs. |
518 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
137 |
349 |
Spine Acceleration |
43 G’s |
47 G’s |
Hip Force |
367 lbs. |
794 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
12 inches |
17 inches |
HIC |
239 |
365 |
Spine Acceleration |
32 G’s |
41 G’s |
Hip Force |
623 lbs. |
807 lbs. |
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, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Corolla Cross Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 127 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Outlander Sport is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”