Long term: Subaru Crosstrek or Toyota Corolla Cross?

I drive 20,000 km a year, with country road trips, and highways. I ride 100 kilometers a day, five days a week. I want to make the best purchase in terms of quality and price.

I keep my cars for a very long time. I hesitate between Subaru Crosstrek Onyx and Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid SE.

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Hi Audrey

I won’t hide from you that I prefer to drive a Subaru Crosstrek. Especially with the Onyx model, which has a 2.5-liter engine. An SUV with excellent all-wheel drive, which offers incredible comfort and safety, and which has proven itself over time. That said, it uses slightly more than the Corolla Cross (about 2.5 L/100 km more), or about $800 more in fuel per year, and a liter of gasoline at $1.60. You should also know that despite its greater durability, the Crosstrek costs more to maintain by at least 30%. A slightly annoying feature in the first years, but which can be equal to the Corolla Cross, whose costs are much lower.

At Toyota, the Corolla Cross SE is becoming increasingly rare. It is not obvious to find, although there is also a waiting period for the Crosstrek. This also means that in both cases the resale value is very high. Something that you must consider because in the event of damage or theft, you will get a higher percentage than if you buy, for example, a Nissan Qashqai.

Photo: Antoine Joubert

The Corolla Cross, on the other hand, has very impressive power. It’s surprisingly like a Subaru, although it comes with a combination of a petrol engine and two electric motors. It’s true that the interior is a little brighter, that the presentation is sharper, and that the drive is less interesting.

That said, comfort is better than that of the Crosstrek, and the all-wheel drive, while less efficient, still does a good job. I would add that the amount of loading is for its benefit, which you will definitely appreciate.

If reliability is one of its best features, it’s about the long-term cost of ownership that remains Toyota’s appeal. Low fuel efficiency, low cost to maintain and show very low wear and tear, its only small disadvantage is the high cost of insurance, Toyota products are popular with thieves.

So it’s better to equip yourself with a TAG monitoring system and an OBD-II port lock, to reduce your annual payments and the risk of theft.