Compare the2023 Honda CR-VVS 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Corolla Cross’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The CR-V has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Corolla Cross LE/XLE offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CR-V has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Corolla Cross LE/XLE offers rear cross-path warning.

Both the CR-V and the Corolla Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corolla Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (190 vs. 169) and 28 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 151) than the Corolla Cross’ 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda CR-V is faster than the Toyota Corolla Cross:

The CR-V has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Cross FWD’s standard fuel tank (14 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The CR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the CR-V’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corolla Cross:

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Corolla Cross (235/60R18 vs. 215/65R17). The CR-V’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corolla Cross (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R18).

The CR-V’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corolla Cross’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CR-V has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Corolla Cross.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda CR-V has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Corolla Cross 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The CR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Corolla Cross 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CR-V’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the Corolla Cross (106.3 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Corolla Cross.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Corolla Cross XLE AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The front grille of the CR-V uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The CR-V has 8.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Cross (103.5 vs. 94.9).

The CR-V has 3 inches more front hip room, 5.2 inches more front shoulder room, 8.4 inches more rear legroom, 5.7 inches more rear hip room and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Cross.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the CR-V’s rear seats recline. The Corolla Cross’ rear seats don’t recline.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Corolla Cross (39.3 vs. 26.5 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the CR-V. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Corolla Cross uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

When two different drivers share the CR-V EX-L, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer memory seats.

The CR-V EX-L’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The CR-V’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Corolla Cross L’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent. The Corolla Cross LE/XLE’s manually variable intermittent wipers don’t change delay with speed.

Consumer Reports rated the CR-V’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Cross’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The CR-V has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Corolla Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the LE/XLE.

The CR-V has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Corolla Cross XLE.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Corolla Cross has never been chosen.