The Toyota Raize crossover is facing off once again with its biggest rival, the Honda WR-V – this time in Thailand.

Honda Cars unveiled its smallest crossover on March 2023, days before the Bangkok International Motor Show. Two variants are available, the SV and the RS.

This comes after the WR-V made its global debut in Indonesia on November 2022.

Sleek styling

The WR-V for the Thai market is no different from the Indonesian model.

Matte-black cladding is kept to a minimum, mostly for the bottom of the bumpers and side skirts. Meanwhile, large pointed headlights lead to a hexagonal front grill, which gets special texturing for the RS model.

Down the side, the WR-V imitates its stylish bigger sibling, the Honda HR-V, by having hidden door handles and a fairly sloped rear windshield.

Finally, the boomerang-style taillights dominate the rear end, along with an intricately designed rear bumper.

The interior is reminiscent of other Honda models, although the RS variant gets snazzy red accents on the dashboard and seats.

Proven mechanicals

Unlike the turbocharged inline-3 gasoline engine in the Raize, the Honda uses the same 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine as the Honda BR-V and the Honda City.

This pumps out 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque, which are coursed through a continuously variable transmission. 

One little hitch

Thailand is the second ASEAN market to get the Honda WR-V.

Prices for the small crossover are:

• SV – 799,000 baht (around ₱1.27 million)

• RS – 869,000 baht (around ₱1.38 million)

Although there is plenty of interest in the Philippines for the crossover, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. has remained mum on whether or not to bring it in.

One of the roadblocks to bringing the model, according to our industry sources, is the lack of a left-hand-drive version of the WR-V.

Do you think Honda Cars should bring this little crossover to the Philippines to take on the popular Toyota Raize?

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