2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid vs 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross

Toyota Corolla is the most popular automotive nameplate in history, but the compact cars it’s attached to are slowly being usurped by crossover SUVs. So, Toyota is trying to achieve the best of both worlds by launching a new Corolla model that’s also a crossover.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross seeks to expand the Corolla lineup in much the same way that the Corolla Matrix hatchback did two decades ago, adding all-wheel drive (AWD) and more upright bodywork but keeping the Corolla name for familiarity. The Corolla Cross shares the TNGA-C platform, as well as a powertrain, with the Corolla sedan and hatchback, but the exterior styling is all SUV.

The Corolla Cross launches into a crowded market segment. At its media preview, Toyota said it’s counted 20 competitors, including the Chevrolet Trax, Mazda CX-30, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, and Subaru Crosstrek. The Subaru is likely the Corolla Cross’s closest rival, as it’s also a small SUV derivative of an existing compact hatchback.

Built at a new factory in Huntsville, Alabama, the Corolla Cross is scheduled to reach dealerships in October. It will be available in L, LE, and XLE trim levels, with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or optional all-wheel drive (AWD). We got a chance to sample all three during a day of driving.

The Kia Sportage is the automaker’s longest-running nameplate in North America. It started out as a no-frills off-roader, but today the Sportage competes in the red-hot small crossover SUV segment against big names like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4, as well as the Hyundai Tucson from Kia’s parent brand. All of those nameplates have added hybrid variants recently, so Kia followed suit as part of a 2023-model-year redesign. This segment slots in size-wise below mid-size SUVs such as the Kia Sorento (also offered as the Sorento Hybrid and PHEV) and Kia Telluride.

The 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid will be offered alongside non-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the new Sportage, which represents the nameplate’s fifth generation. The hybrid model is part of an effort to create more space between the Sportage and the smaller Kia Seltos, which also brought increased interior space, more tech, and radical exterior styling.

The Sportage Hybrid is offered in Canada in EX and SX trim levels. We drove the U.S. equivalent of the SX trim for this review. Note that this isn’t the same lineup as the non-hybrid Sportage, which is offered in Canada in five different trims (LX, X-Line, EX, EX Premium, and X-Line Limited).