2020 Honda HR-V vs Toyota RAV4

What's the difference?

If you’re after a small SUV that packs a lot of space in, then the Honda HR-V is the best option on the market. It can’t be beaten for overall practicality in a small footprint. 

But it’s really starting to fall behind its rivals for safety tech, engine goodness and it’s starting to feel old inside, too. Yes, the new screen has given it a welcome shot in the arm, but the HR-V needs more than a facelift to keep it relevant against the seemingly unending list of impressive newcomers in this class.

My feelings of hope for improvements from Toyota have given way to expectation. Traditionally its cars have been safe, well-built, and high quality, just boring to drive and imbued with a bit much of a "just enough" attitude. The RAV4 GX Hybrid might be nearly forty grand on the road but it has an excellent safety package, genuine fuel-saving hybrid technology and plenty of room for you and your stuff.

Fun to drive SUVs don't always have the blue halo of electrification. Somehow Toyota has injected (a sensible amount of) fun into the RAV4 which is kind of funny given how much money the brand has spent pretending it's fun. But it's happened and that's a good thing.

The Honda HR-V is the most cleverly packaged small SUV you can buy. It’s amazing to consider how much space the engineers have managed to eek out of a car of this size.

The dimensions are 4360mm long (on a 2610mm wheelbase), 1790mm wide and 1605mm tall, which makes it sit at the upper end of the “Small SUV” segment alongside the likes of the Qashqai and ASX. But it beats those two, and plenty more, when it comes to cabin space. We’ll get to more detail in the next section, but just know this - it packs more in than you’d expect.

The exterior of the HR-V? Well, it’s starting to look a bit dated, and it’s no wonder after seven years on sale.

The game has certainly moved quickly in more recent times, with some rivals offering more outlandish and characterful designs - the Toyota C-HR and upcoming Yaris Cross, for instance, not to mention the likes of the Hyundai Kona and the all-new Nissan Juke.

But if you’re sold on the HR-V and the RS tickles your curiosity bone, that’s because it looks a bit different to the rest of the range.

The RS gets a body kit with piano black highlights around the wheel arches, lower front and rear bumpers, side skirts and mirror caps. The section below the ‘black chrome’ grille is a honeycomb texture, plus it has dark chrome front door handles, a dark chrome rear numberplate garnish, and it rides on the biggest wheels in the HR-V pack - 18-inch rims with Dunlop Enasave 225/50/18 rubber.

I do like the new RAV4 more than the old one. A few angles are a little too... um, angly, and from the rear seems to have pinched its look from the VW Tiguan. Sometimes in traffic I double take because the badges and tail-lights don't match. I doubt it's completely deliberate, but the resemblance is there.

Further similarity to the competition is evident in the nose, with a distinct whiff of Forester. Either way, the RAV4 is more interesting and much sharper than its flabby predecessor.

I really dig the interior, though. Not so much for its beauty - its left-field competitor, the Peugeot 3008 wins that race hands down - but for, again, how much better it is than the old car, and how clever it is.

Everything looks and feels much better, with nicer materials and some lovely touches like the industrial motif in the rubber bits that line things like the the cupholder, boot floor and the tray cut into the dash. The rubberised climate control dials are a nice touch, adding a halo of ruggedness and practicality. I prefer the cloth interior, too.

As mentioned above, the HR-V is a pragmatist’s car. If you’re the sort of person who digs the idea of a tiny house, you’re going to love the HR-V. 

That’s because it packages a lot of smarts into its little body. I’m referring to, mainly, the 60:40 rear Magic Seats. They are almost like witchcraft, allowing you to lift up the seat bases in that split or altogether, while the seat backrests can also be lowered completely flat, allowing a massive storage space if you have longer items to cart with you.

I’m talking about 1462 litres (VDA) when the rear seats are folded down, or a still excellent-for-the-class 437L (VDA) with the rear seats in the upright, most reclined position. That figure is to the parcel shelf level, though the standard cargo cover is actually a folding mesh divider. You can option an accessory hard tonneau cover for the cargo area if you need it.

The boot easily fit all three CarsGuide suitcases (124L, 95L and 36L) with the seats in place, and there was actually room to spare. Speaking of spare, under the boot floor is a space saver spare wheel. 

Really, the HR-V’s boot and back seat is why you buy this car. It’s superbly practical and really spacious as well. In the back row, with the driver’s seat set for my position (I’m 182cm or 6’0”), I had enough space to sit for hours. There’s ample knee room, toe room and shoulder space, and while headroom is good those who are taller will need to watch their head getting in or out of the car, as the roofline rakes down quite a bit.

Rear amenities comprise dual map pockets and there are door pockets which are a weird shape, making it hard to fit a bottle in. There is no centre armrest or cup holders, but there’s a bottle holder in front of the middle rear seat, which is also where you’ll find a 12-volt outlet - but sadly, no USB ports, as many competitors now offer.

The materials are really nice, with soft finishes on the doors and padded elbow sections - all of which make the rear seat of the HR-V feel a bit more special than most rivals.

