How does the Toyota Yaris Cross compare to the C-HR?

The Yaris is a small car, both in name and reputation. So imagine the surprise when you say you drive a Yaris Cross in front and suddenly such a big car comes around the corner. You just have to know what ‘Cross’ means and that it has little to do with the regular Yaris in terms of size. The current B-segment is a pretty nice car, but it is even for the B-segment on the compact side. Something you also notice on, for example, the back seat. The Yaris Cross is quite different. It is wider, higher and above all a lot longer than the familiar hatchback and therefore a lot more versatile. That will undoubtedly work. The whole segment is very popular and you could even say that Toyota showed up a bit late to the party. The Renaults Captur and Peugeots 2008 of this world have not been available for years. Now Toyota did have the Urban Cruiser – which either just didn’t hit the right note, or was just too far ahead of its time – but appearance matters a lot in this segment. Many small crossovers are not even that much more than the MPVs of the past with a slightly tougher nose. Nobody counts on serious terrain qualities. But no matter how small the differences are in this segment: good MPVs are out and tough crossovers are in.

In addition to the endurance tester

The relatively compact C-HR is located a segment above the Yaris Cross, but we thought it was interesting to put it next to our endurance tester. How big are the differences really? The Yaris Cross hardly looks smaller. And then there’s an elevated version of the Toyota Corolla on the way too. It becomes even more salient when you consider how small an RAV4 from 25 years ago was; as a three-door with its size, it would have easily fit between these cars. We are now many generations further and the RAV4 has become a fairly hefty car, which is even positioned above the yet-to-be-released Corolla Cross.

But back to today and to existing cars. Both models have a hybrid powertrain. That is now in almost all cases the most attractive version of a Toyota. They are different. The C-HR has a 1.8 four-cylinder engine that works together with electric power, the Yaris a 1.5 three-cylinder. However, the Yaris has a modern electric motor and a better battery, so that it is barely inferior to the C-HR in system power. It doesn’t make much difference in the sprint; we only notice it with the stopwatch. Well, about the speed, because if we floor the pedal in both cars, the CVT drive obviously ensures that the engine stays nice and high in the revs. Then you immediately notice that the C-HR makes less noise than the Yaris Cross. The current Toyotas are not the quietest cars on the market anyway: wind and rolling noises quickly penetrate the cabin at highway speed. There are, however, differences today. It’s more in the insulation than in the engine noise. The outer dimensions of the C-HR may not be very different from those of the Yaris Cross, but it is on a different platform. Both are TNGA based, but the Yaris is GA-B and the C-HR is GA-C. That makes it a C-segmenter, even if it is small in its kind. You also notice that while driving. Not only in the sound, but also in the refinement.

Both Toyota’s are much tighter on the road than was the case with the brand ten years ago (think of the Auris) and because of this you have indeed some more driving pleasure. In the Yaris, however, it comes with slightly less refinement and comfort compared to its bigger brother. Note: if we drive the Yaris separately, we don’t think it is a bad car in the least when it comes to road holding, but the C-HR also shows here that a segment higher is more than a letter or size. It offers just that little bit more comfort on bad stretches of road, without sacrificing road holding.

Toyota C-HR

Clean lines and weird shapes

If we look at the cockpit, it is not necessarily more of the same. In the C-HR we see a lot of curious lines and shapes that are typical of Japanese cars. The high center tunnel builds you in, and in front of you are tubes with ‘old-fashioned’ counters, something that once symbolized sportiness. Nowadays, however, supercars also have a TFT screen behind the wheel, just like the Yaris Cross. Not only because of this, the Yaris looks more modern, the entire cockpit has been drawn more tightly. The asymmetric of the CH-R is missing and the whole looks a bit more like, er, one whole. The multimedia system is of a new generation. Not necessarily more extensive than that in the C-HR, but better to operate.

Toyota Yaris Cross

Looking at the space, the trunks don’t even matter that much, but in the back the Yaris pays the price for its smaller wheelbase. You are clearly more spacious in the C-HR. Even so, the Yaris Cross does quite well for a car with that name, although there was once the remarkable Yaris Verso, in which you could not complain about space.

When we consider the price, things look a bit skewed. The difference in price between the C-HR in the photos and our endurance tester is remarkably small. This is mainly because the Yaris is loaded with options. It is a launch edition, with for example two-tone metallic paint, a power tailgate, leather upholstery and steering wheel heating all standard on board. As a result, the price increases somewhat compared to the C-HR in Style version, which lacks some of that luxury. But even with the same equipment, the price differences are not extreme, which makes the choice difficult. Although the C-HR offers more refinement and comfort and more space when driving, the Yaris is noticeably more modern. The powertrain can drive electrically more often and is more economical, while the car is not slower. In addition, the multimedia system and the safety options look more modern, although Toyota Safety Sense is standard on both models.

If you are in the market for a relatively compact, but elevated Toyota car, then it is a matter of deliberation. If you want the best of both worlds, it probably pays to wait for the aforementioned Corolla Cross. It is on the same platform as the C-HR and will ride at least as well, but also be at least as modern as the Yaris. Anyway, the price tag will increase accordingly, which does not make the choice any easier.