It’s no secret that we live in a world where everything from hate groups to Fruit Loops can be rebranded to become more or less appealing to a particular audience, and the auto industry is no exception: Vehicles with four doors are called “coupes,” alphanumeric names have become divorced from anything to do with the car you’re driving, and “crossover” merely means a vehicle with a raised ride height.
Toyota is committed to the idea that naming a thing a crossover gives it a certain cachet, even if it doesn’t have the functionality you’d expect. With their 2018 Toyota C-HR, they’re unabashedly targeting the elusive millennial generation, doubling down on design and calling it a crossover, even if it lacks capability.
Toyota is committed to the idea that naming a thing a crossover gives it a certain cachet, even if it doesn’t have the functionality you’d expect. With their 2018 Toyota C-HR, they’re unabashedly targeting the elusive millennial generation, doubling down on design and calling it a crossover, even if it lacks capability.
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| 2018 Toyota C-HR / pic via autoweek.com |
Just what is this strange crossover? If a Mini and an Evoque got together and had an angular looking baby, it would be the 2018 Toyota C-HR. That, however, is pretty much where the comparison to any crossover stops. The C-HR is built on the Toyota New Global Architecture platform, the same one the new Prius rides on. It gets a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder DOHC engine mated to Toyota’s new CVTi-S continuously variable automatic transmission that simulates seven gears. That transmission has been tweaked to reduce interior noise and fuel efficiency. The engine makes 144 hp and 139 lb-ft of torque, and it gets an EPA estimated 27 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined.
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| Toyota is positioning the C-HR as an entry point for Millennials who want a stylish, city-use, “crossover,” that doesn’t cost a lot but comes relatively loaded. Photo by Toyota |
Toyota calls the coupe-UV a “crossover,” but it’s a crossover in marketing speak only. It borrows from the design successes of other “coupes” in the segment, with its raked roofline, four doors and raised beltline. Ignoring the fact that consumers might have some confusion about which STD-sounding-acronym vehicle they’re driving, C-HR stands for Coupe High Rider. “High rider” is a rather loose term, however. The 2018 Toyota C-HR gets just 5.9 inches of ground clearance. A 2017 Toyota Camry has 6.1 inches of clearance. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the C-HR doesn’t get all-wheel drive, either. You can’t even get all-wheel drive in the highest trim, the XLE Premium.
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| Dashboard Toyota C-HR 2018 / pic via autoweek.com |
Toyota is positioning the C-HR as an entry point for millennials who want a stylish, city-use “crossover” that doesn’t cost a lot and comes relatively loaded. When it goes on sale in April this year, the 2018 Toyota C-HR XLE will run buyers $22,500 plus $960 delivery. The XLE Premium, which gets you a few upgrades like heated seats, lane departure warnings and folding mirrors, will cost $24,350 plus $960 delivery. The C-HR, in all trims, does comes with Toyota’s Safety Sense P system that includes pre-collision, active braking, pedestrian detection and lane departure alert with steering assist. The C-HR also includes a pretty decent radar-based dynamic cruise control in all trims, too. Outside of this, however, options are nonexistent.
It’s what you can’t get in the C-HR that is puzzling. There is no navigation option, no option for additional USB ports and no Android Auto or Apple Car Play. You can, however, order it in an R-Code livery that gives it a white roof and a unique set of colors, including an incredibly good-looking radiant green mica. While that seems completely backward, it makes some sense when you consider the development history of the C-HR. This was the Toyota that was going to save Scion. According to product general manager Hiro Koba, the C-HR began development back in 2012, but it hasn't seen the light of day until now. Scion, Toyota’s entry-level brand, was killed off last year, leaving the vehicle to languish in Toyota’s crowded lineup -- hence the C-HR was born as an entry-level crossover with minimal options.
It’s what you can’t get in the C-HR that is puzzling. There is no navigation option, no option for additional USB ports and no Android Auto or Apple Car Play. You can, however, order it in an R-Code livery that gives it a white roof and a unique set of colors, including an incredibly good-looking radiant green mica. While that seems completely backward, it makes some sense when you consider the development history of the C-HR. This was the Toyota that was going to save Scion. According to product general manager Hiro Koba, the C-HR began development back in 2012, but it hasn't seen the light of day until now. Scion, Toyota’s entry-level brand, was killed off last year, leaving the vehicle to languish in Toyota’s crowded lineup -- hence the C-HR was born as an entry-level crossover with minimal options.
The Execution
What the C-HR does have is design in spades -- the proportions and shape are interesting and rather pleasing to look at. Angular, low and fast-looking, the C-HR is a head turner. Rather surprisingly, in our time with the little vehicle on roads around Austin, Texas, a young man in a Tesla P90D pulled up next to us, got our attention and gave the thumbs-up -- before dusting us on a two-lane highway.
In a time when most automotive designers are deleting character lines and flourishes, Toyota is adding them left and right with an unabashed passion. It’s refreshing to see. There’s a strong cohesiveness to the brand, and it's seen in the C-HR. The “distinctive diamond” shape appears along the entire side of the crossover and again in pressed forms in the interior roof. Designers put such a high value on that pattern that they didn’t want to have an unwieldy door handle interrupt the angular lines along the side. As a result, they decided to move the rear passenger door handles to the top seam of the door, putting them well out of the reach of little hands or those of diminutive stature. While Toyota says it is targeting young families with the C-HR, kids will have a tough time reaching those rear door handles without help.
