2023 Toyota RAV4 vs 2023 Honda HR-V

The 2023 Honda HR-V presented a substantial styling update, marking a departure from the quirky charm of its predecessor. Gone were the hidden rear door handles, replaced by a lowered beltline and simplified detailing, resulting in a sophisticated modernity. This model showcased sleeker lines and fewer interruptions, with the absence of black molding strips on the roof and the windshield wipers tucked under the hood’s lip. The test HR-V was adorned in a dusky, oceanic gray-green known as Nordic Forest Pearl, one of two new colors for the year.

Standard 17-inch silver alloy wheels graced the base HR-V, while the EX-L trim's wheels sported a Shark Gray finish. The Sport trim stood out with its 18-inch black alloy wheels, black rear spoiler, chrome exhaust, and more aggressive grille styling. The interior of the HR-V offered black or gray cloth seats by default, while the Sport trim's black seats featured orange contrast stitching and additional amenities like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, and a passenger auto up/down window.

In contrast, the 2023 Toyota RAV4 maintained much of its 2019 design, particularly in the Adventure and TRD Off-Road trims, which were distinguished by their dual-part grille. The Adventure trim showcased a more aggressive grille with a centrally positioned Toyota badge, black wheels, a faux skid plate, and pronounced black cladding.

Inside, the Adventure trim of the RAV4 featured a relatively basic interior with orange accents, including a striped middle on the seats and orange plastic borders around the center console. While it lacked the RAV4's adventure persona, the frameless rearview mirror provided a touch of elegance. The LE and XLE trims offered fabric seats, while the XLE Premium trim upgraded to SofTex upholstery. Higher trims added heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and memory settings for the driver’s seat.

The 2023 Honda HR-V was powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine, producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque, showing an improvement from the previous model. It came paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that mimicked traditional automatic transmissions during acceleration through Step-Shift functionality. Drive modes included Normal, Snow, and ECON, with a Sport mode accessible by pulling the shifter back a notch.

Despite promising updates, the HR-V was still somewhat noisy at moderate to high speeds. It drove with either front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) and sported new front and fully independent rear suspensions. It offered a relatively enjoyable driving experience on mountain roads but still lacked power compared to competitors with multiple powertrain options.

The 2023 Toyota RAV4, by contrast, came with a sole gas-powered engine: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder generating 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that, while preferable to a CVT, offered lackluster acceleration. The RAV4 was also notably noisier but not overly so.

AWD was standard on the Adventure and TRD Off-Road trims while optional on others. However, the Adventure trim, with its 19-inch all-season tires, fell short in off-road capabilities compared to the TRD Off-Road, which featured a TRD-tuned suspension and 18-inch Falken All-Terrain tires.

The 2023 Honda HR-V, despite being a subcompact SUV, offered a thoughtfully arranged and comfortably sized interior. The center console featured a secondary shelf for drive mode controls and USB ports. Rear headroom measured 38.0 inches, slightly less due to the fastback design, while cargo space included 24.4 cubic feet with seats up and 55.1 cubic feet when folded. Although slightly reduced from the 2022 model, Honda claimed it still provided one of the largest cargo capacities in its class. The HR-V also provided 98.7 cubic feet of passenger volume in LX and Sport trims and 97.3 in the EX-L trim, with front legroom improved to 41.9 inches.

Conversely, the 2023 Toyota RAV4, designed to seat five, offered 37.7 inches of headroom in the front and 39.5 in the back with the moonroof. Legroom measured 41 inches in the front and 37.8 inches in the back, slightly narrower than some competitors. The RAV4 included practical storage solutions like front-row cupholders and a convenient gear shifter.

In terms of cargo capacity, the RAV4 excelled with 37.5 cubic feet behind the second row and 69.8 cubic feet with the seats down. This edged out competitors like the Mazda CX-5 but fell short of the Honda CR-V's class-leading storage capacity.

The 2023 Honda HR-V upgraded its infotainment system to a tablet-style screen rising above the dash, with physical knobs for power and volume. The EX-L trim featured additional buttons for Home, Back, and Seek functions. Standard technology included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with wired versions on LX and Sport trims and wireless on the EX-L. The EX-L also offered a 9-inch infotainment display, a wireless charging pad, and machine-learning Smart Shortcuts.

LX and Sport trims featured a 7-inch color touchscreen display and a 7-inch digital gauge cluster. Three USB-A ports, Bluetooth connectivity, and a base four-speaker audio system were standard, with Sport adding a six-speaker system and EX-L featuring an eight-speaker setup, WiFi capability, and satellite radio.

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 updated its infotainment, featuring an 8.0-inch touchscreen across trims, upgraded to 10.5 inches on Limited and TRD Off-Road trims. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were now standard, alongside voice command and OTA updates. Our tester included a 10.5-inch screen and an 11-speaker JBL Premium audio system, costing an additional $3,490. The RAV4 sported a standard 7-inch driver-information display, with a 12.3-inch version on the Limited trim and an option on TRD Off-Road.

In 2023, the Honda HR-V adopted the Honda Sensing suite across all trims, addressing previous critiques. This suite included adaptive cruise control, collision-mitigation braking, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, road-departure mitigation, lane-departure warning, and forward-collision warning. Additionally, the 2023 model featured traffic-sign recognition, traffic jam assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. The EX-L trim included parking sensors and low-speed braking control. The new single-camera system significantly widened the field of vision, enhancing safety.

While not yet crash-tested by NHTSA or IIHS for 2023, the previous model earned a five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA and mostly “Good” scores from IIHS, with updates for 2023 expected to improve its rating.

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 included safety features like lane-departure warning with steering assist, automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, and a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection as standard. It also included advanced features like adaptive cruise control with Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control in TSS 2.5. Blind-spot monitoring became standard starting from the XLE trim. The 2023 RAV4 received a 2023 Top Safety Pick+ award from IIHS due to strong performance in crash tests and an updated side-impact test.