2022 Toyota Corolla Cross vs 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser, in its final year of the current form, offered a Heritage Edition trim to celebrate its 65th anniversary. This edition was available in four colors, with Midnight Black being the standout choice, complemented by bronze BBS wheels and a Yakima Megawarrior roof storage basket. The standard Land Cruiser, however, arrived in Magnetic Gray with Terra semi-aniline premium leather upholstery. Its exterior design, reminiscent of a first-generation Toyota Highlander, featured oversized headlights and taillights, along with a chrome-heavy two-box shape. Inside, the Land Cruiser mixed Toyota parts-bin switchgear with Lexus design themes, offering plush materials and a traditional hand-operated parking brake, creating a nostalgic yet luxurious atmosphere.

In contrast, the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross adopted a more conservative design approach. While its snub nose echoed the Toyota Tundra, the overall styling was restrained, ensuring it didn't overshadow the larger RAV4. The Corolla Cross was compact, being 5.3 inches shorter than the RAV4, yet larger than the Toyota C-HR. Subtle styling details included scalloping around the rear door handles and hidden Corolla Cross logos. The interior mirrored the Corolla sedan and hatchback, with oversized door handles and a basic material quality. The XLE trim offered SofTex leatherette upholstery and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, but overall, the interior felt fairly basic.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser was powered by a 381-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 engine, shared with the Toyota Tundra. Despite its power, the engine's roar was subdued, contributing to an average fuel economy of 14.7 mpg, slightly better than the EPA rating of 14 mpg. An eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case provided robust off-road capabilities. The Land Cruiser featured a Torsen limited-slip differential, mud-and-snow tires, and a suite of off-road technologies like Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control. Its sophisticated suspension system ensured a smooth ride, while its towing capacity was rated at 8,100 pounds.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross was equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 169 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. It featured a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with an actual first gear for improved acceleration. While responsive at low speeds, the powertrain exhibited typical CVT issues at higher speeds, such as engine droning. The optional AWD system, shared with the Toyota Camry, could send up to 50% of torque to the rear wheels. Despite its SUV-like ground clearance, the Corolla Cross wasn't designed for off-roading and had a maximum towing capacity of 1,500 pounds.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser's interior was luxurious, with plush leather upholstery and heated and ventilated front seats. It featured a four-zone automatic climate control system with 28 air vents. The second-row bench seat was roomy and heated, while the third-row seat could accommodate adults if the second row was adjusted. Cargo space was 16.1 cubic feet behind the third row, expandable to 82.8 cubic feet with the second-row seats folded.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross offered more passenger and cargo space than the Corolla hatchback, with additional rear legroom and headroom. It featured rear climate-control vents and dual-zone automatic climate control in XLE models. Cargo space was 26.5 cubic feet with FWD and 25.2 cubic feet with AWD, expandable to 66.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. However, the interior was not particularly comfortable, with hard and unsupportive seats.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser featured a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Toyota Entune technology. It lacked Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the voice-recognition system was basic. The dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system was dated, and the 14-speaker JBL Synthesis audio system, while good, was not exceptional.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross came with a standard 7-inch touchscreen on base models, with an 8-inch screen on LE and XLE trims. It included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, WiFi, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. The infotainment system was user-friendly but lacked sophistication. LE and XLE models offered additional USB ports and wireless charging, though the charging pad was small.

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser included 10 airbags and Toyota Safety Sense (TSS-P) driving assistance systems, such as forward-collision warning and adaptive cruise control. However, it lacked advanced driving assistance features like stop-and-go adaptive cruise control. Crash-test ratings were unavailable due to its older engineering.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross featured Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, with standard safety features like forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control. LE models added blind-spot monitoring, while XLE models included rear automatic braking. Crash-test ratings were not yet available.