What Is The Smallest Toyota Crossover & Why Can't You Buy It In The US?

Toyota crossover SUVs have proven hugely successful since the original RAV4 kicked off the unibody style for the Japanese automaker when it arrived in the United States for the first time in 1996. It was an instant success, posting strong sales of 56,709 units in its first year on the market. Five generations later and the RAV4 is America's most popular SUV, with a total of 475,193 units being sold in 2024 alone.

Following an overwhelmingly positive reception for the RAV4, Toyota decided to introduce more crossover SUVs in the U.S. The Highlander was the first follow-up model. A host of others came after, including the Venza, Corolla Cross, Crown Sport, and Grand Highlander, which already has a reputation for being one of the most fuel-efficient three-row SUVs. But despite finding success, not all Toyota crossover SUVs made it over to the U.S., and that list includes the smallest model, the Toyota Raize.

Introduced in November 2019, the Toyota Raize is actually a rebadged version of the Daihatsu Rocky. It is produced by Toyota's subsidiary Daihatsu and sold in many foreign markets, including Japan, Australia, Mexico, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia. It doesn't appear that the Japanese automaker has made any official comments on why consumers can't buy the Toyota Raize in the U.S., but perhaps it's connected to the fact that compact and subcompact cars don't sell well Stateside. It's no secret that Americans favor larger cars, so it's possible that Toyota thought the Raize might not align very well with the tastes and lifestyle of the average American driver.

The Toyota Raize measures 157.3 inches in length and 66.7 inches in width. That makes it significantly smaller than the most compact Toyota SUV currently sold in the U.S., which is the Toyota Corolla Cross. For comparison, the Corolla Cross has dimensions of 176.1 inches in length, 71.9 inches in width, and 64.9 inches in height.

The U.S. Corolla Cross is also the more powerful Toyota model. Standard gasoline variants feature a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. In hybrid form, the Raize's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is paired with three electric motors to generate 196 combined horsepower and 139 lb-ft of torque. With the Raize, owners get a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engine good for 92 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque, which, again, Toyota might have felt was severely underpowered for American tastes.