Buy the Toyota Corolla Cross or book the 2023 Honda HR-V?

Is the Honda HR-V worth the wait right now? 

This is a very confusing time for some Malaysians deciding on whether to keep holding on to their long-pending Toyota Corolla Cross booking or rush to the nearest Honda showroom and place a booking on a brand new 2023 model Honda HR-V. 

When the Toyota Corolla Cross was first launched in the 3rd quarter of 2021, there was no real indication that this all-new Crossover will be a runaway success. Yes, UMW Toyota management knew that it will sell well, but this kind of success was not expected and Toyota dealers nationwide have had to deal with upset and sometimes unkind customers who demanded delivery before the last Chinese New Year celebration (which is an auspicious time to take delivery of a new car) and then before the Hari Raya break when celebrants wanted to return to their respective hometowns to ‘show off’ their new shiny Toyota Crossover. 

The 1.8L petrol-powered Corolla Cross is locally assembled and priced from RM129k and soon after this model launch came the locally assembled 1.8L Hybrid powered Cross which was just a little bit more at RM137k. 

Today, bookings are still running high and deliveries have still not managed to catch up with customer demands as there is just one direct rival which is the all-new Honda HR-V.  

The previous HR-V was a runaway success with 111,000 units delivered since its arrival in 2015 and even after a facelift in 2019, it continued to be a segment winner as Toyota did not have a rival for it at the time.  

Right up to the end of 2021, the previous Honda HR-V accounted for an impressive 21 percent of Honda Malaysia’s total sales volume which meant it was the second best vehicle in their showroom.

Now, with this all-new HR-V, there will be many Toyota Corolla Cross customers ‘in waiting’ who might want to cancel their Corolla Cross booking and take home a Honda HR-V instead. 

Why? well with a more modern look and the fact that the HR-V nameplate is quite respected, plus, there is a possibility that delivery might be in a few short weeks as Honda Malaysia has pre-ordered thousands of units, we might just see another winning product from Honda.

Apple to apple, both vehicles have almost similar safety features and power delivery. Honda has their e-HEV for buyers looking to save on fuel costs and Toyota has its Cross Hybrid to save fuel. 

Pricing is very close across the range for both vehicles and the HR-V seems a little larger in its stance and stands slightly taller. This HR-V is 4385 mm in length which is just a little shorter than the current big brother CR-V and almost as wide.

Get inside the cabin and this new HR-V comes with a cabin that rivals some European compact models and this alone will persuade some customers to swap their bookings over from Toyota.  

The recent ‘sneak preview’ at selected Honda showrooms in Klang Valley has been a major success and in the next few weeks, Penang and Johor Bahru selected Honda showrooms will be ‘hosting this new HR-V which means bookings might be surging as you read this. So, will you get a new HR-V before Christmas? 

Also read: Honda Malaysia recalls cars over precautionary safety issues