Toyota C-HR

Does adding the GR Sport badge and some nice accoutrements to Toyota’s coupe-styled small SUV make it a better car?

Honda’s new hybrid HR-V finds a competitor in the Toyota C-HR, but which of these two SUVs presents the better buyer’s choice?

There's plenty to choose from in the hybrid SUV stakes, so we take a Toyota and Mazda to see how they handle the efficiency game.

Australians love SUVs, and we love cars with a bit of attitude. Sam Purcell grabs two small and sporty SUVs to see which one does it better.

Toyota has increased routine servicing costs across the entire range.

Meet the next Toyota C-HR small SUV, shown in concept form ahead of its overseas launch next year.

The Toyota C-HR city SUV is approaching the end of its current model cycle, but the company says the nameplate is here to stay.

Toyota's has a new electrified SUV on the way, and it could be badged as the BZ2X, C-HR, or something else.

Does the Toyota line-up need another SUV? We look at how the new Corolla Cross fits into the Toyota range.

Yes you read that right. A pair of legendary septuagenarians are not only cooler than you are, but are looking for something to replace their aging Toyota sports coupe.

A ‘hybrid car’ can take many forms. Here’s what you need to know.

The rise of great-to-drive Toyotas, beyond the 86 and Supra.

Firstly, I want to get out the way of why i purchased this car. I wanted something that looked good, had good fuel economy, comfortable and a good list of equipment and safety features. For my current job I needed an 'SUV' with a decent sized boot and as a 20 year single male i don't want anything too big e.g. rav4/crv. I got lucky with the dealership I purchased the car from, the colour i wanted was silver with black roof and was shocked to find out they actually had 1 in stock and they could deliver the car to me within a week. Considering (at the time) there was a 3 to 4 month waiting list i was pretty happy with that. After 9 months and 13000km I am very happy with the car. I believe style is a matter of personal preference but I think it looks fantastic and it turns heads lots of heads. I've had a countless amount of people coming up to me asking me what it is or telling me how funky and stylish it looks. Inside is a stand out compered to the other cars I considered the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona and Suzuki Vitara were covered in rock had plastic and to me didn't feel any where near as expensive as the C-HR. Only the HR-V somewhat felt nice inside but was snooze fest to look at. Materials are nice and soft the buttons and switches all have a nice quality feel to them. The 'fake' leather seats are comfortable and heated which is nice for these cold winter mornings. My only criticisms with the interior is the laughable infotainment screen and rear visibility. The touch screen is just too small and clunky to use and apple car play would've been nice as well (wake up Toyota!). However, luckily that's not a deal breaker for me it's still easy to navigate and does the job well enough (just). On the road it is smooth and quite enjoyable to drive. It corners well glides of bumps and imperfections in the road excellently even with those very attractive 18 inch alloys. Most of my driving is in peak hour bumper to bumper traffic on Melbourne's over crowded roads, so I wasn't really concerned about having a car with lots of grunt. However, for the days I'm not stuck in traffic I do feel like the car could use a little bit more punch. One of my favourite things about the C-HR is the LED headlights which are some of the best that I have driven with. Fuel economy is excellent I am averaging around 7 litres per 100km which is good considering the driving I do. On freeways I can even get it down to around 5.5 litres per 100km. Service intervals are also impressive with 12 month/ 15000km at $195 each service for the first 5 years. Overall I am pleased with this car and would definitely recommend for anyone who wants something stylish, fun to drive or wants something that had a higher driving position but isn't too big.

