Honda HR-V vs Toyota Corolla Cross

Honda’s subcompact SUV gets a makeover inside and out. Previously based on the Fit, the new HR-V shares the global architecture that also underpins the Civic.

Honda continues to narrow trim options: There were once as many as five, but the Touring trim level got the axe for the 2022 model year, and the EX has now left the lineup as well. The three remaining trims for 2023 are LX, Sport, and EX-L. We drove the top trim, EX-L, through the mountains of Washington's Columbia River Gorge.

New styling plus the newly standard Honda Sensing suite of safety features put this latest HR-V back at the front of the pack it led when it debuted in 2016.

Toyota Corolla is the most popular automotive nameplate in history, but the compact cars it’s attached to are slowly being usurped by crossover SUVs. So Toyota is trying to achieve the best of both worlds by launching a new Corolla model that’s also a crossover.

The 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross seeks to expand the Corolla lineup in much the same way that the Corolla Matrix hatchback did two decades ago, adding all-wheel drive (AWD) and more upright bodywork but keeping the Corolla name for familiarity. The Corolla Cross shares the TNGA-C platform, as well as a powertrain, with the Corolla sedan and hatchback, but the exterior styling is all SUV.

The Corolla Cross launches into a crowded market segment. At its media preview, Toyota said it’s counted 20 competitors, including the Chevrolet Trax, Mazda CX-30, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, and Subaru Crosstrek. The Subaru is likely the Corolla Cross’s closest rival, as it’s also a small SUV derivative of an existing compact hatchback.

Built at a new factory in Huntsville, Alabama, the Corolla Cross is scheduled to reach dealerships in October. It will be available in L, LE, and XLE trim levels, with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or optional AWD. We got a chance to sample all three during a day of driving around Austin, Texas.