This is how the new Toyota C-HR compares to the Yaris Cross and the Corolla Cross

We’ve seen often enough in recent years that many car manufacturers say there is no such thing as ‘too many SUV-types’. A Volkswagen Taigo apparently fits perfectly next to a T-Cross and a Renault Arkana really doesn’t get in the way of the Captur and the Austral, according to Renault. Toyota is also a classic example. The brand added the Corolla Cross to the range about a year ago, filling the gap that apparently existed between the C-HR and the RAV4. Now that C-HR is being replaced and the question is therefore the other way around: is there still room for the ‘Coupe High Rider’ between the smaller Yaris Cross and the larger Corolla Cross?

Fair is fair: the difference between the three models is of course largely in the appearance. The Yaris Cross is a fun, but fairly straightforward SUV based on the Yaris, the Corolla Cross a downright brave crossover based on the Corolla. The C-HR is more self-contained and in terms of design is actually nothing like other cars, inside or outside Toyota. Its much more coupé-like carriage puts appearances much more before function anyway, where the two Cross models emphatically do the other way around. By the way, this applies to both the outside and the inside.

Dimensioning

Still, it is interesting to see how the three models relate to each other with the specifications in hand. With a length of 4.36 meters, the new C-HR is three centimeters shorter than its predecessor. This makes it exactly ten centimeters shorter than a Corolla Cross. The distance between the C-HR and the Yaris Cross is logically getting smaller, but at 19 centimeters it is still considerable. The C-HR also shifts a bit more to a middle position.

In width, the C-HR just gets 3 centimeters. At 1.83 meters, it is now 5 millimeters wider than its big brother, the Corolla Cross. The distance to the Yaris Cross is increased to 6.5 centimeters. At 1.76 meters, the C-HR is just as high as a Yaris Cross and therefore 6 centimeters lower than a Corolla Cross. The wheelbase then? That of the new C-HR is unchanged from the old one at 2.64. The front and rear axles of the C-HR are therefore the same distance apart as the Corolla Cross, and 8 centimeters further than the Yaris Cross.

Toyota C-HR

Powertrains

Also when it comes to powertrains, the C-HR is unsurprisingly closer to the Corolla Cross than to the Yaris Cross. After all, the latter is a so-called B-segmenter and is therefore powered by the 1.5 three-cylinder hybrid combination from the regular Yaris, while the Corolla Cross and the C-HR are both supplied as 1.8 Hybrid and 2.0 Hybrid. They deliver 140 and 198 horsepower in both cars respectively. However, the C-HR adds another very interesting version: a plug-in hybrid. As a PHEV, the car produces a whopping 223 hp, while this is the only one of the three Toyota SUVs that you can charge at home. This is also possible with the larger RAV4, but we will not consider that for today.

Competitors

Just how much the segments are intertwined these days is most apparent in the “compact SUVs and crossovers” category. Take the aforementioned Volkswagens T-Cross and Taigo. They both compete with the Yaris Cross due to their size and platform, but the Taigo is still in the waters of the C-HR due to its sportier shape and higher price tag. The larger T-Roc does the same, but as a ‘high wave’ it is also an alternative to the Corolla Cross. That is partly true for the Tiguan, which, as a somewhat larger SUV, however, mainly attacks the RAV4. If we take the Kia range into account, a similar picture emerges. Kia’s B-segment crossover and thus Yaris Cross competitor is the moderately popular Stonic, which is clearly different from the high Yaris Cross due to its much lower body. A step higher, we find both the Niro and the Xceed at Kia. The latter is quite C-HR-like due to its sportier shape, but the Niro is more in line with that model with its hybrid powertrains. We could then put a Sportage opposite the Corolla Cross, although the larger SUV also finds the RAV4 in its path here too. In short: ‘dividing into boxes’ of today’s automotive landscape is almost impossible. And the life of an AutoWeek test planner isn’t always easy.

We already compared the ‘old’ C-HR with the Yaris Cross, which was then in the endurance test fleet.

summarizing

The Toyota C-HR is ten centimeters shorter than a Toyota Corolla Cross and 19 centimeters longer than a Toyota Yaris Cross. It is the same height as that Yaris Cross, but shares its width and wheelbase with the Corolla Cross. The Toyota C-HR also offers more engine choices than the two Cross models, as the C-HR is the only one of the three available as a plug-in hybrid. An important difference with the two other models is in the design, which is sportier, bolder and more ‘own’ with the C-HR. The new Toyota C-HR is also available as a plug-in hybrid, but this does not yet apply to the Yaris Cross and Corolla Cross.