New Toyota C-HR and all its surprises

If in a series of different news you suddenly missed information about the appearance of the new Toyota C-HR, then it’s time to fix it.

Because it is fun and colorful news, unlike the same series. And very interesting, because C-HR offers a lot of things that you have not seen in any Toyota in Ukraine.

The first C-HR made a splash in the market and made even those who had never planned to buy a Toyota fall in love with it – 70% of buyers became new customers of the brand. They are most attracted by his appearance, which is unexpectedly bright and bold.

With the new generation of Toyota C-HR, the designers achieved a greater effect, as this model was released under the slogan “concept car on the road”. Just one look at the Toyota C-HR Prologue concept is enough to understand that this is true. They did it the way they drew it. And we, in turn, made a small but informative video test for you, where we talked about the main changes that took place in the Toyota C-HR.

And for those who really like to read, below we’ve posted a text version of our test drive.

First of all, we note that this is not just a new model. This is the new corporate face of Toyota, officially presented to us for the first time in the Toyota C-HR. Meet, get used to, fall in love! It doesn’t seem like it would be difficult.

The rear of the car is no less interesting, and perhaps more so. This is where the new Toyota C-HR clearly shows how sophisticated and bold it is. So perfect that it even abandoned the rear wiper, which was a very bold move.

Brave but grounded. After all, this body has an ultra-low aerodynamic drag coefficient – only 0.31. And apparently, it will make it harder for raindrops to stay on the rear window while driving.

Check out the LED signature that greets you with the C-HR, regardless of trim level. It’s great, isn’t it? And here, finally, is the standard arrangement of rear door handles: they are no longer hidden in the column – now all the handles are hidden in the body.

But will all C-HRs have a strikingly different rear color scheme? So, in the first two trim levels, Live and Active, the body is one color. The next ones, Lounge and Premium, have a different roof, for which you have to pay about 20 thousand UAH more than the GR Sport. And with the special Premiere Edition, available for the top-end Premium and GR Sport trim levels, you’ll also receive such a comprehensive rear color scheme. And not just her, but more about that later.

For you to understand: Premiere Edition is a kind of add-on to the top-end Premium and GR Sport equipment. There is an upper floor, then there is a penthouse. And the Premiere Edition is exactly that. And finally we will look at it.

Inside, the car feels different too. There’s a new steering wheel, new instrument panel, new displays, as well as a new drive mode knob. It does not need to move to fixed positions; in fact, it is a joystick. And this leads to a very important detail: the current C-HR parks automatically. Previously, the driver had to press the pedals and shift from D to R, but not anymore.

You just need to drive into the parking lot and press the button that activates the parking system. Next, the system searches for a free space suitable in size, and when it is found, you will be asked to confirm the start of parking. After that, he parks quickly and safely, and then the screen shows how well he did, how carefully he did everything.

Now let’s look at some important nuances of configuration.

Parking sensors are everywhere. The rear view camera is everywhere, but the parking lines become dynamic only in the Premium and GR Sport Premiere Edition trim levels, meaning welcome to the “penthouse”. It also adds a 360-degree camera system, an automatic parking assistant and matrix LED headlights to the GR Sport package – as an alternative, all of this can be found in the Premium package. Head-up display only on Premium Premiere Edition and GR Sport Premiere Edition.

However, all Toyota C-HRs have a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, and the same display size is found on all but the entry-level Live, where it’s 8-inches. A larger display means not only navigation, but also a new processor that is half as powerful. Therefore, using the display is very convenient.

In terms of finish, the new Toyota C-HR is extremely eco-friendly. Therefore, there is a lot of recycled plastic and little natural leather, small patches are only visible on the seats of the Premium and GR Sport trim levels. So-called vegan leather is often used. And in the first two trim levels, the seats are usually trimmed in cloth. True, very good.

There is also such an interesting thing as contour lighting. Other Toyotas come in one color, but here there are 64 colors to choose from. Moreover, you can program them so that they replace each other depending on the time of day.

The suspension of the model has not changed fundamentally. As always, very comfortable and fully independent: MacPherson struts in front and double wishbones in the rear. But the suspension has been upgraded and recalibrated because the weight distribution between the axles has changed, especially for the all-wheel drive version. Yes, the new Toyota C-HR offers not only front-wheel drive, but also all-wheel drive.

