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One of Toyota’s Most Popular Models Is Getting Even Significantly Better

More style, pizzazz and even sportiness are on cue for the next-gen Corolla Cross.

Front view of a red Toyota vehicle showing the left headlight, side mirror, and black grille with the Toyota emblem.Toyota
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By Chris Chin

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One of Toyota’s most popular and newish models is already gearing up for its second-generation variant. And it’s all shaping up and sounding to be much more interesting.

Word comes from our friends at CarScoops, who heard that the new Corolla Cross could be arriving sometime in 2028. But along with it isn’t just a new generation and variant of the world’s best-selling automobile of all time.

The Corolla Cross is about to get sportier

Red and blue Toyota SUVs parked side by side on a desert road with rocky terrain and sparse vegetation.
The Toyota Corolla Cross has been with us since 2021 as a 2022 model-year car.
Toyota

Rumors suggest the second-gen Corolla Cross is going to gain some new trims to diversify the model range. Already, the Corolla Cross comes in standard and gas-electric hybrid form as the two distinctive variants.

Then, they can be equipped with different trim levels, depending on desired options and standard equipment.

For the next-gen model, however, the Corolla Cross will reportedly gain a new GR Sport model. Similar to the new RAV4 GR Sport, it’ll likely include more aggressive body work with sportier front and rear bumpers, side skirt extensions and flashier wheel designs.

Red compact SUV with black roof, sporty front grille, and black alloy wheels parked on asphalt with mountains in background.
The next-gen Corolla Cross will apparently get a new GR Sport variant, similar to the RAV4 GR Sport pictured here.
Toyota

The interior will also probably benefit from similar upgrades such as GR Sport badges and theming, upgraded upholstery and trim bits, and more standard equipment.

But being a GR Sport model, it’s obviously not a full-fledged high-performance GR (though a high-po GR Corolla Cross would be interesting and cool). Rather, it’s a GR-inspired model.

Additionally, Toyota is also repositioning the Corolla Cross lineup to prioritize the gas-electric hybrid powertrain as the standard kit.

Expect more futuristic styling

Silver electric sedan with sleek design driving on city street with brick buildings in background.
Overall styling for the next-gen Corolla Cross will take inspiration from the recent Corolla Concept.
Toyota

If you think the current Corolla Cross is a bit, well, vanilla, Toyota is also reportedly preparing to add more style to the mix. More notably, rumors point to the use of more aesthetic cues from the recent Corolla Concept from the 2025 Japan Mobility Show.

To compliment the more futuristic styling, Toyota’s also planning to grow the Corolla Cross in size for more interior and cargo space. But its general proportions will still remain smaller than the compact RAV4, yet, larger than the C-HR.

Red Toyota Corolla Cross SUV parked on a road near a lake at sunset with hills in the background.
The current Corolla Cross is a bit anonymously styled, so more futuristic aesthetics will most certainly be welcomed.
Toyota

The increase in size is also reportedly to address complaints about limited rear leg room and the smallish trunk on the current model.

Otherwise, the next-gen Corolla sedan is apparently scheduled for a debut sometime next year. The high-riding Corolla Cross will follow a year later with its updates.

Two-tone matte bronze and purple Toyota Corolla Cross SUV with black roof rack and off-road tires on a white background.
Toyota was onto something with its Corolla Cross NASU Concept. But there’s no word on whether it’ll make a more rugged variant or not.
Toyota USA

The Corolla Cross has been with us since 2021 as a 2022 model-year car. So, by the time it arrives, it will be around six years old, which is about the average life expectancy of a series production model.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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