Lincoln Corsair vs Toyota Corolla Cross

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair was introduced as a refined replacement for the Lincoln MKC, which had struggled to match the athleticism of its Ford Escape counterpart. Riding on the new C2 platform, the Corsair distinguished itself from Ford models with a unique design language shared with the Aviator and Navigator. Its exterior featured slab sides, blacked-out rear pillars, and straight belt- and rooflines, giving it a larger presence. Inside, the Corsair's cabin echoed the design of more expensive Lincoln SUVs, with a flowing dash and floating center touchscreen, though it fell short in terms of fit and finish, with more hard-touch materials. The Corsair offered trims like Standard, Reserve, and the Grand Touring plug-in hybrid, each with varying levels of luxury and technology.

In contrast, the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross adopted a more conservative design approach, reminiscent of the Toyota Tundra with its snub nose and obligatory SUV features like a tall ride height and plastic fender flares. It was shorter than the RAV4 but larger than the C-HR, offering more interior space. The Corolla Cross had subtle styling details, such as scalloping around the rear door handles and hidden logos. The interior was Corolla-esque, with oversized door handles and a layout similar to the Corolla sedan and hatchback. However, material quality was below that of its siblings, and even the top XLE trim felt basic. The Corolla Cross offered trims like L, LE, and XLE, with varying levels of equipment and comfort.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a choice between two turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The base 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine produced 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, while the optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine delivered 295 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter available in FWD or AWD and the 2.3-liter exclusively in AWD. The Corsair featured unique drive modes like "Conserve" and "Excite," with the latter providing a sportier experience. The 2.3-liter engine offered brisk acceleration and confident cornering, though there was some body roll. The suspension absorbed potholes well, but road noise was noticeable. The Grand Touring trim introduced a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a combined 266 horsepower, offering 28 miles of pure EV driving and 33 mpg in hybrid mode.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross was powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 169 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque, paired with a CVT. The CVT featured an actual first gear for better acceleration, but transitions to normal CVT operation were abrupt. At higher speeds, the powertrain exhibited typical CVT issues like engine droning and rubber-banding. The Corolla Cross felt underpowered on highways, though it maintained a quiet interior. The optional AWD system, shared with the Toyota Camry, could send up to 50% of torque to the rear wheels, but body roll was noticeable. With 8.2 inches of ground clearance, the Corolla Cross wasn't designed for off-roading, and its 1,500-pound towing capacity was modest.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and ample storage space. However, the pronounced lip when entering or exiting the vehicle was a notable downside. The rear seats were reclining and sliding, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the seats folded, which was average for its class. A power liftgate was standard, with a hands-free option available.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross provided more passenger and cargo space than the Corolla hatchback, with an extra 2.1 inches of rear legroom and 1.4 inches of rear headroom. Rear climate-control vents were standard, and XLE models featured dual-zone automatic climate control. The Corolla Cross offered 26.5 cubic feet of cargo space with FWD and 25.2 cubic feet with AWD, expanding to 66.8 cubic feet with FWD and 65.5 cubic feet with AWD when the rear seats were folded. While spacious, the interior was not particularly comfortable, with hard and unsupportive seats. Storage spaces were minimal but functional.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running SYNC 3, featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system was user-friendly, with a logical menu layout. The Reserve trim added wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display with crisp graphics.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross offered a 7-inch touchscreen on the base L model, with an 8-inch screen on LE and XLE trims. The XLE also featured a 7-inch digital instrument cluster. Standard tech included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, WiFi, Amazon Alexa compatibility, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The infotainment system was easy to use but lacked sophistication, with plain graphics and slow startup. LE and XLE models offered a nine-speaker JBL audio system and additional USB ports, though the wireless charging pad was small.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came equipped with a comprehensive suite of safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. The Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus package added advanced features like adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, and adaptive cruise control. The Corsair earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating with high-feature headlights.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross included standard safety features under the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 banner, such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, traffic-sign recognition, and Lane Tracing Assist. The LE trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while the XLE included rear automatic braking and front and rear park assist with automatic braking. Crash-test ratings were not yet available.