The front grille still gets Toyota’s incredibly polarizing maw. As another journalist astutely pointed out, especially in white, the C-HR looks a lot like an angular version of Falcor, Atreyu’s dragon from 1984 kids movie, "The NeverEnding Story." The rear of the C-HR gets emblazoned with a couple of protruding taillights that, unfortunately, when viewed at an angle can look a bit like a bloom of high school acne. The most striking angle, by far, is the hard side.
The Toyota C-HR measures just 171.2 inches in overall length, putting it below the RAV4 in Toyota’s lineup. Interior space in the front feels ample. The dash is simple and minimal, with both the XLE and the XLE Premium lines including a 7-inch multimedia screen, a 4.2-inch display in the center stack between the gauges, a single USB port, large cupholders in the center console and doors, plus a cubby for storage located under the climate controls. There are no fancy flourishes here, just basic, no-frills functionality -- something Toyota fans hold in the highest esteem.
From the back seat, however, the C-HR is cramped and coffinlike, at best. The design of the rear window feels like something out of a 1970s-era airplane. To see out of it, you need to simultaneously lean forward and sit bolt upright. The rear door panel sits so high on the rear passenger seat that, even at 5-foot-7, I had a hard time seeing out the window. Children in car seats would fare far worse. Sitting in the back of the C-HR can encourage car sickness if your passengers are prone to it because there’s no sightline to either the windshield or out the side window. It’s a lot like being confined in a submarine, and the C-HR doesn't come with an optional sunroof, so it feels even more casketlike.
Behind the wheel, however, the C-HR is surprisingly nimble. It corners flat, and Toyota is right to proclaim its sharp driving dynamics. The TNGA architecture was tuned at the Nurburgring in Germany -- and it shows. Despite appearances (and the fact Toyota labels it a crossover), the C-HR drives more like a hatchback than a coupe-UV. The steering ratio is surprisingly quick off-center but, like all Toyotas, a bit dead in the middle. It creates a sort of funny sensation when you move from the driver's seat to the passenger seat.
Your brain is tricked into thinking that because of the crossover looks of the vehicle, a large input by the driver will result in a minimal sensation in the passenger seat. That is not the case. The steering is quick enough to take some getting used to by both driver and passenger, and initially, it can result in some unsettling sensations. Once both driver and passenger settle into the motion, however, the C-HR is quite enjoyable to drive, though it certainly doesn’t beg to be driven hard. Acceleration is lackluster, and the whine of the CVT and wind noise (particularly around the side mirrors) can make the interior an annoying place on longer drives. On quick merges, even when the gas pedal is mashed to the floor, the lag time can prove a bit hairy. This isn’t the vehicle that makes merging into quick moving traffic a pleasurable, nonpuckering experience.
Toyota President declares 'No more boring cars'
Even in sport mode where the throttle is marginally more responsive, the little C-HR feels sluggish in getting to highway speeds. A leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel lets you toggle through drive settings like eco, comfort and sport. Eco is like being stuck in deep mud. Comfort is fine for short jaunts in traffic around town. Sport is merely a suggestion of performance. Think of it like someone blowing in your ear to simulate speed. The settings change the response of the transmission to give a more “spirited” sense to the drive. It also increases the noise of the engine inside the cabin, a space that is far from quiet already. On rough Texas highways, tire hum and wind noise is significant, and the transmission still has a bit of that typical CVT drone to it.
One thing that definitely stands out in the C-HR is the inclusion of Toyota’s safety suite, as well as their adaptive cruise control. While the cruise control is conservative, the technology, in typical Toyota style, is reliable and simple to use. At its closest setting, the cruise control will leave two large car lengths between you and the car in front of you, a feature that simply won't work in cities like LA or New York, where aggressive driving is the hallmark. But to get similar safety and cruise control features in competitors like the Honda HR-V, Fiat 500x, Nissan Juke, Kia Soul, Chevy Trax, or Mazda CX-3, buyers need to shell out more cash. There is simply no other vehicle on the market currently offering features like these at such an affordable price.
In a time when most automotive designers are deleting character lines and flourishes, Toyota is adding them left and right with an unabashed passion. It’s refreshing to see. There’s a strong cohesiveness to the brand, and it's seen in the C-HR. The “distinctive diamond” shape appears along the entire side of the crossover and again in pressed forms in the interior roof. Designers put such a high value on that pattern that they didn’t want to have an unwieldy door handle interrupt the angular lines along the side. As a result, they decided to move the rear passenger door handles to the top seam of the door, putting them well out of the reach of little hands or those of diminutive stature. While Toyota says it is targeting young families with the C-HR, kids will have a tough time reaching those rear door handles without help.
