Toyota C-HR

2017 Toyota C-HR

Meet the new Toyota C-HR, the newest addition to the ever-growing crossover segment and Toyota's decent opponent to the likes of the Nissan Juke, Honda Vezel, and many others in this category. With crossovers becoming the trending topic of the motoring world, the C-HR wants to appeal to customers with its coupe-like styling, eco-car efficiency, and not to mentioned dynamics inspired by the Nurburgring, although theoretical in the eyes of many. So, what's it all about the C-HR?

2017 Toyota C-HR

C-HR stands for Coupe High Rider and because this crossover has a coupe-like styling, some people believe that it's a sports car with a high ground clearance. For a concept-turned-reality design, the C-HR looks somewhat pleasing to some, although its five-door layout is what made them notice. It may be a coupe but it's essentially a five-door crossover as hinted by those secret rear doors that have been a common mischief by most carmakers to confuse customers into thinking that they are coupes but in reality, they have four (or five) doors because of that common mischief as done on the Nissan Juke, DS 4, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and others. Still, no matter what happens, the design is a clear reminder of why Toyota wants to stick to the concept looks, despite the added consequences.

2017 Toyota C-HR interior

The interior is basically futuristic by the looks of it and while it resembles more like the Peugeot 208 if you squint your eyes a little bit, it's basic, simple, and regular by crossover standards. It can seat up to five people, you may ask, the rear seats can be folded for extra cargo carrying versatility on the weekends or errands, various ways to place your stuff, and whatever stuff you can do inside the C-HR before you leave.

2017 Toyota C-HR

There is a well-known theory that the C-HR's development took place in the Nurburgring to further demonstrate its sportscar-like handling for a compact crossover of that size but in general, this is basically a Prius underneath it because the C-HR uses the same TNGA platform as the latest Prius. Yeah, the TNGA platform is about as earful as a Tenga toy on a night market in Hong Kong but for the C-HR, it's a different experience that is still as earful as the platform it uses. Apart from the platform, the C-HR features brand-new MacPherson struts in the front and double wishbones in the back, featuring Toyota's first urethane upper supports on the shock absorbers. Couple that with the aluminum-cast upper support housing and the way the C-HR handles is not too shabby at all, although it could be better when its Nurburgring-honed dynamics aren't meant to be taken very seriously.

Two variants are offered on the C-HR such as the one with the turbocharged 1.2L petrol engine with four-wheel drive and the other, and obviously the odd one out, a 1.8L hybrid with front-wheel drive. The one with the turbocharged 8NR-FTS engine produces a modest 116PS of power and 185Nm of torque while the one with the same powerplant as the Toyota Prius promises 30.2km/L of fuel efficiency based on JC08 Mode standards. That's a lot more compared to the Kia Niro and the hybrid variant of the Honda Vezel but even though its efficiency is the deciding factor for the C-HR, both the Vezel and the Niro can leave the C-HR out in the cold due to its CVT gearbox that upsets the C-HR. Sure, the turbocharged one also has a CVT but it's a Super CVT-i with seven-speed manual mode that makes it even more complicated and noticeable when you try.

No matter which variant, the C-HR comes with Toyota Safety Sense P, which features active safety tech such as a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection function and Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist function. There are a lot of safety tech offered in the C-HR but there's one feature that will upset anyone looking at your car from their rearview mirror and that's the Sequential Turn Lamp. That's about as hideous as the sequential rear turn lamps on the Ford Mustang, which remains one of the scariest cars to look at on the road because of its back and because it's the front that will panic oncoming drivers, there are many reasons why putting sequential turn lamps are downright terrifying.

Now, should you buy one? The C-HR starts from 2,516,400 to 2,905,200 Japanese Yen but even if you're rushing to buy one, you will get hampered by the extremely long waitlist because of the crossover's extreme demand. No wonder the C-HR is a strong seller even in Japan. For a strong-selling newcomer, the C-HR wants to be the center of this category with its efficiency, styling, and tech that will edge out any competitor in the segment, although its Nurburgring-honed dynamics are extremely questionable from the performance it offers.

Available colors: White Pearl Crystal Shine, Metal Stream Metallic, Black Mica, Sensual Red Mica, Dark Brown Mica Metallic, Yellow, Radiant Green Metallic, and Blue Metallic.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation