TOYOTA CH-R
Toyota unleashes a bold new design on the C-HR subcompact SUV.
Japan’s automotive designers are on fire at the moment. The country is producing stunning shapes and concepts that have a distinctly oriental flavour to them, and one of these bold new designs comes in the form of the Toyota C-HR.
First displayed to the world as a concept car, the C-HR is one of the rare cases in design where concept becomes reality – the production car is not drastically different to the concept originally displayed at huge industry show events like the Frankfurt Motor Show. The angular, edgy design and low roofline give it a really fresh and almost futuristic image, but it doesn’t look out of place in environments that aren’t as modern as itself.
Toyota put the C-HR into production in late 2016. All C-HR’s were made available with the option of a Hybrid powertrain. Many Japanese car producers are moving away – or have already moved away – from diesel power, and Toyota (and its luxury off-spin brand Lexus) is one such company. The popular choice with the C-HR is indeed its hybrid option – a 1.8-litre petrol hybrid. It’s available as an automatic, front-wheel driven model only, but it’s the most efficient choice, with a CO2 output and claimed mpg in the 70’s.
If hybrid isn’t the choice for you, your options are limited to the 1.2-litre turbo petrol with either front or all-wheel drive. If you’d prefer the latter, then this is only available with an automatic gearbox. Toyota is definitely suggesting to customers that Hybrid is the way to go with this limited line-up, but to be fair to them that is the best and purest expression of the C-HR.
As a Toyota the options lists are fairly short – at least in comparison to many European brands. The Japanese philosophy here is that you choose the trim level which suits you best, rather than add multiple options. All C-HR models get an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate control, and Toyota’s ‘Toyota Safety Sense’ system which detects potential collisions and pedestrians. Higher trim levels get extra luxuries such as heated leather seats, larger alloy wheels, and reversing cameras.
With low emissions, a stunning visual design inside and out and Toyota’s famous reliability record, the new C-HR is an exciting new car that offers a distinctive alternative to many tamer European SUV designs.