The decision: The 2020 Toyota C-HR makes use of its funky styling (principally) to its benefit, with a beneficiant serving to of ordinary security options.
Versus the competitors: The category of fake SUVs — lifted hatchbacks with SUV-like styling and cargo house that don’t even supply all-wheel drive — is rising, however the C-HR nonetheless stands out among the many crowd due to its driving expertise and security options, not simply its styling.
Although we often let the photographs signify what a automobile seems like, it’s onerous to speak concerning the C-HR with out at the least acknowledging its styling. I referred to as it ugly earlier than it even went on sale, however I’ve truly mellowed within the years since. The sharp angles will not be for everybody, however at the least it isn’t a generic blob or a traditional-looking SUV. The C-HR’s funky seems could even make it extra interesting — at the least to consumers trying to stand out in a sea of blah automobiles.
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The 2020 C-HR has revised entrance styling, together with new headlamps, however you’d be hard-pressed to discern what’s totally different with out placing the 2 facet by facet. There are additionally new wheel designs to select from.
Moreover that, that is nonetheless the small, lifted hatchback that Toyota — and Vehicles.com, maybe grudgingly — calls an SUV, regardless of its being completely front-wheel drive. It competes with related FWD-only tall vehicles just like the Hyundai Venue, Kia Soul and Nissan Kicks (see them in contrast).
Inside and Cargo
The C-HR’s inside, significantly within the Restricted trim I examined, has some hits and misses — not sudden in a automotive costing lower than $30,000. There’s respectable leather-based upholstery on the Restricted, and a lot of the onerous surfaces don’t really feel overly low-cost, if not very upscale. Like on the outside, there are enjoyable aesthetic touches inside, equivalent to textured plastic inserts within the door panels and oval designs scooped out of the headliner. Neither provides operate or feels high-end, however they do add a contact of caprice that I admire.
One other hit is the 8-inch touchscreen, which is flanked by bodily buttons that management numerous features, in addition to quantity and tuning knobs. The system operates rapidly and the graphics are clear, if a bit dated. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — the latter new for 2020 — are normal. Beneath the display and central air vents are the local weather controls, that are easy and straightforward to make use of.
Not really easy to make use of have been the menus within the gauge cluster, which may show quite a lot of info (together with the G-forces the C-HR was experiencing whereas driving) however not a digital tire strain readout. Toyota buried the C-HR’s drive modes in there, too, making it a ache to change modes. I unintentionally stumbled throughout the modes the primary time I drove the C-HR, however the subsequent time I obtained in, I needed to pull over and skim the proprietor’s handbook to determine the best way to change them. Simply give me a bodily button or change, please.
One other miss is within the rear. Surprisingly, I had ample legroom and an honest quantity of headroom regardless of the C-HR’s compact dimension and sloping roofline, however its excessive beltline and tiny rear window contributed to a really enclosed feeling total. It jogged my memory of sitting within the window seat on a aircraft when the window doesn’t line up with the row of seats and you’ve got an obscured view the entire flight. ([Seinfeld voice] What’s the cope with that?) It’s not splendid, and it’s a direct consequence of the C-HR’s styling.
As for the cargo space, with the backseat upright, Toyota estimates the house at 19.1 cubic ft. In follow, it was sufficient for a fairly vital grocery run and would in all probability suffice for 2 adults’ baggage for a weeklong journey (although some stacking could also be concerned). With the backseat folded, the C-HR takes benefit of its further size higher than the remainder of the fake SUV class — it’s greater than a foot longer than the Venue, half a foot longer than the Soul and some inches longer than the Kicks — to offset its low roof and enhance cargo quantity to 37 cubic ft (once more, in line with Toyota; we’ve discovered producers to be inconsistent with such measurements).
What’s It Prefer to Drive the C-HR?
The “C” in C-HR stands for “coupe,” so that you’d be proper to count on a sporty — or at the least sportier — driving expertise. (“HR” is for “Excessive Rider,” as a result of it sits a bit of increased.) And there is a few of that sportiness there, with direct, communicative steering and nimble dealing with that make the C-HR really feel like it may be pushed more durable than the Venue or Kicks.