Up front the design of the dash has stood the test of time okay, though even with the new media screen it isn’t as modern as many rivals. The screen itself is positioned at a bit of a strange angle, which meant that driving at night saw a reflection on the windscreen up near the rearview mirror.

The screen itself isn’t the best quality, either. There’s a weird fuzziness to the display, and it’s not as high resolution as, say, a VW T-Cross’s screen. It looks a bit blurry, as you might be able to see from the images. 

The menus on-screen are reasonably easy to learn, but annoyingly there is no volume knob for quick adjustments. Further, you can’t change the audio settings (bass, treble, EQ etc) when you have a smartphone connected via USB. It has to be done when you’re not plugged in, which means you might set the wrong parameters for what you end up listening to.

That’s annoying. And you know what else was annoying? That our test car's screen didn't flick in to Android Auto mode when we connected an Android phone. We tried multiple times, yet couldn't get it to work.

So while the addition of the new screen does bring the HR-V up to date in terms of phone mirroring tech, you could actually probably do better by choosing an aftermarket head unit and having it installed. If you bought a pre-owned HR-V and did that, you’d save some big cash, too. 

Otherwise the cabin is pretty good up front, with door pockets suitable for bottle holders, central multilevel cup holders (that can be turned into bottle holders if you need), plus a small covered centre console bin. There’s no space in front of the gear selector for your phone or wallet, but there’s a shelf below the selector - which is a bit out of sight and out of mind - that would be suitable for a handbag. 

That’s also where the USB ports are - one for the screen (thankfully, because the old screen had a USB port that made for a messy cable situation), the other for recharging devices. There’s a 12-volt outlet there too.

The pixelated monochrome digital driver’s display doesn’t have a digital speedo, and it’s just another element that dates the cabin of the HR-V. But if you can overlook those little things, it’s a very practical car.

The RAV is very nicely packaged, which isn't something you can say about the Corolla or C-HR. Front seat passengers score a big phone sized cubby hole in the console as well as couple of litres underneath the armrest along with a little tray.

The two cupholders are placed just ahead of the armrest. The dash also sports a Kluger-style split, thoughtfully lined with rubber for your passenger's bits and pieces. Just the one USB port, though, which is a shame - the GXL and up have another four. Seems a bit stingy for rear-seat passengers.

Rear seat dwellers score two cupholders and all four doors have bottle holders. There is also plenty of space back there with good head and leg room and air-con vents.

The boot has a clever two-position floor to eke out a few more litres if you need them. In its lowest position you have 580 litres (assuming you don't have an optional full-size spare).

Set it higher, and level with the boot loading lip, you have 542 litres. As is Toyota's habit, the company doesn't have an official figure for a folded seat situation.

The GX Hybrid is obviously a bit more than (and a commensurate improvement on) the 2.0-litre GX, costing $35,490 ($39,606 drive-away) before any of the very skinny options list is added. So skinny it's basically a full-size spare and only available in this grade.

Base models just aren't what they used to be, especially not at Toyota, and particularly not when the price starts with a 35. You get 17-inch alloys, a six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, central locking, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, sat nav, auto LED headlights, auto wipers and a space-saver spare.

It's also a Toyota with (clears throat) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on its prominent 8.0-inch touchscreen. Massive win.

Joining the belated digital revolution is DAB+ radio with a dire interface that reminds you how bad the embedded software is, despite a hefty upgrade in the last year or so.

I should note the car I drove was a pre-November 1, 2019 build and was yet to have CarPlay activated, but the identical system on the C-HR and Corolla has it.

No news here. It’s still the same 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 105kW of power (at 6500rpm) and 172Nm of torque (at 4300rpm). Those figures are low for the class.

The motor pairs to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic, and it’s front-wheel drive (FWD/2WD). Other markets get a six-speed manual transmission, and there are all-wheel drive (AWD) models out there in the world, but they’ve never been available here.

Nor has a hybrid model, despite it being offered around the globe. There’s no plug-in hybrid or electric model in this generation, though.

The cheapest RAV4 Hybrid comes with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine allied to an electric motor and a CVT auto driving the front wheels. Toyota is famously conservative with its mixed-power numbers, quoting a combined 160kW (up from 152kW in the non-hybrid and 127kW in the GX 2.0-litre) and down from the AWD's 163kW.

The company will only quote the combustion engine's torque figure, which is a fairly ho-hum 221Nm. It's clearly more than that with the electric motor boosting away, but alas, we don't have a proper number.

If you feel so inclined, the GX Hybrid will only tow a 480kg trailer (braked or unbraked), which rises to 1500kg braked for the AWD model.

The HR-V line-up’s fuel usage ranges between 6.6L/100km and 6.9L/100km depending on the variant. The official combined cycle fuel consumption for the Honda HR-V RS model is pegged at 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres. 

On test, I saw a return of 7.4L/100km, which is consistent with the long-term Honda HR-V RS I had for six months. That’s decent.

The fuel tank capacity is 50 litres, which is pretty large for a car of this size. Theoretical range for a full tank is 675km based on my real-world fuel consumption experience.

Given it's a hybrid, this is a rather important part of the package. The official Toyota figure comes in at 4.8L/100km on the combined cycle. 

