Toyota has a brand-new car in its lineup, and it’s the Toyota Corolla Cross. Although its name suggests that the Corolla Cross is a sedan just like the Corolla, in reality, it’s a compact SUV. On top of that, Toyota has three trims for customers to choose from on the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross. Here’s a look at which trim level customers should buy.

An overview of the trims on the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross

As Car and Driver wrote, there are three trim levels on the Corolla Cross: the L trim, the LE trim, and the XLE trim. The L trim is the base trim level, and it starts at about $23,400 MSRP. The LE trim starts at about $25,800 MSRP, and the XLE trim starts at about $27,500 MSRP. 

According to Car and Driver, no matter which trim shoppers ultimately choose, they will all have the same engine. Each Corolla Cross comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 169 horsepower. That said, Toyota will introduce a hybrid option in the 2023 model year.

Additionally, all trims include an extensive suite of standard smart safety features, including adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking, among many others. As a result, all Toyota Corolla Cross trims are pretty safe.

The LE trim is very popular

The LE trim provides a few upgrades to the base L trim. For example, according to Toyota, the standard Corolla Cross L has a 7-inch touch screen display, but the LE trim turns that into an 8-inch touch screen display. On top of that, the LE trim gets a wireless phone charger as a standard feature.

In terms of comfort features, the LE trim also comes with an automatic A/C system, while the base L trim only has manual A/C controls. Furthermore, while the LE trim doesn’t have too much leather in its cabin, its steering wheel is wrapped in leather. The LE trim also gets push-button start, remote keyless entry, panic buttons, and more as standard features.

Toyota also offers a few options only available on the LE trim or above. For example, customers can add a moonroof on their Corolla Cross LE, but they wouldn’t be able to get a moonroof on the base trim. Thanks to these features and its price tag, it’s not surprising that, according to Edmunds, the LE trim is the most popular overall.

The Corolla Cross XLE trim is great too

That being said, perhaps the best trim on the Corolla Cross is the XLE trim, according to Car and Driver. It’s only about $2,000 more expensive than the LE trim and $4,000 more than the base trim, but it offers a lot for that price point. That’s because most of the features that are on the XLE trim are the things that many customers are looking for.

For example, on top of the large suite of smart safety features, the XLE trim has extra additions absent from the LE trim. These additional safety features include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and front and rear parking sensors. Furthermore, while the base L trim and the LE trim have a 4.2-inch info driver’s display, the XLE trim gets a 7-inch info display that’s in addition to its 8-inch touch screen.

The XLE trim level is also loaded with comfort features. It has a lot of leather, heated front seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Thanks to all of these extra goodies, in addition to the stuff on the LE trim, the XLE trim is probably the best trim for your buck.