Honda’s compact city SUV, the HR-V, has been known to pack a ton of practical and clever features into a budget package. Honda Atlas Cars Limited (HACL) introduced the HR-V in October 2022 as a CKD model in Pakistan. It’s a generation upgrade of the Honda Vezel, and worldwide, it’s known as Vezel, but in Pakistan, it’s called the HR-V. It’s a B-segment compact crossover with two variant options, i.e., VTi and VTi S. The VTi is the base one, while VTi S is the top-of-the-line option.
On the other hand, Toyota’s Corolla Cross will serve you well as a daily-driven family car. Being Toyota, it is comfortable and practical, and Toyota throws in a variety of standard features for the money. It’s the first compact crossover by Toyota Indus Motors. It was first launched in 2021 as a CBU unit, and later on, it got CKD production in December 2023. Now, IMC is moving forward with its non-hybrid variants.
Their pricing is:
- Honda HR-V: 7.89 million PKR
- Corolla Cross 1.8 X: 8.9 million PKR
Notice: We’ll be comparing the top-of-the-line variables of both cars, i.e., HR-V VTi S and Corolla Cross 1.8 X.
Interior
The HR-V interior is the finest in its class. It looks elegant, with chrome-plated knobs and buttons with satisfying click sounds, and the materials used in it are top-notch. It does have hard plastic in most of the dashboard, but from nowhere, it looks cheap. The middle side of the dashboard is PU leather finished, but the front and bottom are all plastic, but it seems premium although. Functionality is also practical, with lots of useful storage and compartments.
The steering controls are also natural to operate, with satisfying click sounds, and none of the gauges are oddly placed. Unfortunately, seat adjustments for the driver and passenger are manual, and music lovers will likely be disappointed by the HR-V’s sound system.
The visibility of the front from the driver’s POV is spot on. Narrow windscreen pillars and large side windows make for plenty of visibility out of the front. All seats are leather stitched, not real leather, but faux or PU.
The Corolla Cross is also not a bad deal. The higher trim uses the Terra Rosa interior, while the lower one comes with a black interior. From side to side, you’ll notice that Cross has a much simpler and less buttony interior; it’s their design language to keep the interior as simple and minimal as possible.
The dashboard, seats, and steering are wrapped in soft, cushiony leather; you just don’t want to spill anything on the dashboard now. The AC grills are intimidated by the 12th generation international variant of the Corolla. One edge that Cross takes here is the electronic seat adjustment on the driver side, which is manual on the HR-V.
Exterior
From the outside, HR-V looks like a sci-fi movie car. The body-colored front grille, with a combination of bright LED DRL projector lamps and white fog lamps, seems like a cool combination. The bottom also has matte black skirts on the sides and matte white on the front with the front camera.
The side view consists of matte black fender garnishes, matted with 17-inch piano black alloy rims, giving it a sporty and aggressive look. You can also opt to pay a few thousand extra for the matte black roof and B pillars, enhancing the aesthetics further.
Similarly, the back view incorporates a really good design language of lava lights that spread across the trunk. You get additions of a rear wiper and a spoiler with brake lights, with the key to becoming a best-selling car: shark-fin antenna.
The Corolla Cross is a mix-up of various elements from the one-size-up Toyota RAV4 and 12th generation Corolla into one result Corolla Cross. The front brings you projector lamps with LED DRLs and a mesh grille with a matte black bumper. The side view also brings you side garnishes in the matte black color spread all across the side profile from front to black.
The back consists of lava lights, a rear wiper, and a spoiler with brake lamps, with the key to becoming the best-selling car: a shark-fin antenna.
Engine and Performance
Here’s the engine and performance 1-1 comparison:
| Specs | Honda HR-V | Toyota Corolla Cross |
| Engine Type | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | 1498 cc | 1798 cc |
| Horse Power | 119 HP @ 6600 RPM | 103 HP @ 6400 RPM |
| Torque | 145 Nm @ 4300 RPM | 172 Nm @ 4000 RPM |
| No. of Cylinders | 4 | 4 |
| Cylinder Configuration | In-Line | In-Line |
| Compression Ratio | 10.6:1 | 13:1 |
| Engine Type | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | 1498 cc | 1798 cc |
If you notice that HR-V has a 300cc smaller engine than Cross but still produces more HP than Cross, it will be barely noticeable in real life. However, the thing that will be noticeable is the torque, which is 27 Nm more than HR-V, so pick and acceleration-wise, Corolla Cross takes the edge.
Dimensions
Here’s a 1-1 comparison on the dimensions of both cars:
| Dimensions | Honda HR-V | Toyota Corolla Cross |
| Overall Length | 4346 mm | 4460 mm |
| Overall Width | 1790 mm | 1825 mm |
| Overall Height | 1590 mm | 1620 mm |
| Wheel Base | 2610 mm | 2640 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 196 mm | 161 mm |
| Kerb Weight | 1267 KG | 1395 KG |
| Boot Space | 335 L | 436 L |
| Overall Length | 4346 mm | 4460 mm |
| Overall Width | 1790 mm | 1825 mm |
Both cars offer standard safety features, including an immobilizer, hill start assist, traction control, VSA, ABS, child lock, and four airbags on the HR-V side and seven on the Corolla Cross side.
Practicality
Even if you’re a 6ft tall person, we doubt you’ll have any complaints when sitting in the driver or passenger side of an HR-V. What’s more, the car is wide enough that you won’t be rubbing arms with the front seat passenger, just like other small hatchbacks, if you know.
Rear leg room is very generous, giving even particularly long-legged passengers space to stretch their legs right out if the front seats are normally adjusted. It isn’t, however, the same case when it comes to the headroom; a 6ft tall person sitting straight might find that their hair is touching the roof of the car.
The Corolla Cross has good legroom for both front and back passengers. Due to its good height, even a 6ft person can easily fit inside the car. It’s wide enough that 3 passengers can be accommodated for short trips. We know it looks compact from outside, but it’s just an eye illusion. In fact, Cross is even wider than HR-V so that you wouldn’t have any issues in terms of legroom and space.
Other noticeable practical features are the cruise control and power boot, which the HR-V lacks. These play an important role in a car’s overall practicality. So, practicality-wise, the Corolla Cross is a better choice; it’s a Toyota, after all, so practicality will always be up to the mark.
