Photo: Toyota
It may be small, but it is a head-turner. It may be equipped with a 2.0-liter engine, but it’s only available in front-wheel-drive form. The Toyota C-HR for the U.S. market is a bit of a mongrel, but then again, who cares? It is the exterior design of the C-HR that will ensure its commercial success.
Almost the same car as its European counterpart, the U.S-spec C-HR is an amalgam of sharp lines and unconventional motifs for the crossover segment. It oozes character unlike anything else of this shape and size, which is exactly what you would expect from a $22,500 car before taxes.
Slated to arrive at dealers in April for the 2018 model year, the C-HR is available in two trim levels for the time being: XLE ($22,500) and XLE Premium ($24,350). Both of them are propelled by Toyota’s 3ZR-FAE engine, which supplies 144 hp at 6,100 rpm and 139 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm.
Only one transmission is available, the CVTi-S, and compared to CVTs from not that long ago, it’s programmed to simulate seven gear ratios. This feature is only available once the driver selects Sport Mode. Gas mileage-minded buyers that aren’t interested in that have a reason to rejoice as well. With an expected EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined, the C-HR is also pretty fuel efficient.
As standard, Toyota’s smallest crossover gets 18-inch alloy wheels, bucket seats, dual-zone climate control, 7.0-inch audio display, and Safety Sense P with Full-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Pre-Collision System with Active Braking is on the menu as well, as are a backup camera, Hill-Start Assist Control, and 10 airbags.
Toyota also makes a case of the C-HR’s handling, highlighting that “years were spent developing on-road nimbleness and ride quality on some of the world’s most curvaceous and pitted roads, including the Nurburgring Nordschleife.” Essentially the compact take on Toyota’s TNGA platform, the backbone of the C-HR prides itself on an inherent low center of gravity.
Toyota has yet to confirm or deny if all-wheel-drive and a hybrid will be made available during the model’s lifecycle, but that’s a story for another time. ’Till then, let’s wait and see how well the C-HR will sell in the U.S.
Slated to arrive at dealers in April for the 2018 model year, the C-HR is available in two trim levels for the time being: XLE ($22,500) and XLE Premium ($24,350). Both of them are propelled by Toyota’s 3ZR-FAE engine, which supplies 144 hp at 6,100 rpm and 139 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm.
Only one transmission is available, the CVTi-S, and compared to CVTs from not that long ago, it’s programmed to simulate seven gear ratios. This feature is only available once the driver selects Sport Mode. Gas mileage-minded buyers that aren’t interested in that have a reason to rejoice as well. With an expected EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined, the C-HR is also pretty fuel efficient.
As standard, Toyota’s smallest crossover gets 18-inch alloy wheels, bucket seats, dual-zone climate control, 7.0-inch audio display, and Safety Sense P with Full-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Pre-Collision System with Active Braking is on the menu as well, as are a backup camera, Hill-Start Assist Control, and 10 airbags.
Toyota also makes a case of the C-HR’s handling, highlighting that “years were spent developing on-road nimbleness and ride quality on some of the world’s most curvaceous and pitted roads, including the Nurburgring Nordschleife.” Essentially the compact take on Toyota’s TNGA platform, the backbone of the C-HR prides itself on an inherent low center of gravity.
Toyota has yet to confirm or deny if all-wheel-drive and a hybrid will be made available during the model’s lifecycle, but that’s a story for another time. ’Till then, let’s wait and see how well the C-HR will sell in the U.S.
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