So, my wife and I have been in the market looking for a new car for a quite a while. She wanted a SUV I wanted something smaller, she won. I remember when the Toyota C-HR was released in Australia I found the design extremely interesting. Me and my wife took it for a test drive sometime in September and I really loved the way the car drove. Really comfortable and very satisfying to drive around town (my wife was totally indifferent). The following months we checked and took quite a few cars on a test drive however, we could not find a car that could be a satisfying compromise. After numerous sleepless nights and long deliberations, we agreed to keep the budget at $30k and focus on finding a SUV that would tick as many boxes as possible in the safety department. After that it was hard not to choose the Toyota C-HR. We have almost 500km on the engine by now and we are both really happy with our choice. The ride is really comfortable, and that car keeps you comfortable and insulated from the outside world without the driver losing contact with what is actually happening on the road. You get enough feedback on the wheel to keep you aware of what is going on and informed about the ride without forfeiting comfort. The drivers’ seat is slightly elevated to create the illusion of bigger, higher car (which I personally don’t mind) nonetheless, the driving position I find to be excellent and the driver is fully aware of his surroundings. Yes, the blind spots are bigger than other cars’ given the rear shape of the C-HR but, it doesn’t make it impossible to drive the car at least if you are an experienced driver. I have been driving the car in traffic and haven’t had an issue with the blind-spot besides the fact that I had to get used to the large C-Pillar. Don’t forget though that the car comes packed with pretty much everything when it comes to active safety (one of the main reason we decide to go for the Toyota). Rear and front parking sensors, lane departure warning and assist, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, pre-collision warning, autonomous emergency braking and rear-view camera. We could not find any other car in the SUV category to offer as much as the Toyota C-HR for the same price. The AEB already kicked in and helped me once when I car ahead decided to take a last minute right turn so, I am happy to have all that tech on my side when I’m driving. Now, the multimedia unit I know it feels and looks outdated. I would definitely like it to have better graphics and not that ugly clock however, I find it adequate. I can use Bluetooth to stream music, change songs using the buttons on the leather-trimmed steering wheel (which feels amazing to hold and turn), the sat-nav is perfectly fine and I can make phone calls and read text on the screen so, all up I’m happy. In terms of the size I think my brain would be confused if the screen was bigger and if there would be more info on it (maybe younger generations will be more adept to process more information whilst driving). There is no HUD but, you do get a small info screen which I would like to be able to customize and to show directions from the sat-nav. Overall, the dashboard is very driver orientated, easy to use and read and feels upmarket and sporty. The front seats are very comfortable and feel sporty even in the base version that we have. Seating at the back is comfortable and I don’t really mind the claustrophobic small back windows. You don’t get an armrest at the back and if as a back-passenger you want to take a coffee with you well bad luck. I had my wife drive me around town whilst I was seating at the back just to get an idea of how it feels. Yes, you do lose visibility and possibly it can become frustrating after a long ride but, in town it’s fine since the seats are comfortable and the ride pleasant. No, it will not seat 5 people. Keep it to two people and occasionally four if you want no discomfort (for the others that is). We once did go for short drive with three people at the back and they did not complaint however, I’m not sure if they were just polite… Boot space is OK and the cabin feels spacious (at least at the front). Storage compartments just don’t make much sense. The cup holders in the front are interesting at best and I usually end up using them for my phone and wallet. I hate the fact that there is no USB port in the front armrest-bin but, you get a 12V outlet.

I absolutely love this car. So happy it’s so comfortable easy to drive and looks awesome. I looked around a lot to see what I wanted. Looked at Hyundai Kona and Mazda cx3. All the time I kept going back to the chr Koba. This car is so gorgeous to look at. The amount of people who stop me and comment how much they love the look of my car is amazing. This car is only meant to run on premium fuel which I found out only after I had purchase the car. I was a bit shocked by this as the fuel cost more of course. The range of fuel has been around 500 km which I find to be the norm. The only improvement I would say would be to make the rear seats more friendly to see out of the windows and maybe have some vents for the rear passengers. The chr Koba is one sexy looking car with the choice of different colours and different roof choices to be able to choose what suits you. I chose the white with a black roof and I am in love with it. I walk back to my car in a car park and go wow this is a stunning looking piece of machinery. I still pinch myself to b live this car is actually mine. I love driving an automatic car again after driving manuals for the last four years. The chr Koba is a lot better to the standard chr if you can afford the extra price. The leather seats and led lights are far superior than the norm. Although I’m sick of people flashing me as if I have my high beam on when I don’t.. The price is similar to the others. I have always had Hyundai and Mazda and have been very happy with both of these brands. But I decide that the look of the chr was just too good. I feel in love by just seeing one at my local supermarket. I could not stop thinking about it. Going for a test drive it handle perfectly and was so comfortable to drive. Handle easily and was simply a beautiful car to ride in. I cannot be any happier. I am in love with my new chr Koba.