The CRJ100 was stretched 19 feet 5 inches, with fuselage plugs fore and aft of the wing, two more emergency exit doors, plus a reinforced and modified wing. Typical seating was 50 passengers. The CRJ100 featured a Collins ProLine 4 avionics suite, Collins weather radar, GE CF34-3A1 turbofans with 41.0 kN, new wings with extended span, more fuel capacity, and improved landing gear to handle the higher weights. It was followed by the CRJ100 ER sub-variant with 20% more range, and the CRJ100 LR sub-variant with 40% more range than the standard CRJ100.

Like the CRJ100, the CRJ200 has 50 passenger seats, two pilot seats, one flight attendant jumpseat, and one pilot observer seat. The normal airline configuration is 2+2 seating in rows 1 through 12 and 2+0 in row 13, with the lavatory taking up the right side of row 13. There is also an option to add a second flight attendant jumpseat at the rear of the cabin.

The CRJ700 is a stretched 70-seat version equipped with the General Electric CF34-8C1 engine. Maximum speed is Mach 0.85 at a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet. Depending upon payload, the CRJ-700 can travel up to 2250 statute miles with current engines, and a new variant with CF34-8C5 engines will be able to travel up to 2895 miles. The CRJ700 features a new wing with leading edge slats and a stretched and slightly widened fuselage, with a lowered floor. This enables the aircraft to carry up to 78 passengers with a crew of 2 plus cabin crew.

The CRJ900 is a stretched 90-seat version (in a single class cabin), with the GE CF34-8C5 engines, 13,360 lbf thrust with APR, and added leading edge slats. Max GTOW is 84,500 pounds. The airplane is loosely based on the CRJ200 series with a few major improvements. The environmental packs have a target temperature instead of a hot-cold knob. The cabin has a recirc fan which aids in cooling and heating. The engines are controlled by FADEC digital engine control instead of control cables and a fuel control unit. The cabin floor has been lowered 2 inches which gains outward visibility from the windows in the cabin as the windows become closer to eye level height. The APU is a General Electric unit which supplies much more air to the AC packs and has higher limits for starting and altitude usage. The wingspan is longer, the tail is redesigned with more span and anhedral. In typical service the CRJ-900 can cruise 8-10,000 ft higher with a slightly higher fuel burn and an average true airspeed of 450-500 knots, a significant improvement over its predecessor.