At the meaty center of the crowded subcompact SUV segment are a pair of competitors from brands renowned for building practical, efficient, and affordable small cars. In one corner is the Honda HR-V, which was first introduced to Americans as a 2016 model and has been redesigned for 2023. The brand's smallest, least expensive crossover enters its second generation larger and better equipped.
In the other corner is the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, the second subcompact SUV in the automaker's U.S. lineup (and the first named after its popular compact car). It debuted for 2022 as a slightly larger alternative to the C-HR, which is why it's being described as a tweener in the segment. It's also available with all-wheel drive, which isn't offered on the smaller Toyota.
The HR-V and Corolla Cross match up well on paper and they offer plenty for budget-minded buyers looking for reliable transportation with some space and versatility. We compare the top trim levels from each to sort out which of these new pint-sized people movers is the smarter choice.
Both the HR-V and Corolla Cross are only available with one engine option—a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four—and both engines are mated to a continuously variable transmission. Our tester utes came with AWD but both have standard front-wheel drive offerings that get better fuel economy. The 2022 Corolla Cross XLE AWD is rated at 29/32 mpg city/highway, which exceeds the 2023 HR-V EX-L AWD's 25/30 mpg. The Toyota all-wheel drive model also beats and matches the HR-V front driver's 26/32 mpg numbers.
In addition to being more efficient, the Corolla Cross also makes 11 more horsepower than the HR-V for 169 hp and 12 more lb-ft of torque for 150 lb-ft. Neither could be described as quick. The Toyota moseyed to 60 mph from a standstill in 9.3 seconds and waltzed through the quarter mile in an leisurely 17.1 seconds at 83.1 mph. The Honda was even slower. It needed another half second to reach 60 mph and ran down the drag strip a quarter second longer and finished 0.4 second behind at the quarter. Neither is anywhere in the ballpark of a competitor like the Ford Bronco Sport. When equipped with its 250-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four, it can sprint to 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds.
The sluggish acceleration of both vehicles, along with a lack of engine refinement, were among the biggest gripes we had with both the Corolla Cross and HR-V. With the go pedal buried, their powertrains were characterized as underpowered, overworked, and noisy. Making freeway moves, passing on two-lane roads, or ascending steep hills will challenge either of these vehicles, with the HR-V struggling the most.
Slowing these two down proved to be more impressive than speeding them up, with the Corolla Cross taking 120 feet to stop and the HR-V taking 125 feet. In general, overall brake feel and stopping power inspired confidence from both vehicles.
Loping along around town is where the Corolla Cross and HR-V do their best work, with each delivering a composed, easy-going ride. When carrying speed into turns, we felt some body roll, though the motions were better controlled in the HR-V. They weren't much of an issue for the Corolla Cross, either, that is until we drove it along the winding road section of our evaluation loop. At higher speeds, the Toyota's tires started to lose traction and audibly pleaded for mercy as the body keeled over, forcing us to ease off the throttle. We had no such complaints in the Honda. In terms of steering feel, there isn't much feedback from either of these SUVs, but the HR-V earned more kudos for its overall precision.
When it comes to going off pavement, neither of these two was designed to traverse any hardcore trails, but they both successfully navigated our sand course. The HR-V had a slightly easier time of it, especially when setting its drive mode selector to Snow. The Corolla Cross doesn't come with a drive mode system but it does boast greater ground clearance, 8.1 inches to the HR-V's 7.0 inches. It also can tow a bit—the Corolla Cross is rated to pull 1,500 pounds—enough for most jet ski, dirt-bike, or snowmobile trailers.
Dimensionally, the HR-V is a half-inch wider and 4.2-inches longer than the Corolla Cross, which leads to the HR-V netting 37.7 inches of rear legroom, a whopping 5.7-inches more than the Toyota. But the taller Corolla Cross stakes out a headroom advantage, which at 39.5 inches front and 39.1 inches rear is 1.1 inch higher than the HR-V in both numbers.
Cargo room behind the second row is nearly identical, at 24.3 cubic feet for the Corolla Cross and 24.4 cubic feet for the HR-V. Fold the seats and the Toyota has about a 10-cubic-foot advantage, at 65.0 cubes to the Honda's 55.1. In the Honda there's also no need to remove the headrest to fold the second-row seat, even when the fronts are slid far back. There's underfloor storage in the cargo area for both, too, but the Honda's looks tidier.
Given that our test duo, the 2023 HR-V EX-L and 2022 Corolla Cross XLE, were top of the line models, both came correspondingly well equipped. Outside, each gets rear privacy glass, a liftgate spoiler, and moonroof, although the last option comes at an added cost on the Corolla Cross. Inside, an electric parking brake, push-button start, dual-zone climate control system, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and ambient lighting are among the standard features found on both models. Each gets a similar set of active driver-assist safety technologies as well, including lane-keeping systems, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, automatic led headlights with automatic high beams, and parking sensors.
But the HR-V's features-per-dollar value stands out more as you delve deeper into each car's specifications. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless in the Honda but wired in the Toyota. The HR-V is also equipped with a 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen that's an inch bigger than the unit in the Corolla Cross, and it gets leather-trimmed seats as opposed to the Toyota's faux leather trim. The Toyota does come with bigger wheels—18s versus the Honda's 17-inch rims.
Then there's the stuff the Toyota doesn't get at all, such as remote start, a capless fuel filler, noise canceling, and touch-sensitive second row reading lights, which are all standard on the Honda. The Corolla Cross counters with its auto-leveling headlights and a powered liftgate, but features come at an extra cost.
Many of our judges agreed that the HR-V is more upscale inside, with impressive design flair, nicer materials, and superior build quality. The familiar honeycomb trim from the Civic is also utilized, stretched across a dash featuring a somewhat inelegantly integrated central touchscreen.
The HR-V's front row further set itself apart from the Corolla Cross thanks to its soft-touch padded center console, which is designed with an unusual bridge and innovative placements for the charging ports, parking brake toggle, and drive mode selector. After the initial novelty wore off though, we were a little less impressed because the unit doesn't feature any USB-C ports and the entire console in our tester could be shifted significantly from side to side.
By comparison, several of our panelists felt the Corolla Cross was more basic than the HR-V, pointing to the hollow-sounding doors, a cheap-feeling turn signal stalk, pervasiveness of hard plastics, and wind noise from the side mirrors. Like the HR-V, the Corolla Cross comes with a smaller central screen that isn't integrated all that well in the dash, but is positioned higher and more along the driver's line of sight. Overall seat comfort and outward visibility from the driver's seat were also better in the Corolla Cross.
There's a lot less going on in the Honda's second row than there is in the Toyota's. Spacious as it is, it's almost entirely devoid of useful features (there's no center fold-out armrest or A/C vents like the Corolla Cross, although it does have rear seat heater ducts). It does get the first-row's soft-touch surfacing and interesting textures, and instead of a dome light the rear outboard passengers each get their own overhead light.
The 2023 HR-V is available in three trim levels. The LX FWD base model comes with a $24,895 sticker to start. At the opposite end of the lineup is the model we tested, the EX-L AWD, with a base price of $30,195. The only option added was available Nordic Forest exterior paint ($395), which raised the all in total to $30,590.
The 2022 Corolla Cross is also available in three models and its L FWD entry-level variant carries a $23,780 base sticker. Opting for the top-spec XLE AWD like the one we had in for testing increases the vehicle's price to $29,210, but our tester also included more than $3,200 in options, which ultimately raised the price to $32,789.
This was a tough one. There's a lot about the 2023 HR-V EX-L that's undeniably attractive. It comes with more—and in some cases better—standard equipment, a bit more space, and better sounding doors when you close them. Indeed, the Honda is the more upscale choice, mostly for its cabin design and construction.
But our winner is the 2022 Corolla Cross XLE. It gets most of the basics right, and like a proper Corolla, it returns excellent fuel economy, something we think will be appreciated by shoppers in this segment. Although our example had a higher sticker than the HR-V, we'd probably skip the available moonroof, powered liftgate, and auto-leveling headlights, which would bring the MSRP down $1,865 and under (barely) the price of the HR-V EX-L.
These SUVs are not hot hatches, and they're not meant to do any real off-roading beyond tackling some gravel, sand, or snow. They're also not for hauling tons of people or stuff. These are starter crossovers, or at the very least inexpensive and efficient crossovers. And when it comes to simple, honest, basic transportation, Toyota is at its best. The Corolla Cross isn't going to wow anyone, but it gets the job done, and it lets you keep a little more of your money over the long haul while doing it, too.
Verdict: The HR-V looks pretty and boasts decent feature-per-dollar value, but it's concerningly slow.
Verdict: What the Corolla Cross lacks in sportiness, refinement, and equipment it makes up for in commendable fuel economy.