It is not mechanical, but hybrid. That is, there are no cardans or couplings – only an electric motor with a power of 40 hp. and has a torque of 84 Nm at the rear axle. Yes, we’re already familiar with Toyota’s hybrid 4×4 from the RAV4 and Highlander models. But there is all-wheel drive is built on the basis of a 2.5 engine. And here we are for the first time a two-liter all-wheel drive hybrid crossover.

Overall, the C-HR uses Toyota’s 5th generation hybrid system. It is, first of all, a new lithium-ion battery, a new powerful electric motor, and a new control unit. The latter is not only better, but also quieter. And this, as for me, is the main thing, because the trolleybus rumble familiar to the old Toyota hybrids is no longer there.

There are two engines to choose from: 1.8 and 2.0. Compared to their predecessors, the hybrids based on them are more powerful: now 140 and 197 hp. Their consumption is approximately the same, you can keep within 4-5 liters in the city, if you don’t drive too hard. And motorists should know: even the quietest version with 1.8 according to the passport promises 9.9 seconds to hundreds. And the most dynamic is the two-liter all-wheel drive – 7.9 seconds.

The best change in crossover geometry, in my opinion, is the extra centimeter of ground clearance. Was 14.5 – now 15.5. A small thing, but important. Overall, the new C-HR is slightly wider, but the wheelbase remains the same.

Therefore, the volume of the trunk remained almost unchanged. It is the same here as before – about 300 liters. However, there is a dokatka, and the cover now has an electric drive.

We have already mentioned the comfort of the suspension, which we have no complaints about. How is the handling? There were no problems with this before, but now the situation is better, because the body of the Toyota C-HR has become more torsionally rigid. Here is just one example: the central pillar. It is not welded, as before, but monolithic, and even made of heavy-duty steel. That means it’s lighter and stiffer.

Now let’s look at the second row. Since the wheelbase hasn’t changed, don’t expect limousine-like space here. But there seems to be enough space for an average sized passenger. Conveniently, you can put your feet under the front seat – it’s good that Toyota kept this feature. Rear passengers also have a USB port at their disposal.

And there are others that are difficult to notice, but can be felt, besides, in any seat. We are talking about the operation of security systems.

Yes, there’s a new camera and a new radar, which together increase the distance and angles at which the C-HR detects danger. This Toyota has new software and many other new things. But the main thing is that here, again, a relatively new feeling arose. It was as if an experienced instructor was sitting nearby. Well, it’s like in a training car, where the instructor has dual controls. And if necessary, this virtual instructor intervenes, but very gently and carefully.

For example, if, when starting from a standstill, you do not take into account the distance to the car in front and press the accelerator too hard, the Toyota C-HR will ignore such a harmful command and will not allow an accident.

Or if the distance to the vehicle ahead closes too quickly, the C-HR might slow down a bit. For prevention.

That means the new C-HR doesn’t just protect you from a dangerous situation – it helps you avoid getting into it. And it is very good. Well, it’s time for us to draw conclusions.

First, the current Toyota C-HR is a real show-stopper: it’s impossible not to pay attention to this crossover. The gaze returned to him somehow. Yes, it looks very cool!

Secondly, the interface is better, and therefore interacting with this Toyota C-HR is more interesting. And it is pleasant to drive, because it is stronger, more dynamic, but at the same time, its appetite is almost unchanged.

Third, many features appeared that were not in the old model and are still not in other Toyotas, not to mention competitors. That is, this car is new, perfect and, to a certain extent, exclusive.

The list price, of course, takes all this into account, and therefore the prices range from 1.3 to 1.8 million (maybe with a little tail). Perhaps the C-HR is not the cheapest car in its class. But believe me, this is not the case when you choose wisely and count every hryvnia. People have always bought this model out of emotion, they bought it because they fell in love with it. And the only thing that has changed in the case of the new Toyota C-HR is that emotions come faster and stronger.

Be sure to take the time to see this car in person, it’s worth it!

TEST DRIVE SITE