Minute dimensions, generous ground clearance, and no clutch pedal.

These three ingredients form the recipe for sales success in the Philippines. And no car has done it quite as well thus far as the Toyota Raize subcompact crossover.

But the little Toyota faces stiff competition from the Chinese carmaker that’s always full of surprises – the new Geely GX3 Pro is priced close to the Raize E CVT, while offering more generous equipment levels.

Let’s pit these two in a Spec Showdown to see which comes up on top.

Distinctive styling

The GX3 Pro offers a rather restrained look, compared to its sporty Geely Coolray stablemate.

Although the design dates back to 2017, items like Geely’s pentagonal front grill and strong character lines remind us where it hails from. 

Meanwhile, the Raize has a more rugged and blocky design, utilizing more matte-black plastic trim to give the Toyota crossover a more off-roader appearance.

Numbers-wise, the Raize offers more ground clearance and a better wheelbase, which should be good for the interior room. But the slightly wider Geely should make seating for five more pleasant.

As for which I’d choose, I find neither of these cars particularly attractive. But they at least look distinct from each other.

Raize cabin more modern

Owing to the Geely’s older design, the cabin doesn’t quite have as much pizazz as the Coolray or Okavango.

Although the PVC leather upholstery, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and electric moonroof are welcome, the GX3 Pro’s lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is not.

Meanwhile, the Raize has a fairly more exciting cabin, with more dynamic shapes. It may have the much-desired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the E variant doesn’t really have much else in terms of equipment, along with having less cargo space than the Geely.

Looks-wise, I prefer the Raize. But it isn’t as generously equipped as the GX3 Pro

GX3 Pro wins power stakes

At this price range, both the GX3 Pro and the Raize come with naturally aspirated gasoline engines.

The Geely gets the 1.5-liter inline-4 unit from the Geely Emgrand sedan. Meanwhile, the Toyota has a 1.2-liter inline-3 motor.

As the numbers clearly show, the Geely has a clear win here. And rather surprisingly, the GX3 Pro would still be more powerful than the more expensive Raize Turbo.

Safety kit at par

Safety-wise, the GX3 Pro and the Raize E have identical equipment.

Both come standard with dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes and various electronic safety assists.

In this aspect, the two are tied. Although I’d like to see more active safety assists in the future, even among the lower variants.

A worthy adversary

Putting these two little crossovers side-by-side, there is certainly a clear distinction.

The ₱878,000 GX3 Pro may be older than the Raize, but it offers considerably more equipment and markedly better performance.

However, the ₱841,000 Toyota fights back with a more modern design, proven mechanicals and a huge dealer network with strong aftersales support.

But Geely Philippines said at the launch of the GX3 Pro that it is pushing hard with its aftersales package, called “G-SERV Plus.”

Under the scheme, buyers get a 5-year/150,000-km warranty and 1 year of free roadside assistance. In comparison, the Toyota only gets a 3-year/100,000-km warranty.

As long as Geely can make good on its promise to beef up its aftersales (a notorious bugbear for Chinese car brands), then the GX3 Pro certainly offers better value, even with its marginally higher pricetag.

Which of these two little crossovers would you pick?

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