Here's the astonishing bit. I got it. A week of driving around as I would normally and I scored an indicated 4.8L/100km. I did a bit of digging to see if there is a corresponding WLTP figure (as opposed to the ADR) and found it was bang on 4.8L/100km.

It's lucky, really, because the tank is a smidge on the small side (for long runs, anyway) at 55 litres.

So you’re buying the RS model as it’s supposed to be more fun. It looks the part, and the RS badges and 18-inch wheels sell the idea of it being a bit more of a hot model than the rest of the HR-V range.

Sadly, for the most part it’s a case of smoke and mirrors. 

The 1.8-litre engine and CVT aren’t the most enjoyable pairing, and the powertrain - while offering enough grunt for a car of this size, which weighs in at a relatively light 1294kg in RS spec - is really quite dull.

You can put the transmission into ‘S’ for ‘sport’ mode, and that’ll mean it will rev a little harder and hold its momentum at higher revs. But really, it’s not that sporty. You could also take matters into your own hands by using the paddle shifters, but even that’s not a ‘real’ gear change experience as the CVT can slur between ‘shifts’.

At urban speeds around town, the powertrain is fine. Just fine - not fun. On the open road it remains the same. There’s enough power to overtake slower moving traffic, though it’s hardly enticing you to push the limits.

The steering, though. It’s the funnest part of the recipe. Honda has fitted the HR-V RS with a variable ratio steering rack, which just makes it react a bit quicker and feel more darty when you change direction.

The steering itself isn’t overly involving in terms of feel through the wheel, but it is quick to react and reasonably good to push through corners. There’s reasonably good grip from the Dunlop tyres, and it’s a pretty well balanced car in the bends, too.

The suspension is unchanged between the ‘regular’ HR-Vs and the RS model, though those big alloy wheels and low profile tyres can make the ride feel a little bit jiggly and bumpy, particularly at the front axle over bumps. 

When the surface is smooth below, the ride is perfectly acceptable. It’s just when you hit a harsh section or a sharp edge that things get a bit unpleasant. And there’s noticeable road noise intrusion on coarse chip sections of road as well - not deafening, but certainly not as hushed as when on concrete freeways.

Toyota's experience with hybrid is unquestioned. The company has been doing it for donkeys, but mostly in the terminally dull Prius.

Now it's working its way through to other cars, including the refreshed C-HR, last year's all-new Corolla and here in the RAV4. This isn't the plug-in hybrid overseas markets get, which is a shame, but given what we already know about the fuel economy, not a massive let down.

During the week I had the car, I tried to see how fast I could go under electric power only. The battery is a small one and anything more than breathing on the throttle starts the combustion engine. A leisurely trundle down a long straight street near me saw 36km/h come up on the screen before hydrocarbons stepped in.

The hybrid system does a great job of getting you off the line, which in traffic is the bit that burns a lot of fuel. You can stay on electric in stop-start messiness when you're gentle on the throttle but it's not like, say, an Ioniq PHEV where you can get a good shove from the electric motor.

While it does whir and click a bit, the system is otherwise unobtrusive, although the initial bite on the brakes is a bit soft, which is understandable. You have to get used to it and it's not something from which other hybrids I've driven suffer. The transition from energy recovery to actual braking is a little awkward but once you're familiar, you'll stop noticing.

In terms of dynamics, the RAV4 is really nice to drive. There's enough feel in the steering to know what's going on, it rides well and responds to your inputs without the traditional Toyota pause or protests from either engine or tyres.

It doesn't roll too much, which is a massive improvement. And I'm sure a better set of tyres (over the OE Bridgestone Alenzas, which sound like an Aldi brand) would improve its overall grip.

I drove an AWD RAV4 straight after this one and I can't say there was a marked difference. So, unless you need all four wheels in action, you won't need to spend the extra.

The RAV4 ships with seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, trailer sway control, blind-spot monitor and reverse cross-traffic alert.

'Safety Sense' is standard across the range and includes lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward AEB (with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection), road sign recognition, auto high beam and active cruise control.

There are two ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.

ANCAP awarded the RAV4 a maximum five star rating in May 2019.

The Honda HR-V has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty plan, which is paired to a 10-year capped price servicing plan. 

The service intervals are set at 12 months/10,000km - so if you do a lot of driving you might have to end up getting the car serviced more than once a year. At least the service costs are low, pegged at an average of $310 per year over the first three years.

Unlike some rivals, Honda doesn’t yet offer a pre-purchase service plan - so you can’t simply roll in the ownership costs to your monthly car payment.

The brand also doesn’t offer free roadside assistance, as many others do. You can get it as part of the brand’s Premium Roadside Assist option that is included in the added-cost extended warranty plan (seven years/unlimited mileage).

There isn't much more Toyota can do here - a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty, seven years warranty on the engine and gearbox (if you keep it serviced by the book) and seven years of roadside assist.

On top of that, every 12 months or 15,000km you'll pay $210 per service, which is a bargain. This program covers the first four services, taking you to four years/60,000km.

For most people that's going to be fine and Toyota says it can knock the service over in 90 minutes, if you're happy to wait.