The 144-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine additionally makes extra horsepower than the Venue or Kicks, nevertheless it must; the CH-R outweighs these fashions by a considerable 743 and 609 kilos, respectively (evaluating base trim ranges). The Toyota has a repeatedly variable automated transmission that results in quite a lot of droning noise at increased speeds or below aggressive acceleration. It additionally does a poor job of mimicking a standard automated transmission, resulting in a noticeable rubber-band feeling once you hit the fuel. That makes freeway driving a little bit of a chore, with a noticeable await passing energy and added engine noise.
The 2020 C-HR’s fuel mileage is on the backside of this subclass, rated by the EPA at 27/31/29 mpg metropolis/freeway/mixed with its normal four-cylinder engine. That’s a decrease mixed ranking than the Kicks, Venue or Soul with its normal four-cylinder engine. When you get the 201-hp, 1.6-liter turbo 4 within the Soul, the mixed rankings are the identical, however the Soul Turbo is rated at 32 mpg on the freeway.
The sportiness additionally makes for a firm-feeling experience — not unusual for a small automotive, however the 18-inch wheels on my take a look at automotive probably didn’t assist. The LE will get 17-inch wheels, whereas the mid-range XLE additionally rides on 18s. Regardless of the harsher experience, the C-HR remained composed over damaged pavement and growth joints.
Visibility is one other casualty of the C-HR’s styling, with the raked windshield placing the A-pillars in the best way of visitors and pedestrians approaching from the perimeters, and the small rear home windows and door home windows make it tougher to see what’s round you.
Security
Fortuitously, Toyota features a full complement of ordinary security tech on all C-HRs as a part of its Security Sense suite, serving to mitigate its restricted visibility. These options embrace ahead collision warning with automated emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with lane preserving help, adaptive cruise management, and automated excessive beams. Adaptive cruise management is a pleasant contact for the category, significantly as a normal characteristic. Solely the Soul Turbo gives it as an possibility; it’s not accessible on the Kicks or Venue.
A welcome change because the C-HR’s debut? A backup digital camera picture that seems on the infotainment display as a substitute of within the rearview mirror. It debuted within the 2019 mannequin.
The C-HR aced the Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security’s crashworthiness exams and its vehicle-to-vehicle entrance crash-avoidance exams. The LED headlights that come normal on the Restricted additionally earned the very best potential ranking of fine, however the set that comes on the LE and XLE rated poor, IIHS’ lowest ranking. (For perspective, combined rankings — and poor ones — are widespread for headlights within the institute’s Small SUV class.) The Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration gave the C-HR a five-star total ranking, with 5 stars for entrance and facet impacts and 4 for rollover resistance.
Our final Automobile Seat Examine, wherein the C-HR earned combined scores, was on a 2018 mannequin. Outcomes ought to apply to the 2020 C-HR, as nicely.
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Is the 2020 C-HR a Good Worth?
Inside its class of FWD-only SUVs, the C-HR is without doubt one of the most costly decisions, significantly within the Restricted trim — our take a look at automobile approached $30,000. High trims of the Venue and Kicks, in the meantime, have sub-$25,000 costs, and the Soul Turbo gives extra efficiency for the same worth. Whereas the C-HR is costlier, although, it does have extra normal security options and one of many extra participating driving experiences.
Increase the alternatives into small SUVs that do supply all-wheel drive and issues get even murkier: The 2021 Kia Seltos, which simply received our reasonably priced small SUV comparability, prices only some hundred {dollars} greater than the C-HR Restricted and brings AWD and a extra conventional SUV silhouette. Costlier decisions embrace the Mazda CX-30, which is rather more fulfilling to drive and has a premium inside however a a lot much less user-friendly infotainment system. The Subaru Crosstrek has an identical lineup of ordinary security options and normal AWD, however it could price extra, significantly in order for you the brand new non-obligatory 2.5-liter four-cylinder.
What could make the C-HR most interesting in an more and more crowded area of each front- and all-wheel-drive small SUVs is its mixture of distinctive exterior styling, security options and sub-$30,000 pricing, significantly if customers are contemplating decisions with all-wheel drive.
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