The front grille still gets Toyota’s incredibly polarizing maw. As another journalist astutely pointed out, especially in white, the C-HR looks a lot like an angular version of Falcor, Atreyu’s dragon from 1984 kids movie, "The NeverEnding Story." The rear of the C-HR gets emblazoned with a couple of protruding taillights that, unfortunately, when viewed at an angle can look a bit like a bloom of high school acne. The most striking angle, by far, is the hard side.
The Toyota C-HR measures just 171.2 inches in overall length, putting it below the RAV4 in Toyota’s lineup. Interior space in the front feels ample. The dash is simple and minimal, with both the XLE and the XLE Premium lines including a 7-inch multimedia screen, a 4.2-inch display in the center stack between the gauges, a single USB port, large cupholders in the center console and doors, plus a cubby for storage located under the climate controls. There are no fancy flourishes here, just basic, no-frills functionality -- something Toyota fans hold in the highest esteem.
From the back seat, however, the C-HR is cramped and coffinlike, at best. The design of the rear window feels like something out of a 1970s-era airplane. To see out of it, you need to simultaneously lean forward and sit bolt upright. The rear door panel sits so high on the rear passenger seat that, even at 5-foot-7, I had a hard time seeing out the window. Children in car seats would fare far worse. Sitting in the back of the C-HR can encourage car sickness if your passengers are prone to it because there’s no sightline to either the windshield or out the side window. It’s a lot like being confined in a submarine, and the C-HR doesn't come with an optional sunroof, so it feels even more casketlike.
Behind the wheel, however, the C-HR is surprisingly nimble. It corners flat, and Toyota is right to proclaim its sharp driving dynamics. The TNGA architecture was tuned at the Nurburgring in Germany -- and it shows. Despite appearances (and the fact Toyota labels it a crossover), the C-HR drives more like a hatchback than a coupe-UV. The steering ratio is surprisingly quick off-center but, like all Toyotas, a bit dead in the middle. It creates a sort of funny sensation when you move from the driver's seat to the passenger seat.
Your brain is tricked into thinking that because of the crossover looks of the vehicle, a large input by the driver will result in a minimal sensation in the passenger seat. That is not the case. The steering is quick enough to take some getting used to by both driver and passenger, and initially, it can result in some unsettling sensations. Once both driver and passenger settle into the motion, however, the C-HR is quite enjoyable to drive, though it certainly doesn’t beg to be driven hard. Acceleration is lackluster, and the whine of the CVT and wind noise (particularly around the side mirrors) can make the interior an annoying place on longer drives. On quick merges, even when the gas pedal is mashed to the floor, the lag time can prove a bit hairy. This isn’t the vehicle that makes merging into quick moving traffic a pleasurable, nonpuckering experience.
Toyota President declares 'No more boring cars'
Even in sport mode where the throttle is marginally more responsive, the little C-HR feels sluggish in getting to highway speeds. A leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel lets you toggle through drive settings like eco, comfort and sport. Eco is like being stuck in deep mud. Comfort is fine for short jaunts in traffic around town. Sport is merely a suggestion of performance. Think of it like someone blowing in your ear to simulate speed. The settings change the response of the transmission to give a more “spirited” sense to the drive. It also increases the noise of the engine inside the cabin, a space that is far from quiet already. On rough Texas highways, tire hum and wind noise is significant, and the transmission still has a bit of that typical CVT drone to it.
One thing that definitely stands out in the C-HR is the inclusion of Toyota’s safety suite, as well as their adaptive cruise control. While the cruise control is conservative, the technology, in typical Toyota style, is reliable and simple to use. At its closest setting, the cruise control will leave two large car lengths between you and the car in front of you, a feature that simply won't work in cities like LA or New York, where aggressive driving is the hallmark. But to get similar safety and cruise control features in competitors like the Honda HR-V, Fiat 500x, Nissan Juke, Kia Soul, Chevy Trax, or Mazda CX-3, buyers need to shell out more cash. There is simply no other vehicle on the market currently offering features like these at such an affordable price.
The Verdict
All told, the 2018 Toyota C-HR is a decent little vehicle. The style is striking and unique, and Toyota offers a suite of advanced safety and comfort equipment for a price that is hard to beat. When that’s paired with Toyota’s 60,000-mile warranty and Toyota Care, which covers normal factory maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance, it’s a pretty good way to get millennial buyers interested in a stylish vehicle, meaning the world of “crossover coupes” might just have to expand to include the Toyota C-HR.
On Sale: April 2017
Base Price: $23,460
Drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC I4, front-wheel drive, continuously variable automatic transmission
Output: 144 hp @ 6,100 rpm; 139 lb-ft @ 3,900 rpm
Fuel Economy: 27/31/29 mpg(EPA City/Hwy/Combined)
Pros: Unique styling; well-equipped
Cons: Sluggish acceleration; noisy; compromised back seats
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On Sale: April 2017
Base Price: $23,460
Drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC I4, front-wheel drive, continuously variable automatic transmission
Output: 144 hp @ 6,100 rpm; 139 lb-ft @ 3,900 rpm
Fuel Economy: 27/31/29 mpg(EPA City/Hwy/Combined)
Pros: Unique styling; well-equipped
Cons: Sluggish acceleration; noisy; compromised back seats
article source
